For over a decade, the Transformers movies were defined by their director, Michael Bay. But later this year, the Bumblebee solo film may give the franchise new life. The recently released trailer made our geek hearts skip a beat with gorgeous renditions of some very old school Generation 1 Autobots and Decepticons. But could this ’80s callback be more than meets the eye? Today’s Nerdist News is discussing speculation that Bumblebee may have a stealth G.I. Joe crossover.
Join host and Target Master Transformer, Jessica Chobot, as she runs down the details that could conceivably pave the way for a full fledged Hasbro Cinematic Universe. Hasbro has openly pursued that goal for years, and there was even a writers room full of Hollywood talent who were charged with making it a reality. But it hasn’t happened yet, and Bay’s Transformers films didn’t seem to be interested in going beyond their own mythology.
Fans have noticed John Cena’s character, Agent Burns, has a very distinctive facial scar on his right cheek. The original G.I. Joe figures also featured facial scars, and so did Channing Tatum’s Duke in the first two G.I. Joe movies. Is it a coincidence? Possibly. But Agent Burns sure does look a lot like a proto version of Duke, even though he’s chasing down Bumblebee for a secretive military organization known as Section 7.
There is no G.I. Joe character named Burns, but his inclusion in this movie could potentially open a lot of doors for the future. And if there’s any property that belongs in the ’80s, it’s G.I. Joe. We’d love to see a throwback movie that lets the Joes fly their freak flags with wildly divergent uniforms, exotic pets, and laser weapons that never seem to hurt anyone. It’s an intriguing possibility, but we’ll have to wait until December to see if Bumblebee is just the first step in a larger Hasbro universe.
Do you think Bumblebee‘s Agent Burns will bring the Transformers and G.I. Joe together? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Paramount/Hasbro
