Don’t expect the robots in disguise to cross paths with the Joes anytime soon. The long in the works Transformers/G.I. Joe movie is dead in the water. Instead, it appears as though Paramount Pictures is going to pursue both franchises individually once again.
According to Deadline, Bradley Cooper (Guardians of the Galaxy) has signed on to play Duke in the new G.I. Joe movie from director Danny McBride. This project has been coming together behind the scenes, seemingly rapidly, in recent months. However, buried within the report it’s revealed that the new movie will be “uncoupled from a previous crossover film with Transformers that is no longer in development.” Pour one out.
2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts firmly set the stage for the proposed live-action crossover event. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) was at one point attached to star in an undisclosed role. Interestingly enough, Hemsworth also voiced Optimus Prime in 2024’s animated Transformers One. However, updates on the crossover movie have been virtually nonexistent over the past couple of years. Now we know why. It’s evidently not happening, at least not right now.
Paramount has confirmed that a new Transformers movie is in development. Details remain scarce but there have been persistent rumors that Michael Bay could return to the director’s chair, reuniting some of the cast from the original live-action movies. For now, those are just rumors though. Recent installments in the series have struggled to match the once high highs the franchise once experienced. Rise of the Beasts was the lowest-grossing live-action Transformers movie. Transformers One failed to meet expectations, with its planned sequel being scrapped.
“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,” franchise producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura said in an interview with One Take News in 2023. 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.”
Meanwhile, an animated Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover TV show is still in the works. It’s based on the recent Energon Universe comics published by Skybound and Image Comics. That show’s existence may have also factored into Paramount’s decision to take things in another direction.
The new Transformers movie doesn’t currently have a release date.
What do you think? Are you bummed the crossover was canceled? Or do you think it’s best to keep the franchises separate? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Instagram!
