Yo Joe! Bradley Cooper Will Lead New “G.I. Joe” Movie as Duke

Yo Joe!

It’s been a while since G.I. Joe had a proper mission on the big screen, but Paramount is officially preparing to deploy the team again—and we now know who will be leading the charge.

Bradley Cooper is set to star as Duke in Paramount’s upcoming “G.I. Joe” reboot, bringing one of the franchise’s most recognizable heroes back to theaters for a fresh take on Hasbro’s iconic toy line.

But Cooper isn’t the only particularly interesting name attached to this mission.

Danny McBride is set to direct the new “G.I. Joe” film, marking his first major directing effort on a large-scale action tentpole. McBride previously directed the pilot of HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones” and episodes of “Vice Principals,” but taking command of G.I. Joe puts him behind something considerably larger.

McBride also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri.

For now, exactly what kind of mission Duke and the rest of G.I. Joe will be embarking on remains classified. Plot details and additional casting are still being kept under wraps, with Paramount only promising a fresh approach to the long-running Hasbro property.

There is, however, one particularly important thing we now know about what this movie won’t be.

The new “G.I. Joe” has officially been “uncoupled” from the “Transformers” franchise.

That marks a significant change from the direction teased at the end of 2023’s “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” which appeared to be setting the stage for the two massive Hasbro properties to finally collide on the big screen.

For now, at least, Autobots and Joes will apparently be keeping to their own missions.

Instead, this new movie gets the opportunity to reestablish “G.I. Joe” on its own terms, with Cooper’s Duke positioned at the center of that return.

Cooper brings quite the résumé with him. The 12-time Academy Award nominee is known for films including “A Star Is Born,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Sniper.” He is also currently in production on an “Ocean’s 11” prequel, which he is directing and starring in alongside Margot Robbie and Monica Barbaro.

Duke, of course, gives him an entirely different kind of leadership role.

While we don’t yet know which other familiar G.I. Joe characters will join him—or who might be waiting on the opposite side of the battlefield—casting Cooper as the team’s field commander gives Paramount’s reboot its first major piece.

The film will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Zev Foreman for Hasbro Entertainment.

The project also arrives as Paramount continues developing new films around several major properties, but “G.I. Joe” has something particularly interesting to prove. After seemingly pointing toward a shared cinematic future with “Transformers,” the franchise is instead being handed another chance to stand on its own.

That means there are still plenty of questions waiting to be answered.

What does a fresh “G.I. Joe” look like? Which members of the team will join Duke? Who will they be fighting? And just how will McBride approach a massive action property for his first major feature directing effort?

Those answers are still locked away for another day.

But the first soldier has officially reported for duty.

Bradley Cooper is Duke.

And G.I. Joe is heading back into action.

Yo Joe!