At this point they don't even need to say reboot to confirm that whatever they do with the films, it isn't continuing down the exact same path. There will not be a continuation of the TLK storyline, which for people desperately wanting Unicron or anything to follow up from AoE properly...virtually means the same thing as a reboot.

To be absolutely fair, they've been doing this since the Armada days. Hot Shot originally was Bumblebee until the copyright on some baby swing set prevented the name use, so they just used a name lying around from RID, and it isn't by coincidence that Optimus Prime's own minicon Sparkplug is a yellow car who transforms into a robot almost nigh-identically to G1 Bumblebee right down to a head with tiny little horns on it.

 

You seem to be in denial of how pivotal a role Bumblebee played from the very beginning. He was never a ‘background’ character. That’s crazy talk.

I’m not even saying I that agree with him being one of the most prominent faces of the franchise, but fact remains that he IS. Hasbro isn’t gauging popularity of characters based on the complaints of people on a toy message board. They are gauging it on the amount of merchandise shipped and sold. To suddenly ignore that character or put him on the backburner would be financial suicide for them.

Yes, we all want a ‘well written movie franchise with great stories, deeper characters’. Why would we want anything less? The reason most people are more excited for this movie as opposed to the Bay ones is because of Travis Knight, and radically different approach compared to what we’ve had in the past. If you’re into film at all, you know the difference between two different directors can be night and day (or should I say Knight and Bay.... hahaaaaaa).

However, then you say: ‘....and the correct focal point of the entire franchise.’

Who makes that decision? Who are you to decide what that correct focal point is?

To me, this just translates to: ‘I only want a movie that’s based around characters I like. So even if this movie turns out to be a fantastic Transformers movie full of things I’d otherwise like, I won’t like it because Bumblebee’.

 

Pretty much.  

But does it come in oversize? Hmm?! HHHMMMMMM?!?!?!  

...I laughed and am angry at that joke...

 

Imma gonna have to give you a 'F*ck yeah!'

 

I know they don't want to say it, but there were better ways to not say it. And definitely less wordy ways, why must off the cuff bs sound like a thesis.

Just say "this is how TF rolls. We reset the chronology and tell a new story every generation when we're done with the last one." See? Easy. And dodge admitting done came early by stressing you're still selling toys tied to Bay's universe.

And if they press, point out Bay had been done since 2007.

 

My "correct focal point" comment is based on logic and reason.

Every franchise has characters that are obvious choices to be the faces of their respective franchises.

And Bumblebee isn't one of those obvious choices. Optimus Prime? Megatron? Both? All three are more logical choices to go with than Bumblebee.

Yes Bumblebee has always been a major Transformers character. But it's a COLOSSAL leap from major character to face of the entire franchise.

 

@Chris McFeely bumblebee wasn't the first character to get a second toy because hot rod and rodimus were both released in 1986 which count as the same character not to mention if you want to count the red bumblebee variant cliffjumper also had a yellow variant so we could say cliffjumper was the first character to get a second toy

 

You get my meaning though. Ever so often the franchise takes a step outside of the 'giant robots shooting each other' to see the real pain they suffer. IDW's Spotlight of Sunstreaker where he's being tortured by Machination would be a fair example. Compare that to when Bumblebee was captured by Sector 7 or Cemetery Wind.

 

OS or not, they'll better be improving on paint apps and QC this time.

 

They went from 'a boy and his car' to 'a truck and his friend'. Now it's 'a girl and her car'. I guess next it'll be a truck and his girlfriend.  I think I definitely want to see the last one.

I'm actually looking forward to the Bumblebee movie.

I think the studios had a problem because they were already committed to the Bumblebee movie when TLK came out. I've got a feeling they will now be doing a 'wait and see' type of thing.

If the new 'Bee movie does badly, it's time for a full reboot. If not, they have two options - Stay in the original movie continuity, or start a new 'alternative history' type universe.

On the one hand, I do want them to finish the story of the original (one last massive explosion, so to speak). On the other, I wouldn't mind a new parallel history type of canon where things went wrong in the original continuity, perhaps even with some of the characters from there now turning up in the new universe.

 

It's a colossal, jump the shark type leap from "major character" to "face of the entire Transformers franchise"

Popular toys does not a franchise face make.

Whether it's the cartoon, movies, and toys in the 1980's, today, and everything in between, ask a kid to pick Optimus Prime or Bumblebee. Which one do you think wins a vast majority of the time? Obviously Optimus Prime hands down.

So why force Bumblebee as the face of the Transformers franchise? It makes zero sense.

There are far more logical, obvious, and more interesting choices as face of the franchise than Bumblebee.

 

I thought I recognized your name from my YouTube subscriptions....

 

I’m exited for whatever direction/cliff Hasbro wants to shepherd me towards/off. TFfan4life

 

THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT, MAN!!!!!!!

 

If it’s possible, I’d love it if they brought back Ironhide and Jazz

 

Fair, I should have "a new toy," rather than a "second toy." That is to say, he was the first pre-existing character whose popularity resulted in them being brought back, versus a pre-determined simultaneous release.

 

I'd be down for this Ironhide design if they redid him as a modern red bank armored van...

 

"We felt it was a good moment in time when we could again re-frame the creative direction of Transforms."

No shit!

 

Reminds me of the time Peter Molyneux said his on rails shooter “Fable”, was not an on rails shooter.

 

But not if they plan to hsve it connect to the 2007 and beyond timeline.