Bradley Cooper to play Duke in Danny McBride’s new G.I. Joe movie

Bradley Cooper has signed on to play First Sergeant Duke in a new G.I. Joe movie directed by Danny McBride for Paramount. Channing Tatum previously played the character. McBride, co-creator and star of The Righteous Gemstones, landed the directing job earlier this year after competing with several other filmmakers pitching G.I. Joe projects. He then drew up a wish list of actors, with Cooper near the top. Cooper is currently making his own self-written, directed and starring Ocean’s prequel, and recently completed Is This Thing On?, which he also wrote, directed and starred in.

Hasbro’s G.I. Joe franchise has expanded from a toyline into comic books, animated series and films. G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra (2009), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) and the 2021 prequel Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins received six Empire stars combined. McBride’s film follows an elite special missions force in its conflict with Cobra, a terrorist organisation seeking world domination, though most plot details remain under wraps. In July, McBride told Joshua Horowitz on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast that the story follows Duke and other Joes. He also said it takes place in Springfield, a town secretly controlled by Cobra. The new movie will not connect to previous projects, including the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover that is no longer moving forward.