Bradley Cooper to star as Duke in Danny McBride’s G.I. Joe reboot
Bradley Cooper will play Duke in Paramount’s new G.I. Joe movie from Danny McBride, Deadline and Variety report. The film is a franchise reimagining uncoupled from a Transformers crossover that is no longer in development; no release date has been set.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
McBride is directing and co-writing the screenplay with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri. Paramount described the film as a fresh take on the Hasbro toy line and confirmed it has been uncoupled from a Transformers crossover that is no longer in development. No release date has been announced.
Why it matters
A major star and a comedy-driven filmmaker on a dormant Hasbro franchise signals Paramount’s push to restart big toy-line movies without the old Transformers crossover plan.
What’s next
Watch for further casting, a release date, and whether Paramount expands the reimagined universe beyond this film.
More context
Bradley Cooper will star as field commander Duke in Paramount Pictures’ new G.I. Joe movie from Danny McBride, Deadline reported exclusively on Thursday, with Variety and TheWrap confirming the casting the same day.
How the deal came together: Deadline said Cooper topped McBride’s wish list after McBride landed the directing job from a short list of pitches earlier this year. Cooper signed on after reading the script and meeting McBride, with negotiations wrapping in recent weeks despite his busy schedule.
Story hints: Plot details remain under wraps. TheWrap cited McBride’s earlier comments that the film follows Duke and other Joes in Springfield, a town secretly controlled by Cobra in the comics. That description has not been newly confirmed with a full studio synopsis.
Who’s making it: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Zev Foreman produce for Hasbro Entertainment. TheWrap called it the first new G.I. Joe movie under the Paramount Skydance regime after 2021’s Snake Eyes left the live-action line quiet.
Cooper’s slate: Cooper is also writing, directing, and starring in an Ocean’s prequel opposite Margot Robbie that is in production in Europe, Deadline reported. He and McBride are both repped by Range.
3 listed sources
- Deadline (Justin Kroll), Oct 1, 2026: Bradley Cooper to play Duke in Paramount’s new G.I. Joe from Danny McBride
- Variety (Jack Dunn), Oct 1, 2026: Bradley Cooper to star as Duke in G.I. Joe reboot from Danny McBride
- TheWrap (Umberto Gonzalez), Oct 1, 2026: Bradley Cooper to star as Duke in Danny McBride’s G.I. Joe at Paramount
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Deadline reported the casting as an exclusive Oct 1; Variety and TheWrap carried Paramount confirmation the same afternoon. Plot remains under wraps; TheWrap reprints McBride’s earlier Springfield/Cobra description—attribute as prior comments, not a new studio plot dump. No release date from any outlet. Do not use Hasbro character art or promo stills.
Like US Brief? You can support it with a tip.