Danny McBride to Direct and Write New G.I. Joe Movie for Paramount

Danny McBride is set to direct the next G.I. Joe movie for Paramount Pictures, marking his feature directorial debut. He also wrote the script for the film, which will be based on the Hasbro franchise.

This is the first new G.I. Joe movie under the new Paramount Skydance regime and comes as the IP is being reignited after going dormant following 2021’s Snake Eyes.

Who is Danny McBride?

McBride is best known as the creator and star of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, following earlier successes with Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals. While he has directed several episodes of his television series, this new G.I. Joe movie will be his first time directing a feature film. His on-screen credits include Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, and Alien: Covenant, and he co-wrote and produced the recent Halloween trilogy.

What is the movie about?

Plot details are being kept under wraps, but McBride has shared some initial thoughts. “You’re following Duke and a group of other Joes,” he said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “There’s that town in the comics, Springfield, which is a town that’s secretly all Cobra. That is where our film takes place.” He added that he has some “pretty interesting people lining up to be in it.”

McBride is a self-described massive fan of the property. “It was definitely the cartoons and the comics. G.I. Joe was my thing when I was a kid,” he said. “I liked that more than Star Wars, more than anything.”

Why is this a big deal for Paramount?

The G.I. Joe franchise is a high priority for Paramount. The studio has made three previous live-action films: 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and the 2021 spinoff Snake Eyes. According to TheWrap, the studio has been trying to find a way to reboot the franchise ever since.

Sources say the project is a high priority now that McBride is on board to direct. The popular toy line was relaunched in the 1980s as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, introducing the commando strike force and the terrorist organization Cobra.