Paramount’s New G.I. Joe Reboot Leaves a $5 Billion Franchise on a Massive Cliffhanger

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Fans were surprised to hear Paramount is trying to relaunch the G.I. Joe movies – especially since this is their third attempt. Reportedly, Max Landis, who wrote Chronicle, is working on a script. Interestingly, Paramount also has another reboot script in development, this one from actor and filmmaker Danny McBride (Halloween). The studio plans to combine the best ideas from both scripts into a single movie, which is an unusual but increasingly common practice in big-budget filmmaking.

A new G.I. Joe movie is in the works, but there’s been no news about a separate reboot that fans were really excited about – and it now seems unlikely to happen. This could be a mistake by Paramount, as it risks leaving a very profitable franchise (which has earned over $5.42 billion so far) without a clear future.

What About the G.I. Joe & Transformers Crossover Film?

Recently, the most interesting thing to come from the G.I. Joe movies actually happened in a Transformers film. The 2023 movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts essentially restarted the Transformers series and ended with a surprising twist that excited fans who grew up in the 1980s: the possibility of a combined Transformers and G.I. Joe movie universe.

Beware, spoilers ahead! At the end of Rise of the Beasts, Optimus Prime and the Autobots successfully defend Earth from the Terrorcons, led by Scourge, with assistance from Noah Diaz. Noah, a former soldier with tech skills, catches the attention of US intelligence agencies following the invasion. The movie concludes with Noah attending what he thinks is a security job interview, which is actually a recruitment meeting for the secret organization G.I. Joe.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who has produced many Transformers and G.I. Joe movies, has been discussing a crossover event for years. He previously told ComicBook that they are committed to making it happen, as fans have been eagerly asking for a G.I. Joe and Transformers team-up since the beginning of the franchises.

Derek Connelly, known for his work on films like Kong: Skull Island and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, was hired to write a crossover film in 2024, but there haven’t been any major updates about it since.

Could A Transformers & G.I. Joe Movie Still Happen?

It appears movie studios are moving away from the strategy of quickly building massive, interconnected universes for every franchise. Instead of trying to launch multiple movies and crossovers for properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe, they seem to be focusing on simpler, more focused revivals. With two well-known writers now working on G.I. Joe, it’s possible that Paramount is prioritizing that franchise at the moment.

Despite not being a massive success, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts earned $441.7 million worldwide on a $200 million budget, indicating continued audience interest in the Transformers franchise. However, it suggests viewers might prefer a different direction than the previous five films directed by Michael Bay.

There’s a small chance the new G.I. Joe movie, being developed by McBride and Landis, might include a crossover with Transformers. While current reports say they’re primarily concentrating on G.I. Joe, both creators seem capable of handling a crossover event like that.

This doesn’t need to be a big, obvious event. 20th Century Studios is successfully blending its Alien and Predator franchises in an interesting way. Director Dan Trachtenberg has subtly connected the two universes, most recently with Predator: Badlands, which features a Predator as the main character and an android from the Alien series in a supporting role. Despite not being marketed as a crossover, the two worlds are effectively combined, and it’s looking promising for the future of both Predator and Alien.

Paramount doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. Image Comics and Skybound have already created a successful shared universe called the “Energon Universe” featuring both Transformers and G.I. Joe comics. This universe has a grittier, more violent sci-fi feel that fans enjoy. It would make sense to bring that success to the big screen. Considering how modern military operations rely heavily on advanced technology, a G.I. Joe reboot set in the present day wouldn’t look too different from a Transformers movie anyway, so embracing that similarity could be a smart move.

There are currently no confirmed plans or dates for a new G.I. Joe movie or the next Transformers film. Share your ideas and what you’d like to see in the next installments on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-06 20:12