Confirmed: Bradley Cooper to Star as Duke in Danny McBride’s G.I. Joe Movie

UPDATE: Cooper's casting has been confirmed by Deadline — he will play Duke, the leader of the military unit.

EARLIER: Danny McBride is the man Paramount has entrusted with the responsibility of rebooting the “G.I. Joe” franchise. He wrote a script for it, and it could begin filming later this year.

There’s now a major update, via Nexus Point News, that Chris Hemsworth, who originally had the lead role, has dropped out for undisclosed reasons and has been replaced by Bradley Cooper.

It’s an odd fit until you realize Cooper and McBride have collaborated before. They co-starred in Cameron Crowe’s “Aloha” (2015) and Cooper briefly played Elijah Gemstone in McBride’s HBO series “The Righteous Gemstones.”

Regardless, this project would be the first film in the franchise since 2021’s “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins,” starring Henry Golding, and is intended as a full reboot. Wise decision on the part of Cooper to take on this stale IP? He obviously read McBride’s script — it must have been the main reason to draw him into this project.

Cooper is currently in production on his “Ocean’s Eleven” prequel, which he is acting in, directing, and writing, and will likely follow that project with McBride’s “G.I. Joe.” He is also expected to star in Sean Penn’s January 6 film, but that one will not begin shooting until late 2027. Cooper’s most recent work includes “The Mule,” “Nightmare Alley,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” and “Maestro,” along with supporting roles in “Is This Thing On?” and “Licorice Pizza.”

Many months ago, both Max Landis and McBride were hired by Paramount to develop separate “G.I. Joe” scripts. The studio ultimately did not move forward with Landis’ version due to “creative differences,” while continuing development of McBride’s take. It is now inching closer to pre-production.

There have been three live-action “G.I. Joe” films: “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” (2009), “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” (2013), and “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins” (2021). While all three received negative reviews from critics, they achieved varying levels of commercial success. “The Rise of Cobra” earned approximately $302 million worldwide, while “Retaliation” performed better with about $376 million globally. The series declined with “Snake Eyes,” which grossed around $40 million worldwide against a significantly larger budget.