Danny McBride Officially Set to Write and Direct New G.I. Joe Movie
LOS ANGELES — July 17, 2026 — Paramount Pictures has confirmed Danny McBride will direct an untitled G.I. Joe feature, marking his feature directing debut after he wrote the screenplay reviving Hasbro’s dormant military franchise for the studio’s new ownership.
TL;DR
- Danny McBride will write and direct a new, untitled G.I. Joe movie for Paramount Pictures.
- It’s McBride’s feature directorial debut, after years directing TV episodes of The Righteous Gemstones.
- The film is the first Joe project developed under Paramount’s new Skydance-era leadership.
- No release date, cast, or UK distribution details have been confirmed yet.
The move comes as new owner David Ellison pushes Paramount to reignite dormant IP, with Joe joining Star Trek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a priority rebuild. It also puts a single, fan-driven creative voice in charge of a franchise that has struggled to find one since 2009.
Credit:
Fred Norris / HBO
“I’m stoked about it. I’m really fired up about the script,” said Danny McBride on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.
From Screenwriter to Director
McBride was originally hired to pen a Joe script, competing against a separate treatment from writer Max Landis. Paramount ultimately passed on Landis’s version and moved forward with McBride’s take, and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the move, he will now direct it as well. The film will be his feature directorial debut. His prior directing credits are largely television, including episodes of “The Righteous Gemstones” and “Vice Principals,” both of which he co-created and starred in.
A New Regime’s Big Bet
Joe is one of several major franchises Paramount is pushing under Ellison, alongside Star Trek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Betting a $10 million-plus tentpole on a comedy-world creator making his blockbuster debut is a departure from the studio’s earlier, more conventional approach to the franchise.
What We Know About the Story
McBride wrote the script with two of his “Righteous Gemstones” collaborators, Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri. He has described the tone as suspense and action rather than comedy, and has said the project draws partly on Springfield, a town from the Joe comics secretly controlled by Cobra.
McBride has said the cartoons and comics were “my thing” growing up, more than Star Wars.
No casting has been announced. Paramount has not released plot details, a start date, or a release window.
Previous Films’ Rocky Track Record
Paramount has made three live-action Joe films to date. “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” (2009) grossed $302 million against a $175 million budget. “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” (2013) grossed $376 million. The 2021 spinoff “Snake Eyes” managed just $40 million worldwide, and the franchise has been dormant on screen since.
UK Fans: What to Expect
There’s no UK release date, distributor, or age rating for the new film yet. For reference, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” was classified 12A by the British Board of Film Classification and opened in UK cinemas on March 27, 2013 — the benchmark rating British fans can expect the reboot to be measured against once the BBFC gets involved.
Elena Vane is an award-winning comics historian and pop culture journalist. Specializing in the DC/Marvel universes and independent graphic novels, Elena has been documenting the rise of cosplay culture for over a decade . She is a frequent panelist at New York Comic Con and provides in-depth biographies of industry pioneers. Elena’s expertise ensures that every comic-related update is factually grounded and community-focused .
