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Being a massive G.I. Joe fan since (oh I don’t know) I was four, I’ve been pretty dismissive anymore when any news comes down of a potential new live action film based on the IP. Let’s count it down shall we. There was the Ever Vigilant ensemble tease centered around the time when Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins came out but due to the lackluster business of that film, nothing ever transpired. Then there was the tease at the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts when Anthony Ramos’ character of Noah Diaz was recruited into the Joes. That was a nifty little stinger sequence but alas nothing ever transpired of that crossover as well. There was even a time when Chris Hemsworth was rumored as being attached to the G.I. Joe/Transformers flick but changes in leadership over at Paramount seemed to nix any hope of that awesomeness ever happening unfortunately.
Recently, a few years back, there was news that there was not one but two G.I. Joe scripts being written with Max Landis being one author and Danny McBride being the other. McBride is, of course, a successful actor and filmmaker being the creative mind behind the Halloween reboot and The Righteous Gemstones. Of course, nothing happened with Landis’ take as it was deemed “out there” and Landis has been rather toxic in Hollywood after certain allegations arouse but no word ever came about McBride’s treatment at the same time.
Fast forward to last week as I meant to chat about this when it hit but was just too busy, but now it would appear that McBride’s concept may see the light of day in the future. The actor/filmmaker has announced via a podcast he was on that there are rumblings in play with his script. This may amount to nothing like all the others but it’s still fun to talk it up as this is the most traction we have gotten on a new G.I. Joe live action film in a long time.
While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast with Josh Horowitz, McBride mentioned his G.I. Joe script and that exclusive chat included some surprise details for the film at Paramount Pictures. Now take all this with a grain of salt and I usually don’t talk about rumors, but when it comes to one of my favorite toy and comic book properties of all time, well I just have to voice my onion.
“I’ve written one, yes,” McBride stated on the show to Horowitz when the latter straight up asked if McBride was, indeed, penning a script and working on a new G.I. Joe film. “I’m stoked about it. I’m really fired up about the script. Paramount seems fired up about it. Hopefully, we’re shooting it next year.”
Now let’s dissect that quote shall we. First off, McBride simply mentions that yes there is a script and that he’s excited about it. He can be as excited as he wants but that doesn’t mean that anything will transpire. Second, he mentions that Paramount “seems fired up about it” which again is nothing near confirmation that the gears are turning. McBride also simply states that he hopes to shoot the film sometime next year. Well, I want a million dollars too but I’m not holding my breath.
One cool element about McBride’s treatment is that the G.I. Joe movie he wrote will be an ensemble film with Duke leading a unit of Joes and that the action will take place in Springfield which is Cobra’s secret base located in the confines of a fake town.
“So, I went to Paramount and pitched it, and they were like, ‘Well, the franchise needs to be launched, so we can’t come out with a Dreadnoks movie. Would you have an angle for G.I. Joe proper?’ And I was like, ‘Hell yeah, I’ll have an angle for that.”
McBride went on to elaborate. “It grounds G.I. Joe. It’s not a comedy. It’s kind of suspense and action. Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Whole ensemble. You’re following Duke and the other Joes, and there’s that town, Springfield, which is secretly all Cobra. So, that is where our film takes place.”
Now hardcore G.I. Joe fans know that a big component of the original Marvel Comics run as well as subsequent comics later on focused on Cobra’s fake town of Springfield and this plot point has always been a popular one with fans all over. If this is what McBride has come up with, then I’m all in and would be excited to see that come to life on the big screen with Joe operatives led by Duke infiltrating Springfield to dismantle Cobra. Chef’s kiss in my book.
I also love that McBride is on this if it does happen as he also stated that he was always a bigger fan of Yo Joe then even Star Wars. Thart’s certainly a hot take but I will admit that I feel the same way. Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying though. I’ve been a massive Star Wars fan ever since opening day back in 1977 but if you held a gun to my head and made me choose…it would be G.I. Joe every day and twice on Sunday. I’m just being honest that G.I. Joe has always been my first love through the decades and that’s no shade whatsoever on a galaxy far, far away.
Now if this G.I. Joe project does get green lit well then there’s two discussions. What characters do we want to see and who do we want to see playing them. We know that Duke is in the fray and for that I have picks but I’m going to hold out on everything else for a future episode of my YO JOE ZONE! podcast as part of my The Action Fix with John Jerva that you can see on my official YouTube channel.
Now you know, Snake Eyes, in my opinion, must be included. He is my spirit animal and has always been my favorite character of any brand outside of The Punisher. After Duke and Snake, well you’ll just have to wait and see what I think. This is all intriguing though and hopefully we finally have more to talk about in the future.
In the meantime, while we wait to ee if anything comes about this, check out McBride on the Happy Sad Confused podcast talking about his potential film. Oh, and one more thing… YO JOE!!!!
