Transformers Bumblebee Spin-Off Adds John Cena, Moves Release Date

John Cena is joining the Transformers universe. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor and wrestler has joined the cast of the upcoming Bumblebee spin-off, which begins production today.

Hailee Steinfeld will star in the film as Charlie a tomboy who works part-time as a mechanic. THR's report confirmed past rumors that the movie would be set in the '80s, revealing that it will take place in 1987, with Bumblebee finding himself in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. It's there that the battle-scarred bot meets Charlie, who is about to turn 18 and is trying to find her place in the world. When Charlie brings him back to life, she quickly realizes that he is more than an ordinary yellow VW bug.

While Cena is still well-known for his wrestling, he has broken into acting recently, starring in hit films like Trainwreck and Sisters. His other upcoming roles include Ferdinand, in which he voices a cartoon bull; Daddy's Home 2, in which he will reprise his brief Daddy's Home role alongside Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell; and The Pact, a comedy set to be directed by Pitch Perfect writer Kay Cannon.

Other cast members for the Bumblebee film include Pamela Adlon as the mother of Steinfeld's character and Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Rachel Crow, Jason Drucker, Abby Quinn, Ricardo Hoyos, and Grace Dzieny in undisclosed parts. Kubo and the Two Strings director Travis Knight will take on behind-the-camera duties for Bumblebee, with the script coming from Shut In's Christina Hodson, who wrote it during her time in Michael Bay and Paramount's Transformers writer's room. 

The film, the first of many spin-offs that Paramount has planned for the franchise, is set for a Dec. 21, 2018 release, with the date moved back from an initial June berth. (It will now be competing with DC's Aquaman for box office glory, which should be a face-off for the ages.) For now, read up on some of the most terrible things the Transformers have ever done.