Although Paramount Pictures and Hasbro spent time developing a third instalment of the G.I. Joe movie franchise under director D.J. Caruso (which would have crossed over with Transformers), it was announced back in December 2015 that the studio was instead rebooting the franchise as part of a shared cinematic universe with fellow Hasbro properties Micronauts, Visionairies, M.A.S.K. and ROM.
We’ve heard very little in the way of development since that time, but Hasbro’s Chief Content Officer Stephen Davis has been chatting to IGN about the property, confirming that it remains very much a part of their plans, and promising “a different kind of G.I. Joe” when the Real American Heroes do return to the big screen.
“The world has changed, and I think you’re going to see G.I. Joe changing with it,” said Davis. “There’s going to be a much more contemporary approach to the whole franchise, and that will allow us to develop different characters. We hope to create a head snap. It’s a different kind of [G.I.] Joe — one that still resonates with Joe fans but brings in an uninitiated audience and expands the audience internationally and domestically.”
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was released in 2009 and grossed $302.5 million, while its 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation brought in franchise lifesaver Dwayne Johnson, and fared marginally better with $375.7 million.
