Bumblebee Will Soon Do Something He’s Never Done Before

Snoopy. Maggie Simpson. Tinkerbell. Some characters are the strong silent type. Since his screen debut in Transformers, that has included Bumblebee. Until now.

The kindly yellow Transformer will get his own voice in standalone film Bumblebee. Until now, the shy alien has only communicated via a radio so far, but never actually spoken in his own voice. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura revealed to IGN that not only would Bumblebee be shaking out those vocal cords, but also who would be lending him the sweet sounds.

There was never really any suggestion that Bumblebee would speak, so it may be difficult to know what to expect or even imagine what he will sound like. Our best indicator is the revelation that he will be voiced by Maze Runner actor Dylan O’Brien. There is no information on how O’Brien approached or interpreted the character, or even if it is digitally manipulated.

Here’s an excerpt from that interview.

“Since we were approaching this as an origin story, we felt that it was appropriate that you got to hear his voice,” di Bonaventura said of the character who thus far has only been able to communicate using existing media. “That’s the simple logic that we employed. The longer term implication of that is different. But the short-term implication of that is, since we really are resetting the mythology, essentially, of who Bumblebee is. And so, that seemed to us to be the appropriate, to get the chance to hear what he sounds like.”

If there is any time to flesh out Bumblebee, it is now. He won’t be competing for screen time with Optimus Prime and it will establish the lay of the land for any future films. The idea is getting audience approval so far according to Bonaventura.

“Thankfully, we’ve showed it to a few audiences, and people seem to think that it’d be right and an appropriate voice. You never know, obviously that can be a sensitive thing for people. But it turns out, they imagine his voice that way.”

We’re all for Bumblebee speaking his mind. The question now is, what will he say?

Bumblebee hits theaters December 21.

Featured Image: Bumblebee poster courtesy: Paramount Pictures