Paramount Pictures has made a major change to its plans for the G.I. Joe movie. The studio has found its new Duke, with Bradley Cooper joining the project and Danny McBride set to direct the reboot.
According to Deadline, Cooper will play Conrad S. Hauser, better known as Duke, the leader of the G.I. Joe team. While McBride directs, he is also co-writing the screenplay with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri.
The casting news also revealed that McBride’s movie will no longer be connected to the planned Transformers crossover. Deadline reported that the crossover project is no longer in development, meaning the new G.I. Joe movie will be developed separately from the Transformers franchise.
The decision changes plans that had been building since the two properties were first linked in 2023. McBride’s movie will instead focus on the G.I. Joe team and its conflict with Cobra. The story will follow the Joes as they investigate Springfield, an ordinary American town that is secretly controlled by Cobra.
Transformers & G.I. Joe fans have been looking forward to a crossover since Rise of the Beasts
The planned crossover was teased at the end of 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The movie followed Noah Diaz, played by Anthony Ramos, as he became involved with the Autobots.
In the final scene, Noah attended a job interview in Brooklyn, where Agent Burke (Michael Kelly) gave him a G.I. Joe business card. The scene suggested that the G.I. Joe organization existed within the same universe as Transformers.
It also created speculation about a movie bringing the two franchises together. Additionally, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Paramount had discussed the crossover as part of a plan for the properties.
Derek Connolly was attached to write a screenplay combining the franchises. That plan has now changed. McBride’s G.I. Joe movie will move forward as its own project rather than serving as the next step toward a Transformers crossover.
Production is expected to begin in early 2027.
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