Bradley Cooper will star as Duke, the iconic field commander of the G.I. Joe team, in Paramount’s upcoming reboot of the Hasbro franchise, directed by Danny McBride.
McBride also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri, his longtime collaborators from HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones.
According to Deadline, Cooper topped McBride’s wish list from the start of the project, though there were early concerns his commitment to directing and starring in Margot Robbie’s Ocean’s Eleven prequel might prevent him from taking the role.
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Once Cooper read the script and met with McBride, he decided to move forward, and the two worked out a deal.
McBride has described the project as a departure from his comedic roots, previously noting that the film “is not a comedy” and will follow Duke and a squad of Joes confronting Cobra’s influence in the fictional town of Springfield, drawn from Larry Hama’s original comics.
This marks McBride’s first major directorial effort on a large-scale action tentpole, following his work on television comedies including Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones.
The film is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Zev Foreman for Hasbro Entertainment.
Cooper, a 12-time Oscar nominee known for roles in A Star Is Born, Silver Linings Playbook and American Sniper, takes over the Duke role previously played by Channing Tatum in the franchise’s earlier live-action films.
No release date has been announced, though industry observers expect a 2028 window given the film’s early stage.
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