Actor Bradley Cooper will star as military leader Duke in a new live-action G.I. Joe feature film reboot from Paramount Pictures, the studio officially announced on October 1, 2026. Filmmaker Danny McBride is attached to write and direct the upcoming blockbuster project.
The production marks Cooper’s first major live-action action franchise lead in over ten years. It returns him to his action roots after roles in films like The A-Team. The casting follows Cooper’s recent guest appearance on McBride’s hit HBO television comedy series The Righteous Gemstones.
Danny McBride Takes the Director’s Chair
McBride won a competitive process to write and direct the picture. He beat out alternate treatments, including a pitch from screenwriter Max Landis that is no longer moving forward at the studio. This production serves as McBride’s feature film directorial debut. It follows his television work co-creating and helming series like Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones.
McBride penned the screenplay alongside frequent collaborators Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri. Once McBride landed the directing job, Cooper sat at the top of his casting wish list. Despite Cooper’s busy schedule-which includes writing, directing, and starring opposite Margot Robbie in an upcoming Ocean’s prequel-he committed to the project after meeting with McBride and reading the script.
Reimagining the 1980s Hasbro Classic
The untitled film reimagines the classic 1980s Hasbro toy line and animated cartoon continuity, moving away from previous cinematic iterations. Paramount previously released live-action features starring Channing Tatum as Duke in 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, as well as the 2021 spin-off prequel Snake Eyes.
Studio executives confirmed that the reboot is uncoupled from a previously teased crossover film with the Transformers franchise. That crossover was initially hinted at during the conclusion of 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Plot details and wider ensemble casting announcements remain under wraps.
Production and Studio Slate Strategy
The picture is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Zev Foreman for Hasbro Entertainment. Revitalizing and expanding major intellectual properties forms a core pillar of the slate strategy set forth by Paramount Co-Chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg.
Alongside the G.I. Joe reboot, Paramount’s active development slate features several high-profile franchise expansions, including:
- A Days of Thunder sequel starring Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway, directed by Jonathan Levine.
- A World War Z sequel directed by Academy Award winner Ed Berger and starring Brad Pitt.
- A new Paranormal Activity installment produced by James Wan and Jason Blum.
- A fresh Star Trek feature project spearheaded by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.
- Expansion of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action universe alongside the 2027 sequel to Mutant Mayhem.
Principal photography details and targeted theatrical release dates for the G.I. Joe reboot are expected to be announced by Paramount Pictures in the coming months as casting continues.
