Having given the green light to a pitch from Danny McBride back in July, Paramount Pictures is now moving full speed ahead with its G.I. Joe reboot, with last month’s casting of Bradley Cooper in the lead role as Duke now followed by word that the film has been set an October 20th 2028 release date by the studio.
The as-yet-untitled film will mark the fourth live-action adaptation of the classic 80s toy line after 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, its 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and 2021’s standalone Snake Eyes. The G.I. Joe organisation also made a brief appearance in 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, setting the stage for a crossover between the two Hasbro properties, although that plan now seems on hold given this new film, and Michael Bay’s recently-announced return to the Transformers franchise.
A childhood fan of the beloved property, McBride previously teased that his G.I. Joe movie will take inspiration from the classic G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book storyline revolving around the Cobra-controlled town of Springfield, stating that: “You’re following Duke and a group of other Joes. There’s that town in the comics, Springfield, which is a town that’s secretly all Cobra. That is where our film takes place.”
While there’s no word as to whether he’ll feature in the cast, McBride will direct the G.I. Joe movie, as well as co-writing the script with The Righteous Gemstones’ Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri. Franchise veteran Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce alongside Mark Vahradian and Zev Foreman of Hasbro Entertainment.
Via THR
