Bradley Cooper will star as Duke in Paramount Pictures’ new G.I. Joe movie, with Danny McBride directing and co-writing the film with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri. Paramount announced the casting on October 1, 2026, confirming a new interpretation of the Hasbro franchise that is separate from the previous live-action continuity and the once-planned Transformers crossover.
Bradley Cooper Takes on the Role of Duke
Cooper will portray Duke, the field commander of the G.I. Joe team, in the new feature based on Hasbro’s long-running property. The casting gives the project its lead as Paramount moves forward with a fresh version of the franchise.
Official plot details remain under wraps, but McBride previously said the story would follow Duke and a group of other Joes. He also identified Springfield, the fictional town secretly controlled by Cobra in the G.I. Joe comics, as part of his plans for the film.
Additional casting has not been announced. Cooper is currently the first confirmed lead for the reimagining, taking over a character previously played by Channing Tatum in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
The role adds another major studio project to Cooper’s upcoming slate. He is also attached to the Ocean’s Eleven prequel, which is being developed with Margot Robbie among its principal cast.
Cooper’s casting puts Duke back at the center of a live-action G.I. Joe movie after the franchise most recently focused on Snake Eyes in the 2021 film starring Henry Golding.
Danny McBride Directs the New G.I. Joe Movie
McBride will make his major feature directorial debut on the new G.I. Joe movie. He is also co-writing the screenplay with Fradley and Carcieri.
The filmmaker previously directed episodes of television series including The Righteous Gemstones and Vice Principals. Cooper also appeared during the final season of The Righteous Gemstones, making the upcoming film another collaboration between the actor and McBride.
McBride discussed his plans for G.I. Joe before Cooper’s casting was announced, identifying Duke and Springfield as key elements while keeping most of the story undisclosed.
Paramount is positioning the project as a reimagining rather than a continuation of the previous live-action movies. That approach gives McBride and his collaborators room to introduce their own version of Duke, Cobra and the wider G.I. Joe team.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Zev Foreman are producing the movie for Hasbro Entertainment.
Paramount Develops a New Franchise Reimagining
The upcoming movie marks a new start for G.I. Joe on the big screen. Rather than extending the story of the previous films, Paramount is developing McBride’s project as a fresh interpretation of the Hasbro property.
The live-action film series began with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra in 2009, with Tatum starring as Duke. Dwayne Johnson joined the franchise as Roadblock in 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, while Tatum returned as Duke.
The property later shifted focus with Snake Eyes in 2021. Henry Golding starred as the title character in a story centered on the origins of one of G.I. Joe’s best-known members.
McBride’s film will return Duke to a central role while establishing a new version of the franchise. Cooper’s casting is the most significant publicly announced step in the project so far.
Hollywood studios continue to revisit established action properties with new casts and stories. The upcoming John Rambo prequel similarly places a new actor at the center of a long-running action franchise, with Noah Centineo taking on the younger version of the character.
For G.I. Joe, the new approach provides a separate entry point following three previous live-action theatrical releases.
The Film Separates G.I. Joe From Transformers
Paramount has confirmed that the new G.I. Joe movie is separate from the previously planned crossover with Transformers. That crossover is no longer in development.
A connection between the two Hasbro properties had been teased at the end of 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, when Anthony Ramos’ character Noah Diaz was approached about joining G.I. Joe.
Plans subsequently emerged for a movie bringing the two franchises together, but Paramount has since uncoupled the new G.I. Joe project from that concept.
McBride’s movie will instead focus specifically on the G.I. Joe property, with Cooper leading the cast as Duke. The filmmaker’s earlier comments about Springfield also point toward material drawn from the franchise’s established comic-book mythology.
In the comics, Springfield appears to be an ordinary American town but secretly operates under Cobra’s control. The setting has long provided a way for G.I. Joe stories to explore Cobra beyond conventional battlefield conflicts.
Exactly how the movie will use Springfield has not been publicly detailed. Paramount has yet to release an official synopsis or disclose which other members of G.I. Joe and Cobra will appear.
Plot Details and Release Plans Remain Unannounced
Beyond Cooper’s casting and McBride’s earlier comments about Springfield, Paramount has kept story details under wraps.
McBride has said the movie follows Duke alongside other Joes, but the identities of those characters and the actors being considered for them have not been officially announced.
The project is being developed by Paramount Pictures with Hasbro Entertainment, with McBride directing from the screenplay he co-wrote with Fradley and Carcieri. Di Bonaventura, Vahradian and Foreman are producing.
The reimagining follows more than two decades of attempts to establish G.I. Joe as a major live-action film franchise. The previous theatrical entries took different approaches to the property, moving from the ensemble-focused Rise of Cobra and Retaliation to the character-centered Snake Eyes.
Cooper’s casting confirms that Duke will once again have a prominent role in the franchise’s return to theaters.
Paramount has not announced a release date for the new G.I. Joe movie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who will Bradley Cooper play in the new G.I. Joe movie?
Bradley Cooper will play Duke, a field commander and one of the best-known members of the G.I. Joe team. Channing Tatum previously portrayed the character in the 2009 and 2013 live-action films.
Who is directing the new G.I. Joe movie?
Danny McBride will direct the film. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri.
Is the new G.I. Joe movie connected to Transformers?
No. Paramount has separated the new movie from the previously planned G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover, which is no longer in development.
Is the new G.I. Joe movie a reboot?
The film is being developed as a reimagining of the G.I. Joe franchise rather than a continuation of the previous live-action movies.
What is the setting of the new G.I. Joe movie?
Danny McBride has said the story involves Springfield, the fictional town secretly controlled by Cobra in the G.I. Joe comics. Paramount has not yet released a full official plot synopsis.
