In the closing moments of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Anthony Ramos' Noah, having helped save the day, goes for a job interview for what he thinks is a simple security gig.
The interview begins and it quickly becomes clear that this isn't a normal conversation. The interviewer knows Noah saved the world and promises him that his brother's medical bills will be dealt with as a thank you. Now, though, he needs Noah to step up and join his group because they're in the middle of a war.
With that, Michael Kelly's mysterious Agent Burk hands him a business card and moves a plaque on the wall to reveal a secret base. Noah looks down at the card and it simply says "G.I. Joe."
In case it isn't obvious, this was meant to set the stage for the long-awaited Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover movie. Steven Caple Jr. was briefly eyed to direct but is no longer attached and, as far as we're aware, Paramount Pictures doesn't have a screenplay.
Despite that, Deadline (via SFFGazette.com) has just broken the news that Thor: Love and Thunder and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga star Chris Hemsworth is in talks to take on the lead role in the movie. He's already lending his voice to Optimus Prime in the animated Transformers One, though it sounds like this will be a live-action role.
Could he be Duke? We'll have to wait and see. We've also learned that Michael Bay is producing.
"I don’t look at things like a universe, I look at them as a story and [the Joes] will be a part of the story," producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura previously said of the project. "I also think the term 'crossover' means different things for different people. For me, the Joes, whoever they are, are entering the world of Transformers, not combining the two worlds."
"The plan is to eventually do [a crossover]. But, for the next movie, it’s the Joes that are coming in for whatever the ending of Rise of the Beasts has led us to believe is possible."
"Oh, they will interact. We haven’t developed a script yet though. What I will say is just like we do with every other movie, it will be a team of Transformers and humans fighting the fight. The Joes will be a part of that."
This presumably means Hemsworth would be the lead in a Transformers movie which features characters from the world of G.I. Joe, though we're not convinced the studio has a definitive plan right now.
Who would you like the Thor star to play? Let us know in the comments section below.