‘Bumblebee’: One Of The Best-Reviewed Films Of 2018 Is Officially Getting A Sequel

With the Oscar nominations announced this morning, there are some people out that that probably noticed one particular snub. And no, it was such a low-key snub that it didn’t even make our list of Oscar Surprises and Snubs. We’re talking one of the best-reviewed films of the year – “Bumblebee.” Yes, we’re kidding. But only slightly. And the good reviews didn’t go unnoticed by Paramount, as they’re officially beginning development on a sequel.

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Seriously, one of the best-reviewed films of 2018 is the Michael Bay-less “Transformers” prequel “Bumblebee.” And compared to some of the big-name films that were nominated for Oscars this morning, the action flick more than stacks up. Based on its Rotten Tomato score of 92%, “Bumblebee” had a better number than “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Vice,” “A Star is Born,” “First Man,” and “Green Book.” And as for its other sci-fi/fantasy competition, “Bumblebee” has a better RT score than “Annihilation.” Told you, we’re only slightly kidding. The film really does have some of the best reviews.

And in honor of the film receiving fairly universal acclaim, as well as “Bumblebee” crossing another major box office milestone, Deadline is reporting that Paramount plans to continue the good work laid down by Travis Knight’s film in a potential sequel. There’s no reported plot for the sequel, but it sounds like Paramount is interested in doing a more direct sequel and not jumping into the present day to reboot the “Transformers” series. For those not aware, “Bumblebee” was firmly set in the ‘80s and wore its nostalgia like a badge of honor.

READ MORE: ‘Bumblebee’: ’80s Nostalgia Fuels A Comeback For The ‘Transformers’ Series [Review]

Other than the reviews, “Bumblebee” has been helped by its decent-to-good box office totals. While the film keeps chugging along, slowly but surely, domestically, the film is doing pretty well overseas, particularly in China. With a worldwide box office gross of $413 million, the film seems to be poised to make a bit of profit for the studio. This isn’t an earth-shattering total, but good enough to provide Paramount with a bit of hope.

Deadline also reports that Paramount is looking at potential other “Transformers” projects in the future, proving that not even five terrible Michael Bay films can crater the robots in disguise. One of the films being developed is an animated feature, while the other is a potential continuation of the prime-”Transformers” movie series, with new characters. Here’s hoping that the studio learns what made Knight’s film so successful (aka tons of heart) and builds from there.

No word on when a sequel to “Bumblebee” might be released, but we’re guessing Paramount is going to want to get this going ASAP, as the “Transformers” franchise is one of the studio’s last remaining money-makers.