Bumblebee (also known as Transformers: Bumblebee)[6][7][8] is a 2018 American science fiction action film centered on the Transformers character of the same name. It is the sixth installment of the live-action Transformers film series. Developed as a spin-off and prequel, it was later declared a reboot of the franchise.[9][10] Directed by Travis Knight and written by Christina Hodson, the film stars Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, and Pamela Adlon and stars Dylan O'Brien (as the title character), Angela Bassett, Justin Theroux, and Peter Cullen in voice roles. It was Knight's first live-action film,[11] as well as the first live-action Transformers film not to be directed by Michael Bay, who instead acts as a producer. Principal photography on the film began on July 31, 2017, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. Bumblebee premiered in Berlin on December 3, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 21, 2018, and grossed $468 million worldwide, becoming the lowest-grossing film in the franchise but still a box office success. The film received the highest praise of all the Transformers films from critics calling it the best film in the series, praising the action sequences, and Steinfeld's performance, as well as the 1980s setting and sense of nostalgia.[12]