Bradley Cooper to Star as Duke in Danny McBride's G.I. Joe

Bradley Cooper is set to star as field commander Duke in Paramount Pictures’ new G.I. Joe film from Danny McBride, Variety and Deadline reported Oct. 1.

McBride will direct and co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri. Plot details and further casting remain under wraps, but Paramount is pitching a fresh take on the Hasbro toy line, Variety writes. Deadline adds that McBride landed the job after Paramount reviewed several pitches earlier in 2026 and put Cooper atop his casting wish list; Cooper committed after reading the script and meeting McBride despite a crowded slate that includes writing, directing, and starring in an Ocean’s prequel opposite Margot Robbie.

Paramount confirmed the project has been “uncoupled” from a previously teased Transformers crossover that is no longer in development, both outlets note. The live-action Joe films previously cast Channing Tatum as Duke in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) and Retaliation (2013). Producers are Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Zev Foreman for Hasbro Entertainment.

Variety frames the assignment as McBride’s first major theatrical directing tentpole after helming the Righteous Gemstones pilot and episodes of Vice Principals. Deadline and Variety both place the reboot among Paramount’s renewed IP priorities under the studio’s current leadership, alongside other franchise plays still in development.

Industry coverage places the untitled Joe film among Paramount’s first major live-action pushes for the property under the Paramount Skydance era after 2021’s Snake Eyes underperformed, TheWrap and Deadline have noted in parallel reporting. Securing a 12-time Oscar nominee as the ensemble lead is widely read as a signal the studio wants the reboot to move toward cameras ahead of other IP bets still in development.

For readers following casting on Hollywood, verified as of Oct. 1 reports: Cooper is attached as Duke; McBride directs from a script he co-wrote; the film is a Hasbro reimagining uncoupled from Transformers; additional cast and a release date have not been announced.