Bradley Cooper is Duke.
Deadline reports Cooper is set to star as the leader of the Joes in Danny McBride’s new G.I. Joe movie at Paramount, with the deal coming together over the last few weeks.
If the name sounds familiar, it should.
Insider Daniel Richtman put Cooper on the board back in July, reporting the actor was being eyed for one of the main roles alongside Chris Pratt and Walton Goggins.
The same report said McBride would direct, which went official within hours. Now the Cooper half has come through, too.
Richtman Goes Two For Two
“I can confirm that Bradley Cooper is being eyed for one of the main roles,” Richtman reported on July 15, naming Pratt and Goggins right alongside him.
Deadline doesn’t touch Pratt or Goggins, so those two names stay in the rumor column for now.
Cooper is the one who’s set, and he’s taking the lead role.
Cooper Topped McBride’s Wish List
Per Deadline, McBride drew up a wish list of actors once he landed the directing job, and Cooper sat at the top of it.
The hangup was schedule. Cooper is writing, directing, and starring opposite Margot Robbie in Warner Bros.’ Ocean’s prequel, which is shooting in Europe after he stepped in when Lee Isaac Chung exited the project.
Cooper read the script, met with McBride, and wanted in anyway. Talks began in recent weeks and the deal came together.
The two also go back. McBride has told the story of how he talked Cooper into a guest spot on The Righteous Gemstones, the HBO series he made with his G.I. Joe co-writers Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri.
Cooper also comes in hot off Is This Thing On, which he wrote, directed, and starred in opposite Will Arnett. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, and Zev Foreman produce the new movie for Hasbro Entertainment.
Duke And The Joes In Cobra’s Town
McBride already confirmed what Duke is walking into. The film follows Duke and a squad of Joes in Springfield, the town from the Larry Hama comics that is secretly run top to bottom by Cobra.
“It grounds G.I. Joe. It’s not a comedy,” McBride said of the script.
Deadline adds the movie is a full reimagining of the franchise, and the old Transformers crossover film is officially dead.
The casting also lands right as the Paramount takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery closes, with G.I. Joe one of the Ellisons’ top franchise priorities.
It’s the kind of big event movie slate that got the theater chains behind the merger.
Richtman said McBride would direct. Official. He said Cooper was up for a lead. Official.
That leaves Pratt and Goggins as the next names to watch.
