Bumblebee is the most successful Transformers film; the first one in the franchise not directed by Michael Bay, Travis Knight's film succeeded where the others failed, crafting a touching and fun story that captures what's great about the series. Originally a prequel to the 2007 film, Bumblebee has been dubbed a reboot of the film franchise, which leaves a lot of possibilities.
Hasbro has several more Transformers films in the works, including a Bumblebee sequel. Here are some ideas for what a potential sequel should look and feel like, as well as what elements should be included or discarded from other films.
11 Don't Want: A Lot of Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime is one of the most recognizable Transformers characters, so the thought of him not being in a movie almost sounds absurd. But when it's a sequel to the Bumblebee solo film, it makes more sense. That doesn't mean that he shouldn't appear at all, but should have limited screen time, like what he got in the first Bumblebee.
At the end of that film, Optimus and Bumblebee watched as 7 of their fellow Autobots came to Earth. Maybe Optimus could leave Bumblebee to serve as leader of this group, while Optimus himself goes to look for more Autobots who may or may not have survived the War on Cybertron, setting up the events of his own solo film. He could then return either at the end of the Bumblebee sequel or in a future film.
10 Want: Bumblebee Leading the Newly-Arrived Autobots
Bumblebee proved himself as a capable hero, so the next step would be Optimus entrusting him to serve as leader while he's away. This set-up would allow Bumblebee to grow more as a character: he could be at odds with this position, constantly comparing himself to Optimus when he fails to make the right decision, though he'd steadily become more confident as a leader.
This team could consist of the Autobots seen on Cybertron: Arcee, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Wheeljack (Cliffjumper was killed by Shatter, whereas Brawn didn't survive the war according to Travis Knight. Anything's possible though). The others could be Jazz, Prowl, and Hound for example, though the team should be relatively small for this film (and those other characters could show up in other films). In fact, those other travelers may not have been Autobots at all.
9 Don't Want: More "Bayhem"
Michael Bay had his own distinct take on the Transformers franchise, but it was interesting seeing Travis Knight's vision of the characters and mythology. In the wake of Bumblebee's success though, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura suggested that a sequel would combine the "Bayhem" of the previous films with the character-driven approach of Bumblebee.
Any Transformers film needs action, but Bumblebee worked because it mostly focused on the friendship between Bumblebee and Charlie, but still managed to include some great action sequences courtesy of Travis Knight. A Bumblebee sequel should maintain the focus on character relationships and growth without being too sidetracked by the action.
8 Want: Charlie and Memo's Return
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The human characters are always important to the franchise, and the ones in Bumblebee were great: Charlie and Memo were both likable and three-dimensional, serving as Bumblebee's friends and guides to experiencing Earth. While Charlie and Bumblebee parted ways at the end of the first film, that shouldn't be the last appearance of her or Memo.
Maybe in the sequel the two of them get caught in the destruction caused by the villains and are rescued by Bumblebee and the other Autobots. As they reconnect with Bee, they can meet the other Autobots and become their official allies on Earth, much like Spike and Sparkplug Witwicky from the G1 cartoon.
6 Don't Want: A Complete Change in Tone
Bumblebee's tone is what makes it work so well: it's light and fun, but has enough maturity and action work to draw in older crowds as well. This tone should be the template for the franchise going forward. And much like the MCU, these films shouldn't be afraid to embrace the weirder elements: the Autobots and the like should talk more while in vehicle form and use their landed spaceships as their respective headquarters, for example.
5 Want: More G1-Inspired Designs
The Transformers characters in film rarely resembled their counterparts from the G1 series, so it was a welcome surprise when Bumblebee's opening scene showed Autobots like Ratchet (as seen above) and Decepticons looking much closer to their G1 forms. Not only that, but they worked: the designs made the characters look more expressive and fleshed out, rather than being over-stylized like in the other films. Rendering more characters like this would help future films stand out thematically and aesthetically from Bay's work.
4 Don't Want: A Lot of Sector 7
Sector 7 has been in all the Transformers films to date, but their role should be lessened going forward. That's not to say that the extraterrestrials on Earth shouldn't be kept in check here and there, but seeing the existence of Autobots and Decepticons be more known to the public would be interesting, with the Autobots in particular being recognized as superheroes like in some of the animated series (this would also include having them repair areas damaged by Decepticon threats, as seen in the G1 cartoon).
3 Want: More Decepticons (Including a Rebuilt Blitzwing)
The Bumblebee mid-credits scene showed what looked like several Autobots headed towards Earth, but it's possible some of them could be Decepticons sent to collect Energon Cubes for Cybertron. These Decepticons could include fan-favorites like Starscream, Shockwave, and Soundwave. But a rebuilt and heavily modified Blitzwing would be a fun addition as well.
Fans of Transformers Animated will remember that Blitzwing on that show was experimented on, giving him three personalities: a cold, calculating one, a hot-tempered one, and an insane one. YouTuber CorderyFX had a cool idea where the Deceptions find the scattered pieces of Blitzwing, Shatter, and Dropkick, with Shockwave combining them into a more powerful Blitzwing, now made more unstable with the personalities of Shatter and Dropkick added to his own.
2 Don't Want: Megatron
As much as fans love Megatron, it's best if he mostly sat out this sequel. Remember how Thanos was built up throughout the MCU before Infinity War? The same goes for Megatron. There shouldn't need to be a huge wait before he makes his return, but his presence should be felt for the next few films until then: there could be a mid-credits scene where he's heard talking to the Decepticons on Earth while he's on Cybertron, his face shrouded in shadow. By the time he takes center stage, the wait for Megatron will have been earned. And only Frank Welker should voice him this time.
1 Want: Bumblebee Immediately Getting His Voice Back
While he's been vocal in most animated series, Bumblebee was introduced as unable to speak properly in the 2007 film. Thus he communicated using his built-in radio throughout the next four films as well as his solo film, where Blitzwing tears out his voice box in battle. While his mostly mute approach worked for a bit, it's about time that Bee actually gets to use his own voice going forward.
Maze Runner star Dylan O'Brien supplied Bee's voice in the reboot before he goes mute, and the actor did a great job at giving off the same eagerness and likability in the role that Bumblebee is known for. The extremely talented actor could do a lot more with the character if given the chance to, preferably if Ratchet fixes Bee's voice box in a sequel right off the bat. It would be cool hearing Bee tell a rebuilt Blitzwing this: "You took away my voice. You'll never take anything ever again".