Yo, Joe! Paramount‘s reboot of G.I. Joe is getting new marching orders today by upping Danny McBride‘s involvement in the revival of Hasbro’s beloved military toy brand. According to reports, McBride, in addition to writing the script for an untitled G.I. Joe movie, will also direct the high-profile project. This is a big deal for McBride, as it would mark his feature directorial debut after helming several episodes of HBO‘s The Righteous Gemstones.
Boots on the ground for nostalgia
G.I. Joe is the latest property to become a priority for David Ellison’s Paramount Pictures, with plenty of nostalgia, after spending the past few years focusing on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Trek brands. The studio is eager to move its untitled G.I. Joe movie up its list of priorities, and with McBride locked and loaded for the revival, work can begin in earnest.
McBride teases his G.I. Joe plot
While plot details for his G.I. Joe script remain a mystery, McBride did tease some of what he’s cooked up for Duke and the gang on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, saying the following about his screenplay: “It grounds G.I. Joe. It’s not a comedy. It’s kind of suspense and action. Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Whole ensemble.” When asked about the plot, McBride revealed, “You’re following Duke and the other Joes, and there’s that town, Springfield, which is secretly all Cobra. So, that is where our film takes place.”
G.I. Joe comics are going strong
Paramount has made three G.I. Joe movies — 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, plus a Snake Eyes spinoff in 2021. While the Joes have mostly been on leave from the silver screen in recent years, G.I. Joe continues to have a strong following on comic book shelves, thanks to Skybound/Image Comics. G.I. Joe #24 comes out today, with Joshua Williamson and Andrea Milana serving as the comic’s creative team. Additionally, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #330 arrived on July 8, 2026, written by the godfather of G.I. Joe, Larry Hama, with art by Paul Pelletier. In fact, my Talking Comics podcast co-host, John Burkle, spoke about the latest issue of ARAH last night. The episode is available to listen to now.
What do you think about Danny McBride writing and directing Paramount’s next G.I. Joe movie? Is he the right fit for the franchise? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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