Transformers 5 gets a new BB-8-esque Autobot called Squeeks - and it's darn cute

For a franchise that's based on giant robots battling other giant robots and humans getting caught in the middle, it's tough to imagine any new terrain for the series to cover. But you've got to hand it to director Michael Bay. Transformers 5 appears to be just full of surprises. The latest quirk to the fifth outing - full title, Transformers: The Last Knight - is the addition of a lil' droi-sorry, a lil' autobot called Squeeks. Bay unveiled the character last night:

It's not often that you'd call a battered old Vespa cute, but Squeeks is in his own league alongside co-star Isabella Moner. He's got that adorable BB-8 quality to him, that's undoubtedly a grab for the youth market. Along with foreign box office the franchise relies on kids to rake in the big bucks.

That's not a bad thing. Let's not forget that Bay also hired "The World's Loneliest Dog" for the movie too. Presumably he wants to tap into the canine-loving market by combining pets with robots. And come on, who doesn't love dogs?

Directed by Michael Bay and starring Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Jerrod Carmichael, Mitch Pileggi, Laura Haddock and Isabela Moner, Transformers: The Last Knight is scheduled to open in the US and UK on June 23, 2017.

Images: Michael Bay/Paramount

Gem Seddon is a freelance writer working to keep all of you updated on all of the latest and greatest movies and shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Outside of entertainment journalism, Gem can frequently be found writing about the alternative health and wellness industry, and obsessing over all things Aliens and Terminator on Twitter.