Two Different G.I. JOE Movies Are Brewing at Paramount with Danny McBride and Max Landis Involved
Paramount Pictures is loading up the chamber for more G.I. Joe action, and it looks like the studio isn’t betting on just one idea.
According to Deadline, two separate G.I. Joe movie projects are in early development, with Danny McBride and Max Landis circling very different takes on the iconic toy-based franchise. Yes, two Joes. Two visions. One studio.
Landis already has a treatment written, while McBride is reportedly in talks to pen one of his own. That’s an unexpected creative split, especially considering how different their sensibilities are.
McBride is best known for co-creating and starring in The Righteous Gemstones and for his unapologetically sharp comedic voice.
It’s hard to picture him jumping straight into military action territory, but that’s also what makes it interesting. If he leans into his offbeat style, it could be something wildly different from what we’ve seen before.
As for Max Landis, I’ve never really connected with the films he’s written. His work hasn’t impressed me, and I’ve always found his writing to be pretty mediocre. Still, Paramount clearly sees potential in letting both creatives take a crack at shaping the next phase of the franchise.
Landis, who wrote American Ultra and the found-footage superhero flick Chronicle, has been around the franchise block for a while. His script for Chronicle famously landed on the Black List and sold to 20th Century Fox and Davis Entertainment after he made headlines early in his career by selling three pitches in a six-month stretch right out of college.
He’s the son of filmmaker John Landis and once looked like one of Hollywood’s fast-rising genre writers. However, Landis was accused by multiple women of sexual abuse between 2017-2019. His management company Writ Large dropped him in June 2019 amid then recent allegations.
It’s also worth noting that Lorenzo di Bonaventura, longtime Transformers producer, is producing the G.I. Joe films as well. If you’ve been following Paramount’s franchise strategy, you know they’ve got a lot cooking in the toy-based cinematic universe space.
After Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, directed by Steven Caple Jr., teased a potential Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover, fans immediately started speculating. That crossover idea hasn’t disappeared. It’s still very much floating around the studio’s plans, alongside multiple early-stage Transformers projects.
The G.I. Joe brand itself carries serious nostalgic firepower, especially for Gen X fans who grew up with the 1980s action figures and animated series. Paramount previously found box office success with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which together pulled in a combined $678.1 million globally.
Those films featured heavy hitters like Bruce Willis, Dwayne Johnson, and Channing Tatum and were positioned as big tentpole releases. But they weren’t very good.
Then came 2021’s Snake Eyes, a spinoff centered on the fan-favorite mute ninja turned deadly sharpshooter. Despite the character’s popularity, the movie struggled and brought in only $40 million worldwide, a sharp drop compared to the earlier entries. That movie was a dissapointment as well.
So where does that leave the Joes?
Developing two separate treatments suggests the studio is exploring tone and direction before committing to a full-scale reboot or sequel. It could lead to something gritty and grounded. It could go stylish and weird. Or it could be laying groundwork for that long-teased Transformers crossover event.
If they’re taking pitches, I’ve got some great idea with how to handle the fracnchise that no one has thought of yet. It’ll be interesting to see how Parmaount proceeds with this franchise, when they get it rolling again.
What do you think about McBride and Landis working on G.I. Joe?