Isabela Moner is Cast as the Female Lead

Surprisingly, the movie’s lead character will be played by 14-year-old Isabela Moner, who the younger generation may recognize from her work in Nickolodeon shows, such as live action roles in 100 Things To Do Before High School and Growing Up Fisher, as well as voice acting in Dora and Friends: Into The City.

Her deep ties with the network explain how the major role landed in her court, as parent company Viacom owns both Nickolodeon and Paramount. The Wrap reported that Isabela will play Izabella (yes, really) who is described as:

A street-smart tomboy who grew up an orphan and was raised in foster care. She counts a small Transformer as her only friend…until she meets [Mark] Wahlberg’s heroic inventor Cade Yeager.

The new Transformers lead is definitely interesting, as it’s outside Michael Bay’s comfort zone. Both the franchise and Bay’s previous works have all had heroic 18 to 35-year-old male leads and targeted the same demographic. Moner looks to be the first female lead in the center of a Transformers film, as well as the youngest actress Bay has worked with.

As for the “small Transformer” referred to in the description, it’s probably new cute Autobot Sqweeks, who turns into an old, rusty Vespa scooter.