It’s not exactly a secret that shared universes are the big thing in Hollywood these days. Ever since the massive success of ‘The Avengers’ in 2012, studios have tried with varying degrees of success to build their own out of whatever franchises they might have to work with. And for Paramount, that is, of course, a list that includes their successful run of ‘Transformers’ films.

Toward that end, director and franchise mastermind Michael Bay assembled a team of writers to explore the ways in which Paramount could expand the world of ‘Transformers’ beyond the core series of films. The first project to come out of this effort has been confirmed to be a spinoff focused on Bumblebee, a fixture of the series who has been one of the most consistently popular Autobots as far back as the original ‘Transformers’ cartoons and comics in the 1980s.

Not only has Paramount confirmed the ‘Bumblebee’ project itself but they’ve also announced that they have a script. The spinoff is being written by Christina Hodson, a development executive turned writer and a member of the team assembled by Bay last year. A newcomer to screenwriting, her credits to date include ‘Shut In’ (which lands in theaters today) and next year’s Denise Di Novi project, ‘Unforgettable’.

‘Bumblebee’ is currently targeted for release in 2018.

What do you think of the prospect of a ‘Transformers’ spinoff that focuses on Bumblebee? What other characters would you like to see get their own films? Let us know in the comments!

In the meantime, the next installment of the ‘Transformers’ franchise, ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ is due for release on June 23, 2017 and stars Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Liam Garrigan, Laura Haddock, Stanley Tucci, Gil Birmingham, Isabel Moner, and Anthony Hopkins.

Be sure to check in with ScienceFiction.com for more news and information on the ‘Bumblebee’ spinoff as it becomes available.