Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is set as the male lead for the Transformers franchise’s Bumblebee spinoff

Following a brief appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming, young star Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is, per The Hollywood Reporter, in talks to star opposite Hailee Steinfeld in Paramount Pictures‘ upcoming Transformers spinoff, Bumblebee. Travis Knight, who directed the Academy Award-nominated Kubo and the Two Strings through his animation studio LAIKA, is directing from a script by Christina Hodson.

RELATED: Bumblebee Movie Will Take Place in the 80’s

Bumblebee has been a fan favorite since he was first introduced. He transforms from a Volkswagen Beetle in the earlier versions of the character. In the Transformers Cinematic Universe, he transforms into a Chevrolet Camaro. The character most recently appeared in Transformers: The Last Knight, starring Mark Wahlberg, Jerrod Carmichael, Isabela Moner, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Laura Haddock, Santiago Cabrera, Liam Garrigan and Stanley Tucci. The Bumblebee movie is reportedly a prequel to the Bay franchise, however, and will tell the story of the fan-favorite Autobot in the 1980s.

Christina Hodson, Brian Holdner, Stephen Davis, Lorezo Di Bonaventura, Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg are producing the Bumblebee film, which is set to hit theaters June 8, 2018.

Jorge Lendeborg Jr. can also be seen coming up in Dave McCary’s Brigsby Bear, set to hit select theaters July 28. He’s also set to play a role in Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming manga adaptation Alita: Battle Angel. Look for that one on the big screen in just over a year. It’s set to debut July 20, 2018.

What do you think of the addition of Jorge Lendeborg Jr. to the Bumblebee cast? What sort of story do you want to see from this iteration of the franchise? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)