Cooper cast as Duke in G.I. Joe reboot

Paramount Pictures has cast Bradley Cooper to star as Duke in an upcoming live-action G.I. Joe film. The 51-year-old actor will portray the leader of the elite military unit, taking over a role previously played by Channing Tatum in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra in 2009 and G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 2013. Danny McBride is set to direct the feature, marking his first feature-length cinematic directorial project following his television work directing the pilot of HBO's The Righteous Gemstones and episodes of Vice Principals. McBride developed the screenplay alongside co-writers Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri after presenting a pitch to Paramount executives earlier this year. Cooper entered negotiations for the part following script readings and meetings with McBride, with whom he previously worked during a guest appearance on The Righteous Gemstones.

Franchise reset and crossover cancellation

The new project serves as a standalone reimagining of the Hasbro toy line, which originated in the mid-1960s before its 1980s relaunch introduced characters such as Snake Eyes, Roadblock, and the villainous Cobra command. Paramount confirmed that the upcoming production will not connect to the Transformers universe, officially abandoning the crossover concept teased at the conclusion of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 2023. Producing the feature are Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Zev Foreman for Hasbro Entertainment. Development has been prioritized under Paramount co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg, alongside studio owner David Ellison, who have pushed to assemble top creative talent for key intellectual property adaptations.

Cooper's production commitments

Cooper accepted the role during a crowded schedule across multiple studios. The twelve-time Oscar nominee, represented by Range Media, is currently in Europe directing and starring in a Warner Bros. Ocean's 11 prequel alongside Margot Robbie, Monica Barbaro, and Wagner Moura. Cooper assumed the directorial and writing responsibilities for the heist film after filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung exited during pre-production. The G.I. Joe role represents a rare action-franchise lead for Cooper, who previously voiced Rocket in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy films and made a cameo in James Gunn's Superman, alongside receiving four Oscar nominations for his 2023 biographical film Maestro.

Paramount's intellectual property pipeline

The G.I. Joe reboot is part of a wider franchise development drive orchestrated by Paramount leadership. Studio heads are preparing a sequel to Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway, according to reporting from Variety. Paramount is also developing a sequel to World War Z, a new entry in the Paranormal Activity horror series, an additional Star Trek installment, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles projects, and a film adaptation of the Call of Duty video game series. Securing Cooper to lead the G.I. Joe ensemble positions the military action feature as one of the studio's primary titles advancing toward production.