Bradley Cooper will star as Duke in a new installment of “G.I. Joe” based on the Hasbro toy line, Paramount Pictures announced Thursday.
Danny McBride is set to direct and co- write the project with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri.
The film will be a reimagining of the “G.I. Joe” franchise. It will also be uncoupled from a previous crossover film with “Transformers” that is no longer in development.
In terms of story and plot details, McBride previously said: “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. We have some pretty interesting people lining up to be in it, too. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it looks like it’s going to be pretty fun.”
This is the first new “G.I. Joe” movie under the new Paramount Skydance regime and comes as the IP is being reignited after going dormant following 2021’s “Snake Eyes,” which grossed just $40 million.
Paramount’s first live-action attempt at “G.I. Joe” was 2009’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” directed by Stephen Sommers. It grossed $302 million against a $175 million budget, but came amidst the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Paramount wanted it to perform higher.
Then came the Jon M. Chu-directed “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” in 2013, which starred Dwayne Johnson and attempted to soft-reboot the franchise. It grossed $376 million, but further installments stalled.
The “G.I. Joe” IP has gone through a resurgence in recent years with publisher Skybound breathing new life into the comic books with a run overseen by “Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman.
Cooper is repped by Range Media Partners.
Deadline first reported the news.