Dario Marianelli has been tapped to score the upcoming Transformers spinoff Bumblebee. The film is directed by Travis Knight and stars Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Jason Drucker, Kenneth Choi, Rachel Crow, Pamela Adlon, Stephen Schneider, Ricardo Hoyos, Abby Quinn and Grace Dzienny. The movie is set in 1987 and follows a teenage girl trying to find her place in the world as she discovers Bumblebee refuged in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Christina Hodson (Unforgettable, Shut In) wrote the screenplay. Michael Bay who helmed all the previous Transformers movies (scored by Steve Jablonsky) is producing the project with Knight, Lorenzo di Bonaventura (RED, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) and Stephen Davis (Ouija: Origin of Evil). Marianelli has previously collaborated with Knight on LAIKA’s 2016 feature Kubo and the Two Strings. Bumblebee is set to be released on December 21, 2018 by Paramount Pictures.

Marianelli (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, Darkest Hour, V for Vendetta, Anna Karenina) has also recently scored the Italian drama Nome di donna, which opened in Italian theaters this past March. No word yet on a domestic release.