Jorge Lendeborg Jr. joins the cast of Transformers spinoff Bumblebee

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Michael Bay's recently released TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT may have garnered the worst reviews of the franchise and, at least so far, hasn't brought in quite as much cash as its predecessors, but Paramount's TRANSFORMERS cinematic universe is still very much alive. The next film on the slate will be BUMBLEBEE, a spin-off which will focus on the much-loved Autobot in the years before he joined forces with Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf).

THR reports that Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING) is in talks to join the TRANSFORMERS spin-off as the male lead. The young actor will join Hailee Steinfeld (TRUE GRIT), who will reportedly play "a tomboy who also holds a job as a mechanic after school." Jorge Lendeborg Jr. played Jason Ionello in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, the co-host of Midtown Science High School's news station along with Betty Brant (Angourie Rice), who he has a crush on. Lendeborg Jr. is also set to appear in Robert Rodriguez's ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL. Travis Knight (KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS) will be helming the TRANSFORMERS spin-off from a script by Christina Hodson (Shut In).

Plot details have not been released about BUMBLEBEE, but we do know that the spin-off will be set in the 1980's and feature "significantly fewer" Transformers as it will aim to concentrate more on Bumblebee himself. We should also expect the tone to be a little different as they're looking to pitch the film to a younger audience. Hopefully the spin-off will also benefit from a stripped down story, free of the many incoherent plot elements which seem to have grown from sequel to sequel.

TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT is playing in theaters and BUMBLEBEE is set for a June 8, 2018 release.