Bradley Cooper has signed on to play Duke in Paramount Pictures’ planned reboot of “G.I. Joe,” which Danny McBride will write and direct, movieweb.com reports.
Citing Deadline, the outlet said there had been doubts over whether Cooper could take the role because of his schedule, which includes directing and co-starring in an Ocean’s Eleven prequel opposite Margot Robbie. He reportedly agreed after reading the script and meeting McBride.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Zev Foreman will produce the film for Hasbro Entertainment. The report also said a planned Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover, teased at the end of 2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, is no longer in development.
McBride has said the film will follow the G.I. Joes as they confront the terrorist group Cobra, which has secretly infiltrated a town called Springfield in America’s heartland. The casting appears to form part of Hasbro Entertainment’s wider strategy of turning its best-known brands into films and series with top talent.
Cooper has been nominated for an acting Oscar five times: four for best actor, for Silver Linings Playbook, American Sniper, A Star Is Born and Maestro, and once for best supporting actor for American Hustle. His other credits include The Hangover films and the voice of Rocket Raccoon in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. He has also directed A Star Is Born, Maestro and, more recently, Is This Thing On?
Duke, the codename of Conrad S. Hauser, has often been the lead character of the G.I. Joe franchise since its relaunch in the 1980s. He starred in the animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and was set to die in the animated film, but the plan was dropped after the backlash over Optimus Prime’s death in Transformers: The Movie. Channing Tatum played Duke in 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and returned for an extended cameo in 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
The reboot follows several setbacks for the franchise, including the failed Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins and a rejected pitch from Max Landis.