With the two sharing a certain root connection, Lorenzo di Bonaventura assures John Cena’s Bumblebee character is not G.I. Joe’s Duke, but that isn’t the end for the actor in the franchise. Cena starred in the Transformers soft reboot prequel as Jack Burns, an agent in Sector 7 who chased after the fan-favorite Autobot shortly after his arrival on Earth. The character won’t be back for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, but future plans for the franchise could see him return in a more unique fashion.
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In honor of the movie’s release, Screen Rant spoke exclusively with Lorenzo di Bonaventura to discuss Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. When asked about fan theories of Cena’s Bumblebee character being that of G.I. Joe’s Duke, di Bonaventura, the producer behind both movie franchises, shut down the idea, but is open to him being in the latter. See what the producer said below:

I can deny that, but I could see why you’d feel that because he does have some of that energy if you would. I’d love to work with John again. He’s fantastic, and hopefully, we can bring him back into the series.

How Cena’s Transformers Return Could Spark A Major Franchise Crossover

While Cena’s return to the Transformers franchise after Rise of the Beasts would be a fun way to further explore Sector 7’s history in the series, it could also open the door to the long-discussed crossover with the G.I. Joe franchise. As di Bonaventura notes above, his Bumblebee character does share a similar nature to that of the Joes, being dedicated to his cause, as well as being able to hold their own against even the biggest of threats.

Talks of a potential Transformers and G.I. Joe franchise crossover have swirled for the past decade, namely from di Bonaventura himself, as well as G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu. The scrapped script for a third movie in the latter franchise even saw the Transformers introduced to the military action world, only for Paramount to turn down the idea as the future of G.I. Joe was left unknown.

Related: Will G.I. Joe 3 Ever Happen? What’s Next After Snake Eyes

In more recent years, di Bonaventura has continued efforts to make a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover happen, including a shared Hasbro universe writers room, though has indicated Paramount is hesitant to greenlight it. Considering the former only finally got back on its feet with Bumblebee, which simultaneously garnered the best reviews and lowest box office of the Transformers movies, while the latter’s attempt at a soft reboot prequel in Snake Eyes failed critically and commercially, it does seem unlikely said crossover will happen any time soon.

Key Release Dates Transformers: Rise of the Beasts