Screenwriter Danny McBride has opened up about the new G.I. Joe movie. McBride is known for his on-screen roles in movies like Hot Rod and This is the End, but he’s also an accomplished writer. Paramount recently tapped him to help write a new entry in the beloved franchise. The studio has been actively discussing a new movie for some time. Now, we finally have some idea of what that’s going to look like.
On a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, McBride confirmed that he has written a script for a new movie based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe franchise. “I’ve written one, yes. I’m stoked about it. I’m really fired up about the script,” he said. McBride then revealed that he’s had a lifelong love affair with these characters.
“G.I. Joe was my thing when I was a kid. I liked that more than Star Wars, more than anything. Like I loved G.I. Joe. and I still have all the characters. And I tried to give my G.I. Joe collection to my son and he wasn’t interested. You know who’s interested? My daughter who likes robots. That’s who plays with Gung Ho in Snake Eyes in the Shower. But I’ve always loved it.”
McBride is known to a lot of people for his comedy exploits. That said, while his take on Joe is going to be fun, he made it clear that it’s not going to be a comedy. So, what’s it about? Here’s what he had to say.
“It’s not a comedy, it’s like kind of suspense and action. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. There’s that town in the comic, Springfield, which is a town that’s secretly all COBRA…that is where our film takes place.”
A G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover movie is in the works at Paramount as well. However, the studio has already confirmed that it won’t be the next movie in the franchise. So, we’ll likely get McBride’s movie first, which he says may begin filming as soon as 2027. Speaking further, he explained that he originally had an idea for a movie centered on some classic G.I. Joe villains.
“I had an idea for a Dreadnoks movie. And I went to Paramount and pitched it, and they were like, ‘well, the franchise kind of needs…to be launched. So we can’t come out with a Dreadnooks movie. Would you….have an angle for G.I. Joe proper? And I was like, hell yeah, I’ll have an angle for that.”
McBride wouldn’t confirm any potential cast members but did say, “We have some pretty interesting people lining up to be in it, too. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it looks like it’s going to be pretty fun.”
Meanwhile, Paramount recently hired a writer for its new Transformers movie as well. The studio seems interested in getting these dormant franchises going once again. The G.I. Joe movies have been hit/miss prospects. 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was a modest success, with 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation serving as improvement. At least at the box office. 2021’s origin movie Snake Eyes, however, was a massive bomb.
The new G.I. Joe movie doesn’t currently have a release date but stay tuned.
What do you think? Are you excited about the movie? Are you curious about McBride’s take on the material? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
