Bradley Cooper mogelijk als Duke in Paramounts G.I. Joe-reboot
Bradley Cooper is volgens rapporten in beeld als Duke in Paramounts live-action G.I. Joe-reboot. De film zou geen Transformers-crossover worden.
- The casting was said to come after several weeks of negotiations; Paramount has not officially confirmed it.
- The same reporting says the film will not be a Transformers crossover.
What happened
Kotaku reported on October 1, 2026, that Bradley Cooper has reportedly been cast as Duke in Paramount’s live-action G.I. Joe reboot, according to Deadline. The report says Cooper had been in talks for several weeks before the deal was said to be finalized. The claim is therefore based on a reporting chain: Kotaku cites Deadline, and Deadline is said to have learned of the casting from sources close to the project. In the available text, there is no direct confirmation from Paramount itself.
The same source links Danny McBride to the project as director and says he wanted Cooper for the role of Duke. That detail stands out because the directing credit in the supplied reporting is not backed by an official Paramount announcement. It is therefore unclear whether McBride is actually locked in as director, or whether the wording comes from the report itself. The available information does mention him explicitly in connection with the reboot, but without a primary studio statement.
Kotaku also says Cooper and McBride previously worked together because Cooper had a guest role in The Righteous Gemstones. It is also noted that Cooper is currently working on a still-in-production Ocean’s Eleven prequel for Warner Bros., where he is said to be writing, directing, and starring. That makes the reported casting especially notable, since Cooper is therefore tied to multiple major film and TV projects at once, according to the report.
In addition, the report says McBride previously stated that his G.I. Joe film would not be a comedy and would be set in Springfield. Deadline also reportedly confirmed to Kotaku that the new film will not be a crossover with Transformers. That positions the reboot as a standalone G.I. Joe project, separate from the franchise crossovers Paramount has experimented with in recent years.
Timeline
2026-10-01 — Kotaku publishes a report saying Bradley Cooper has reportedly been cast as Duke in Paramount’s live-action G.I. Joe reboot, according to Deadline.
2026-10-01 — The same report says Cooper had been in negotiations for several weeks before the casting was reported, but there is no official Paramount confirmation in the available text.
2026-10-01 — Kotaku says Danny McBride is attached to the film as director, though that credit remains unconfirmed in the supplied sources.
2026-10-01 — The report says Cooper and McBride previously worked together through The Righteous Gemstones.
2026-10-01 — Kotaku also mentions Cooper’s involvement in a still-in-production Ocean’s Eleven prequel for Warner Bros.
2026-10-01 — Kotaku reports that the film will not be a Transformers crossover.
Background
Duke is one of the best-known characters in the G.I. Joe franchise. The name has been used for decades for one of the brand’s central leadership figures, so any casting for the role immediately draws attention. In the supplied reporting, the new film is described as a live-action reboot for Paramount, but there is no official confirmation of the casting or a concrete release date in the available sources.
The claim that Danny McBride is directing also needs extra verification. The supplied text mentions that role, but without a primary studio announcement it remains a reporting claim rather than a confirmed production credit. That matters because the director of a reboot often shapes the tone, cast, and schedule of a film. The available information does say McBride previously indicated the film would not be a comedy and would be set in Springfield, but that detail is also not backed by a direct quote or official announcement in this source layer.
The project’s status also remains limited. The report mentions Cooper’s involvement in a Warner Bros. prequel and places the G.I. Joe reboot in the same period, but gives no production schedule, shoot date, or release date. So the only thing that can be confirmed from the available material is that this is a reported casting picked up on October 1, 2026, not a fully detailed Paramount release plan.
The note that the film will not be a Transformers crossover is an important context point, since Paramount has previously experimented with shared franchise elements. In this report, the new G.I. Joe film is instead framed as a separate project, suggesting the reboot is being treated as its own standalone entry. Without an additional studio statement, however, that remains a report about the project’s direction rather than a final production description.
Sources
- Kotaku, October 1, 2026: report on the alleged casting of Bradley Cooper as Duke in the G.I. Joe reboot.
- Deadline, as cited in the supplied reporting: mention of negotiations and the project’s status.