‘G.I. Joe’ Is Reportedly Getting a Serious Makeover, and Danny McBride Just Teased What That Actually Means

Paramount has been trying to figure out its ‘G.I. Joe‘ franchise for years now, and the studio’s latest attempt to crack the code has taken an unusual path. Rather than committing to a single vision right away, the studio spent early 2026 developing competing scripts from two wildly different writers before settling on a direction forward.

That competition initially pitted Righteous Gemstones creator Danny McBride against Chronicle screenwriter Max Landis, with both men independently pitching their own take on the Hasbro property. Reports later confirmed Paramount ultimately passed on Landis’ treatment, leaving McBride as the primary voice shaping where the franchise goes next.

McBride has now offered fans their clearest hint yet at what his version of ‘G.I. Joe’ will actually look like, and it sounds nothing like the straightforward comedy some might expect from his background.

He described his approach as grounding the franchise, distancing it from comedy in favor of something closer to suspense and action, while still promising the finished film would be a lot of fun.

“Weirdly, it grounds G.I. Joe. It’s not a comedy. It’s like kind of suspense and action. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

That description marks a notable shift from the tone longtime fans have come to expect from McBride, who built his career on broad, over-the-top comedies like ‘Eastbound and Down’ and ‘Vice Principals.’ It also runs counter to some of the online chatter around his hiring, with skeptics initially assuming his involvement guaranteed a straight parody take on the material.

McBride’s résumé actually offers plenty of evidence he can handle tonal balance beyond pure comedy. He co-wrote the recent ‘Halloween’ trilogy for Blumhouse alongside David Gordon Green, successfully threading horror and dark humor together, even though his subsequent work on ‘The Exorcist, Believer’ failed to find the same success.

The franchise itself badly needs a course correction after a rocky theatrical history. Paramount’s first two ‘G.I. Joe’ films, ‘The Rise of Cobra’ and ‘Retaliation,’ combined for roughly 678 million dollars worldwide and featured major stars like Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis, and Dwayne Johnson, but 2021’s spinoff ‘Snake Eyes’ stumbled badly, earning just 40 million dollars worldwide despite centering on one of the franchise’s most popular characters.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who has produced every live action ‘G.I. Joe’ film to date, is expected to return for this new installment as well, giving the project continuity even as the creative direction shifts dramatically under McBride’s pen. His involvement also keeps alive the long rumored crossover between ‘G.I. Joe’ and Paramount’s ‘Transformers’ franchise, an idea producers have floated as inevitable for years without ever fully committing to it.

Paramount’s willingness to develop two competing scripts before settling on a direction reflects just how much pressure the studio feels to get this reboot right. The company has been evaluating all of its major franchises since the Skydance merger reshaped its leadership, treating properties like ‘G.I. Joe,’ ‘Transformers,’ and ‘Star Trek’ as key pieces of its future slate.

No release date, cast, or director has been confirmed yet for McBride’s version of the film, and plot details remain almost entirely under wraps beyond his brief comments about tone. Given how early this project still sits in development, fans should expect a long wait before any concrete details about the story or casting begin to surface.

For a franchise that has struggled to find a consistent footing since its 2009 debut, McBride’s grounded, suspense-driven pitch offers a genuinely different creative gamble than anything Paramount has tried with these characters before. Whether that gamble pays off will depend heavily on how the finished script translates once cameras eventually start rolling.

Are you excited for a more grounded, suspense-driven take on ‘G.I. Joe,’ or were you hoping for something closer to McBride’s comedic roots? Let us know what you think in the comments.