We have some updates for Paramount Pictures and writer Danny McBride's planned G.I. Joe reboot, which recently lost its lead when Chris Hemsworth decided to part ways with the project for undisclosed reasons.
Rumor has it that Bradley Cooper has been tapped to replace the Thor star (likely as Duke, though this has not been confirmed), and Daniel Richtman is now claiming that both Chris Pratt and Walton Goggins are also being eyed to star. We're not sure if they are up for the same role as Cooper or for completely different characters.
The scooper adds that this movie will have a "smaller scale" than the previous entries in the franchise, and will "follow a squad in a town invaded by Cobra."
Goggins has worked with McBride several times in the past and also made a brief MCU appearance as Sonny Burch in Ant-Man and The Wasp. Pratt is obviously best known for playing Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
McBride has been working on the script, and the trades have now confirmed that he's also set to make his feature directorial debut on the new G.I. Joe film.
McBride shared some plot details earlier this year, while revealing that this movie will "ground G.I. Joe" and will not be a comedy.
"Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri, who I wrote a lot of The Righteous Gemstones with, we sat down, and we cracked something that we really love a lot, and, weirdly, it grounds G.I. Joe. It's not a comedy. It's suspense and action, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun."
"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."
Despite previous misfires, Paramount clearly sees value in this franchise. 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra grossed over $300 million worldwide, but was not well-received by fans or critics. A sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, was released in 2013, and grossed $375 million. Reboot Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins hit theaters in 2021 and was a critical and commercial flop.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts director Steven Caple Jr.'s Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover is reportedly still moving ahead, but the separate project that had disgraced Chronicle writer Max Landis on board appears to have stalled..