Paramount is looking to expand the Transformers universe to new timelines and story arcs, and are planning their first outing with Bumblebee. According to Variety, actress-singer Hailee Steinfeld is in talks to star in the film, which has been written by Transformers writers’ room member Christina Hodson and will be directed by Laika CEO (and Kubo and the Two Strings director )Travis Knight in his live-action debut.

Knight’s Kubo and the Two Strings was lauded by critics and audiences for the director’s groundbreaking visuals and innovative artistry with stop-motion animation. This bodes well for a film that will likely rely heavily upon flashy visuals and an intricate blend of live-action and computer graphics.

The plot is still unknown; however, it would be safe to assume that the story will follow the adventures of the famous yellow Camaro Bumblebee, which made its live-action debut in Michael Bay‘s Transformers as Shia LaBeouf’s trusted companion.

Paramount is hoping that this spin-off will launch a lucrative new movie universe to compete with the ever expanding tentpoles at studios like Universal and Disney. Michael Bay, Knight, Steven Spielberg, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Brian Goldner, Stephen Davis, and Mark Vahradian are producing.

After being nominated for an Oscar at only fourteen years old for True Grit, Steinfeld has slowly and strategically risen through the Hollywood ranks. If the deal goes through, this will be her second franchise since joining the Pitch Perfect world for the series’ second film. In the midst of wowing audiences in films like The Edge of Seventeen, Steinfeld has begun successful pop career, with her last single/collaboration “Starving” reaching Platinum sales in the U.S. The actress will next be seen in Pitch Perfect 3.