0
0
Well, knowing is half the battle and the newest iteration of a live action G.I. JOE just got a major casting enlistment as it is being reported that Bradley Cooper himself is the first big name to attach himself to filmmaker Danny McBride’s upcoming take on A Real American Hero.
The Hollywood Reporter just dropped the word an hour ago and Cooper was at the top of the list of McBride’s wish list for actors to star in the film. McBride won the job as his pitch was the one that was accepted by Paramount, and he is not only writing the script with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri, the The Righteous Gemstones creator has also been selected to direct the movie as well.
Per THR: Cooper will play Duke, the nominal leader of the Joes. The character was played by Channing Tatum in the live-action movies G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, released by Paramount in 2009 and 2013, respectively.
They also added, “Little is known about the new take on the Hasbro property, a toy line that gained its modern relevance from a relaunch that included a cartoon series and a Marvel Comics comic in the 1980s. (It was first launched in mid-1960s as a realistic soldier toy.)
It was this version that not only introduced a commando strike force featuring soldiers with monikers such as Duke, Roadblock and Snake Eyes but also its over-the-top, hi-tech adversary, the terrorist organization known as Cobra, with key bad guys including Cobra Commander, Baroness, Destro and Zartan.”
While the plot for this new version of G.I. Joe is classified, McBride did drop some intel on how he wanted to proceed with the story. “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,” McBride said on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast.
With a big Hollywood A lister like Bradley Cooper joining the fray, it bodes well for the movie as more top tier one talent will probably be cast too. I’m sure some fans will push back on this casting, but Cooper has certainly proven himself action cinema ready with roles in The A-Team and American Sniper. Adding him to the film also legitimizes it as well and brings some serious cred to the project.
Cooper’s plate is full but after reading McBride’s script and meeting with him, the Oscar nominated actor was all in to deploy as Duke for the newest version of G.I. Joe. The takeaway here is that the script has to be solid for Cooper to get excited for it so that is definitely a win for fans.
One sad note with this announcement is the fact that it’s confirmed that the original G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover film is DOA. That project had Chris Hemsworth attached at one time but unfortunately with all the hoopla and changes at Paramount, this cool concept was killed in action.
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, which will now be played by Cooper, infiltrating Springfield to dismantle Cobra. Chef’s kiss in my book.
With Duke officially cast in Cooper, speculation now will reach critical mass as to what other characters will be included. 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.
Lock “N” Load and prepare to deploy as more intel will drop in the future on Danny McBride’s G.I. Joe!
