G.I. Joe Is Back in 2028, and Knowing Is Still Half the Battle
Bradley Cooper has joined the Joes. Cobra has some follow-up questions.
G.I. Joe finally has a release date, because Paramount Pictures announced on November 6 that Danny McBride's reboot will open in theaters on October 20, 2028, with Bradley Cooper starring as Duke (TheWrap).
It's a big swing for a franchise that hasn't had a new movie since Snake Eyes, the 2021 spinoff starring Henry Golding, and it comes from a filmmaker most people still associate with comedy series like Eastbound & Down and The Righteous Gemstones.
Who is making the new G.I. Joe movie?
McBride is directing, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri, his longtime partners at Rough House Pictures. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Zev Foreman are producing for Hasbro Entertainment (TheWrap).
The trio previously teamed up on Blumhouse's Halloween trilogy, and this will be McBride's first major studio feature as a director (Murphy's Multiverse).
Who is Bradley Cooper playing in G.I. Joe?
Cooper plays Conrad "Duke" Hauser, the field commander who has led the Joes in the cartoons, comics and toy line since the 1980s. Channing Tatum played Duke in the first live-action movie, The Rise of Cobra, back in 2009.
No other cast members have been announced yet, although Murphy's Multiverse reports that casting for Duke's squad and the Cobra side should ramp up before production starts in 2027.
What is the new G.I. Joe movie about?
Paramount is keeping the plot quiet, and TheWrap only describes the film as a reimagining of the franchise. According to Murphy's Multiverse, it's a standalone, grounded action thriller that leans away from the glossy, sci-fi look of the earlier films. The outlet also reports that the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover teased at the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has been shelved.
What else did Paramount move?
The studio also shifted its new Paranormal Activity movie from May 21, 2027, to October 22, 2027, just in time for Halloween. Ian Tuason directs that one for Paramount and Blumhouse Atomic (TheWrap).
My read is that McBride is a smarter pick than he looks on paper. His Halloween scripts proved he can write tension and action, and his comedy background could give the Joes the personality the earlier films were missing. Cooper is also a huge get for a toy franchise, and it signals that Paramount wants this to feel like a serious movie with a real star at the center. (We will accept one Cobra Commander scream, minimum.)
Are you excited for Bradley Cooper as Duke? Tell us in the comments.
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