Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Michael Bay reveals Bumblebee’s new look for ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’

transformers the last knight bumblebee chevrolet camaro crop
One of the veteran characters of Michael Bay’s live-action Transformers franchise will indeed be back for the upcoming Transformers: The Last Knight, but he’ll get yet another upgrade for the 2017 film.

Bumblebee, the heroic yellow Autobot that has appeared in all of Bay’s Transformers films so far, will take the form of a customized 2016 Chevrolet Camaro in The Last Knight, complete with all the bells, whistles, and alien technology that can be packed into the robot’s transforming body. Bay himself revealed the popular character’s new look with a photograph in a posting on his website titled “Bee is Back.”

A staple of the live-action franchise since the 2007 reboot, Bumblebee initially appeared as a 1977 Camaro, only to receive a modern update in the first film. Every subsequent film has upgraded Bumblebee to the latest model of Chevrolet Camaro, usually with a heavily customized body.

bumblebee transformers the last knight

The image posted by Bay is the third major announcement of a returning robot character in The Last Knight, with Optimus Prime and Megatron both already confirmed to be back for the fifth chapter of the series. Of the film’s human cast, only Mark Wahlberg and Josh Duhamel are confirmed to return, reprising their roles as Cade Yeager and Lieutenant Colonel Lennox, respectively.

One very significant newcomer to the franchise was announced over the weekend, with Sir Anthony Hopkins reportedly joining the film in an unspecified role that’s expected to be a human character (rather than a robot’s voice). Other new additions to the cast include Isabela Moner (100 Things to Do Before High School, Growing Up Fisher) and Jerrod Carmichael (The Carmichael Show, Neighbors).

After returning in The Last Knight, Bumblebee is expected to headline his own solo movie in 2018, which could mean another tune-up is not too far off for the popular character.

Transformers: The Last Knight is scheduled to hit theaters June 23, 2017.

Editors' Recommendations

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
Latest ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ trailer explores robots’ history on Earth
transformers the last knight trailer

At this point, there are still a lot of mysteries surrounding Transformers: The Last Knight, the next film in Michael Bay's blockbuster series based on the popular transforming robot toy line.

Previous trailers have indicated that Optimus Prime takes a dark turn in the film, and that a character played by Sir Anthony Hopkins holds the key to unearthing the secret history of human-robot encounters dating back to the Middle Ages. While the new trailer doesn't provide any definitive answers to those mysteries, it does offer quite a bit more footage from the film, as well a bit more information about both plot points.

Read more
Optimus Prime shows a dark side in first ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ trailer
transformers the last knight trailer

The first trailer for Transformers: The Last Knight has arrived online, and it appears that fans of the famous "robots in disguise" will be seeing a very different side of Autobot leader Optimus Prime this time around.

In the trailer, which seems to span several time periods and locations on both Earth and in space, the voice of Sir Anthony Hopkins can be heard speaking over the explosive events and offering a cryptic appraisal of a looming war between two worlds -- one that will require sacrifice. The preview concludes with a scene featuring Optimus Prime throwing fellow Autobot soldier Bumblebee to the ground and asking for forgiveness as he seemingly tears the latter robot apart and then impales him.

Read more
Sir Anthony Hopkins and Freya, the world’s loneliest dog, appear in new ‘Transformers’ video
transformers writers robert kirkman zak penn age of extinction

Back in June, filmmaker Michael Bay made the Twitter-verse aware of his plans to cast a Staffordshire Bull Terrier dubbed "The World's Loneliest Dog" in Transformers: The Last Knight and find the dog a home. In the time since that announcement, the dog was indeed adopted, but Bay also appears to have found a new favorite actor in the epileptic canine named "Freya."

Bay posted a brief video featuring Freya hard at work on the set of Transformers: The Last Knight alongside one of the film's stars, Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Read more