Yo, Joe! Bradley Cooper is joining the G.I. Joe franchise, with the Oscar-nominated actor set to star as Duke in Paramount’s new reimagining of the beloved Hasbro property. Danny McBride is directing the untitled movie from a screenplay he wrote with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri.
This is the latest major development for a project that has been taking shape over the past few months. McBride previously revealed that he had written a G.I. Joe screenplay that Paramount was excited about, and he later signed on to direct. Now the movie has its Duke.
Plot details remain under wraps, but Paramount describes the film as a reimagining of the G.I. Joe franchise. It will also be separate from the previously discussed G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover, which is no longer in development.
Bradley Cooper is playing Duke
Cooper will take on the role of Duke, one of the most recognizable characters in the G.I. Joe universe. The character has traditionally served as one of the central leaders of the Joes, making Cooper’s casting an important indication of where Paramount’s new movie is starting.
Cooper has already demonstrated that he’s interested in taking on big franchise roles while also putting his own spin on familiar material. His recent credits include Maestro, which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in, and he is also currently working on an Ocean’s Eleven prequel. Cooper has worked as Rocket in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he’ll now be stepping into another major franchise with G.I. Joe.
Danny McBride is directing the new G.I. Joe movie
McBride’s involvement has been one of the more intriguing aspects of Paramount’s new G.I. Joe movie. McBride has said that he originally pitched Paramount on a movie centered on the Dreadnoks, but the studio wanted to relaunch the main G.I. Joe franchise first. That led him to develop his own take on a G.I. Joe movie proper.
And McBride has already made it clear that his version isn’t going to be a too funny. “It’s not a comedy,” McBride said of his screenplay. He described the movie as suspense and action, with a large ensemble cast.
McBride also revealed that the story would follow Duke and the other Joes, with Springfield playing a major role. In the G.I. Joe mythology, Springfield is a town secretly controlled by Cobra. That sounds like a pretty different approach from the previous live-action G.I. Joe movies, which starred Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, and others.
This is a new beginning for G.I. Joe
Paramount has already brought G.I. Joe to the big screen three times: 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and 2021’s Snake Eyes. The studio subsequently explored the possibility of connecting the franchise to Transformers, with the two properties crossing paths at the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. That crossover is no longer moving forward, however, and the new movie will instead serve as a fresh start for the Joes.
That gives McBride and Cooper a chance to build a new version of the franchise without having to continue the previous continuity.
Who else is involved in the new G.I. Joe movie?
The film is being produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Zev Foreman for Hasbro Entertainment.
Beyond Cooper’s casting as Duke, Paramount has not announced the rest of the ensemble or revealed additional plot details. There is also no release date yet.
Still, after months of McBride teasing his take on G.I. Joe, the movie finally has its leading man. And getting Bradley Cooper into the role of Duke is an interesting update.
Are you looking forward to Danny McBride’s G.I. Joe movie? What do you think of Bradley Cooper being cast as Duke? Let us know in the comments.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed