Paramount is taking a stab at reviving its G.I Joe franchise, and it won’t do things the standard way. Instead, the studio is developing two new scripts separately at the same time — one to be penned by Max Landis, whose career stalled in 2017 following accusations from several women of emotional and sexual abuse, and another by Danny McBride (The Righteous Gemstone).
Both projects are in early development, with further decisions to be made after the writing process is completed. While several sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Paramount will blend the two scripts into one, a studio source said that they are standalone works to be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Further information on the films was not shared.
If greenlit, it would mark Landis’ return to the big leagues, which is sure to raise some eyebrows. After finding success with 2012’s Chronicle and Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, the son of John Landis, one of Hollywood’s top directors in the 1980s, started gaining prominence as a screenwriter, until numerous women stepped forward to speak about his alleged sexual and emotionally abusive behaviour. Though subsequently dropped by his representatives in the aftermath, charges were never filed.
“I get why certain people hate me,” Landis said in a 2023 YouTube video, in which he called himself a toxic partner to girlfriends.
This won’t be the first time Paramount has worked with controversial figures — it previously hired former Pixar head John Lasseter as Skydance’s animation chief despite his admitting to making Pixar employees feel “disrespected and uncomfortable,” and just last year, struck a deal to distribute Rush Hour 4, which will see disgraced director Brett Ratner, accused of sexual misconduct, back at the helm.
To date, the G.I. Joe film franchise includes 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and its 2013 sequel, Retaliation, as well as the 2021 origin story Snake Eyes. The first two instalments proved to be box-office heavyweights, racking up a combined US$678 million worldwide, while the Henry Golding-led outing underperformed with a US$40 million gross.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
