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Tag: G.I. Joe

  • Knowing is Half the Battle: Paramount Passes on Max Landis’ ‘G.I. Joe’ Script

    If there is one franchise that Paramount has consistently struggled to calibrate, it’s G.I. Joe. After the CGI-heavy Rise of Cobra, the soft-reboot Retaliation, and the absolute non-starter that was Snake Eyes, the studio is trying a strategy that is as unconventional as it is controversial.

    According to a flurry of reports from the trades, Paramount had commissioned two separate scripts for the next film in the G.I. Joe franchise. And now in their attempt to find a pulse for the Real American Heroes, it looks like one controversial path has officially been closed.

    Variety is reporting that Paramount has passed on the script treatment submitted by Max Landis. This move effectively ends Landis’s potential comeback vehicle at the studio and leaves the future of the Joes in the hands of a much more fan-favorite creative.

    Paramount had reportedly been employing a dual-track strategy, commissioning separate scripts from Landis and Danny McBride with the absolute asinine idea of eventually blending them into a single film. However, the studio reportedly reviewed Landis’s draft and decided not to move forward. While the studio didn’t give an official reason, the move avoids the inevitable PR nightmare that would have accompanied a Landis-led tentpole, given his history of misconduct allegations.

    This leaves Danny McBride (The Righteous Gemstones) as the primary creative force on the project. Given his body of work, it is reasonable to assume that McBride’s approach may fall more more in line with what fans actually want—a version of G.I. Joe that embraces the over-the-top personality of the 80s cartoon without the soul-crushing self-seriousness of the recent reboots.

  • ‘Invincible’ Creator Robert Kirkman Developing TV-MA ‘G.I. Joe’ & ‘Transformers’ Shared  Universe

    ‘Invincible’ Creator Robert Kirkman Developing TV-MA ‘G.I. Joe’ & ‘Transformers’ Shared  Universe

    Just two years after Robert Kirkman‘s Skybound Entertainment helped Image Comics launch the Energon Universe, the Invincible creator is teaming up with Hasbro Entertainment to develop the concept as an adult-oriented animated series.

    According to Deadline, Kirkman has tabbed Lucifer scribe as showrunner Joe Henderson for the project for Hasbro, who is expected to begin shopping it around shortly.

    Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies-the Decepticons.

    As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.

    -Official synopsis for Transformers via Image Comics

    The Image Comics Energon Universe is a shared fictional universe published by Skybound Entertainment (an imprint of Image Comics) in collaboration with Hasbro. It serves as a comprehensive reboot and unified continuity for the franchises of Transformers, G.I. Joe, and a new original property, Void Rivals, all tied together by the concept of Energon, the substance the Transformers need to survive.

    Launched in June 2023, Void Rivals served as the initial cornerstone of the universe. It follows two soldiers, Darak (Agorrian) and Solila (Zertonian), from two warring alien races within the distant space anomaly known as the Sacred Ring. When they crash-land on a mysterious planetoid, they are forced to work together to survive, only to uncover a secret that reveals their two cultures are tied to ancient Cybertronian technology and the origin of the Transformers’ war. The first issue features the surprise first appearance of a Transformer (Jetfire), officially linking the franchises.

    War rages around the Sacred Ring where the last remnants of two worlds have collapsed around a black hole in a never-ending war.


    However when pilot Darak and his rival Solila both crash on a desolate planet these two enemies must find a way to escape together. But are they alone on this strange planet? And what dark forces await that threaten the entire universe?

    -Official synopsis for Void Rivals via Image Comics

    Image followed up Void Rivals in October 2023 with an all-new Transformers ongoing book which focuses on The Autobots and Decepticons’ war expanding to Earth. The story picks up after a contingent of Transformers crash-land and are dormant before being accidentally reactivated.

    At the same time, four, solo, limited series were launched featuring key G.I. Joe franchise characters Cobra Commander, Destro, Duke and Scarlett. In November 2023, Joshua Williamson‘s G.I. Joe #1 hit shelves, telling the story of how the emergence of the Transformers on Earth spurs the formation of G.I. Joe and Cobra as military responses to the threat and the new energy source.

    It’s unclear if one project or several are being developed for streaming.

    Source: Deadline

  • IDW Will Lose ‘G.I. Joe,’ ‘Transformers’ Licenses at the End of the Year

    IDW Will Lose ‘G.I. Joe,’ ‘Transformers’ Licenses at the End of the Year

    It’s official: IDW will lose the G.I. Joe and Transformers license at the end of 2022.

    The news was announced on Thursday by the comic book publisher. Back in December, it was announced that Robert Kirkman‘s Skybound imprint was in talks to pick up the licenses from Hasbro. Now, IDW has confirmed the news. However, fans of the G.I. Joe and Transformers comics can rest easy knowing the stories will continue throughout the remainder of the year.

    In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, IDW commented on the news. “At the end of 2022, IDW will bid a fond farewell to the publication of G.I. Joe and Transformers comic books and graphic novels. We’re exceedingly proud of our stewardship of these titles – 17 years with the Robots in Disguise and 14 years with A Real American Hero – and thank the legion of fans for their unwavering support, month in and month out. We’re also eternally grateful to every one of the talented creators who helped bring these characters to four-color life through our comics.”

    The monthly Transformers titles will come to an end around mid-summer, along with Transformers: Beast Wars series. While IDW is still preparing for a milestone issue of G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero with issue no. 300 with writer Larry Hama on board.

    While the publisher will be losing the licenses for G.I. Joe and Transformers, however, it will retain the licenses for both My Little Pony and Dungeons & Dragons. As it stands, Skybound, Kirkman‘s imprint, has yet to comment on the potential deal with Hasbro.

    Source: THR.

  • Amazon Developing a Live-Action ‘G.I. Joe’ Series

    Amazon Developing a Live-Action ‘G.I. Joe’ Series

    Hollywood is trying to revive the G.I. Joe franchise once again. Snake Eyes will be the first characters to get that second chance, as a solo film is still in production. The project got hit with a massive delay due to the ongoing pandemic. It will release October 22nd and will introduce multiple classic characters, such as Snake eyes, Baroness, Scarlett, and Storm Shadow. Now it seems the G.I. Joe universe is expanding. This time, it is in the form of a live-action series that will follow another popular character.

    The Hollywood Reporter reports that Amazon has begun development on a series following the character of Lady Jaye. The series is set to be produced by Paramount TV Studios, Entertainment One, and Skydance TV. The project currently has no talent attached to it and still in the early phases of development. The showrunner of Netflix’s Daredevil, Erik Oleson, will act as showrunner for the series. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura will also co-produce alongside Oleson. The series will reportedly take place in the same world as the upcoming Snake Eyes film.

    It is only the first in many projects to come from Hasbro, as they are reviving their classic toy lines with multimedia deals. The studio is hard at work developing new films for the Transformers and Power Rangers franchise, straying from past adaptions and softly rebooting many. It will be interesting to see how they continue to expand these different franchises and even pull off an Avengers: Endgame style crossover. We’ve seen it in the comics witch Transformers and G.I. Joe, so it would be a fun surprise later down the line.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes’ Postponed to October 2021

    ‘G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes’ Postponed to October 2021

    It’s already been seven years since G.I. Joe: Retaliation was released. Cobra took out many key members of the Joes. Those remaining were on their own in their war to take down Cobra Commander. While the film was a continuation of Rise of Cobra, it replaced most of the cast. Dwayne Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, and Bruce Willis took over as the core Joe team. As the film wasn’t a major Box Office success, we thought that was the end of the iconic cartoon’s live-action adaptation. Suddenly, they announced that a spin-off focusing on Snake Eyes was being developed.

    Originally, the film was slated to release this October. As everything has been delayed, the film will now officially be delayed for an entire year. Now, it is slated to release on October 22nd, 2021. While the wait will be much longer, it does mean they have enough time to make up for the lost time. Director Robert Schwentke can focus on editing, as they try to reboot the series with this brand new film. Interesting to note, the original tweet has been deleted.

    screenshot_20200829_165356

    The film will have quite a cast. We will see a lot of iconic characters from the cartoon make an appearance, such as Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Iko Uwais playing Hard Master, Andrew Koji taking over as Storm Shadow, and Ursula Corbero as The Baroness. The main focus will be the rise of Snake Eyes but it is uncertain if he will don his iconic uniform in the film. Hopefully, the spin-off will take some inspiration from classic Akira Kurosawa films. The first image they revealed from the film did give off those vibes, so it will be something to keep an eye out for.

    Source: Comic Book