It looks like Danny McBride is serious about bringing G.I. Joe back to the big screen.
During a recent appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, McBride confirmed that he has completed a screenplay for a new G.I. Joe film, and according to the actor and writer, Paramount Pictures is enthusiastic about moving the project forward.
“I’ve written one. I’m stoked about it. I’m really fired up about the script,” McBride said. “Paramount seems fired up about it, so hopefully we’re shooting it next year.”
For longtime fans of the franchise, perhaps the most exciting revelation wasn’t the production update—it was hearing how deeply McBride understands the source material.
“It was definitely the cartoons and the comics,” he explained. “G.I. Joe was my thing when I was a kid. I liked that more than Star Wars, more than anything. I still have all the characters.”
That lifelong passion helped shape the movie’s direction.
According to McBride, his original pitch wasn’t even for a traditional G.I. Joe film. Instead, he wanted to make a movie centered around the Dreadnoks, Cobra’s infamous biker gang of mercenaries. Paramount liked the idea but felt the franchise first needed a proper relaunch before branching into spinoffs.
“I had an idea for a Dreadnoks movie,” McBride recalled. “So I went to Paramount and pitched it, and they were like, ‘Well, the franchise kind of needs to be launched, so we can’t come out with a Dreadnoks movie. Would you have an angle for a G.I. Joe project?’ And I was like, ‘Hell yeah, I’ll have an angle for that.’”
Rather than simply rehash familiar stories, McBride developed a new concept alongside his The Righteous Gemstonescollaborators Jeff Bradley and John Carcieri.
The film reportedly follows Duke and a team of Joes as they investigate Springfield, the infamous town from the comics that secretly operates under Cobra’s control.
“You’re following Duke and a group of other Joes. There’s that town in the comic, Springfield, which is a town that’s secretly all Cobra, and so that is where our film takes place.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the tone.
Despite McBride’s reputation for outrageous comedies like Eastbound & Down and The Righteous Gemstones, he insists this won’t be a comedic take on the iconic toy
line.
“We cracked something that we really love,” he said. “It’s not a comedy; it’s kind of suspense and action. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
He even described the screenplay as a more grounded approach to the franchise, suggesting audiences should expect tension and espionage rather than over-the-top parody.
While McBride stopped short of revealing any casting announcements, he hinted that conversations are already taking place behind the scenes.
“We have some pretty interesting people lining up to be in it,” he teased. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it looks like it’s going to be pretty fun.”
Following the disappointing box office performance of Snake Eyes in 2021, Paramount has been searching for the right direction to revive the franchise. If McBride’s comments are any indication, the studio believes it has finally found a fresh approach—one rooted in the classic comics while delivering a grounded action-thriller centered around Duke, Cobra, and the mysterious town of Springfield.
Should production begin next year as planned, G.I. Joe fans may finally be getting the franchise reboot they’ve been waiting for.
