New ‘G.I. Joe’ Movie Is in the Works

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The “G.I. Joe” franchise continues to expand.

Paramount Pictures and Hasbro are developing an untitled fourth “G.I. Joe” movie, with the studio in negotiations with the writing team of Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse to pen the script.

The new project would be a follow-up to Paramount’s upcoming release “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins,” with “Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding in the lead role as the head of an anti-terrorist group. Robert Schwentke directed the pic, which opens on Oct. 23.

The movie is a reboot of the franchise and comes seven years after “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” The film series, based on Hasbro’s action figure toy line, was launched in 2009 with “G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra.” The two “G.I. Joe” films grossed a combined $678 million at the worldwide box office.

Veteran action producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who has produced the “G.I. Joe” and “Transformers” movies, will produce the new film with Hasbro’s Allspark Pictures.

Shrapnel and Waterhouse wrote the recent Jean Seberg biopic “Seberg,” starring Kristen Stewart, and Netflix’s “Rebecca,” with Armie Hammer and Lily James. The duo is also working on Legendary’s “The Great Machine,” based on Brian K. Vaughan’s comic book “Ex Machina.” They are repped by Grandview, Curtis Brown and attorney Sean Marks.