The Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover that Paramount set up at the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is no longer in development. The news came out alongside a casting announcement: Bradley Cooper will play Duke in a new G.I. Joe movie directed by Danny McBride, and that film will have no connection to the crossover.
McBride is co-writing the script with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri, his longtime collaborators from Halloween (2018) and HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Zev Foreman are producing for Hasbro Entertainment. Paramount describes the project as a reimagining of the franchise and is keeping plot details quiet. Cooper was reportedly McBride’s first choice for Duke once McBride landed the directing job.
Three Years of Setup
Rise of the Beasts closed in 2023 with Anthony Ramos’ Noah Diaz being recruited by G.I. Joe, which placed the Joes inside the same universe as the Autobots and Decepticons. Paramount made the crossover official at CinemaCon in April 2024. Derek Connolly (Jurassic World, Kong: Skull Island) came on to write it, and Chris Hemsworth was reported to be in talks for a lead role.
The project stalled after that. The Skydance and Paramount merger reshuffled the studio’s slate, and by March 2026 Paramount was weighing two separate G.I. Joe reboot pitches, one from Max Landis and one from McBride. The studio passed on the Landis version, which reportedly leaned satirical. In April, Rise of the Beasts director Steven Caple Jr. told Screen Rant he was not attached to the next Transformers film, though he said the crossover was still alive in development at the time. With McBride’s take now moving forward as a standalone movie, that version of the crossover is gone.
Paramount Has Said No Before
This is the third time the idea has died at the studio. Director D.J. Caruso said his script for G.I. Joe 3, back when that film was dated for 2016, had the two franchises meet in the final act. Paramount read it and told him, “We’re not ready to do this yet.” Di Bonaventura told Slashfilm in 2021 that every leadership regime at Paramount had resisted merging two franchises into one, even though he personally believed the team-up would happen eventually.
Paramount has now released three live-action G.I. Joe films: The Rise of Cobra (2009), Retaliation (2013), and Snake Eyes (2021). Retaliation was the best performer at $375 million worldwide. McBride’s film is the fourth attempt, and it starts from zero.
What’s Next for Transformers
Paramount has several live-action Transformers projects in development. Reports from 2025 had the studio talking with Michael Bay about another film in his continuity, while Transformers One director Josh Cooley signed on to make a separate live-action movie. Paramount holds the film rights as long as it has a Transformers movie in production by 2029, so the studio has a few years to pick a direction. No release dates have been set for any of these projects.
Fans who want the Joes and the Autobots in the same story can still get it in print. Skybound’s Energon Universe line, written by Robert Kirkman, Joshua Williamson, Daniel Warren Johnson, and others, has been running both franchises in a shared continuity since 2023. A television series based on that universe is also in development, with Joe Henderson (Lucifer) attached as writer and showrunner, featuring characters from Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Void Rivals.
Sources: Yahoo Entertainment | Screen Rant | JoBlo | ComicBook | ComicBookMovie | The Playlist | Slashfilm
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