Bradley Cooper is being eyed to lead Paramount’s G.I. Joe reboot after Chris Hemsworth, once attached to the role, departed the project. Danny McBride wrote and will direct the film, with filming eyed to begin before the end of 2026. Paramount has run this playbook before, swapping stars ahead of production on its Rambo prequel, though no studio confirmation of Cooper’s casting has landed yet.

Chris Hemsworth is out, and according to Nexus Point News, Bradley Cooper is now the name circling Danny McBride’s G.I. Joe reboot at Paramount. The studio hasn’t confirmed a thing, but McBride’s script is locked, he’s set to direct, and cameras could start rolling before the end of 2026. It’s the same playbook that gave Lionsgate’s Rambo prequel a jolt of buzz once Noah Centineo stepped in, and Paramount seems ready to bet on star power again to revive a franchise that’s been dormant since Snake Eyes flopped in 2021.

Paramount’s G.I. Joe reboot has taken a sharp turn. Chris Hemsworth, originally attached to the lead, has walked away from the project for undisclosed reasons, and Bradley Cooper is reportedly the studio’s pick to replace him, according to a Nexus Point News report published July 14, 2026. Behind the camera, Danny McBride is steering the whole operation.

Cooper circling, but nothing signed

Paramount has yet to confirm the casting, and the character Cooper would play hasn’t been officially revealed, though multiple reports expect Conrad “Duke” Hauser to anchor the story. The actor is currently filming an Ocean’s Eleven prequel for Warner Bros., a project he stars in, writes and directs alongside Margot Robbie. If the deal closes, G.I. Joe would likely be his next job.

McBride’s grounded take on the Joes

Danny McBride wrote the screenplay, which won out over a competing draft by Max Landis that the studio passed on. He will also direct, his feature debut after helming episodes of The Righteous Gemstones. His version centers on Duke and a group of Joes in Springfield, a town from the comics secretly controlled by Cobra. “Weirdly, it grounds G.I. Joe; it’s not a comedy. It’s kind of suspense and action, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said.

A franchise with a bruised track record

The stakes are considerable for Paramount. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra earned roughly $302 million worldwide in 2009, and its 2013 sequel Retaliation climbed to about $376 million. Then came 2021’s Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, starring Henry Golding, which collapsed to around $40 million globally. The studio has not set a release date for the reboot, but McBride’s script is finished and cameras could roll before the end of 2026.

Other names in the mix

Cooper isn’t the only star reportedly on Paramount’s radar. Insider Daniel Richtman has named Chris Pratt and Walton Goggins as contenders for main roles in the same reboot, suggesting the studio wants a stacked lineup around McBride’s vision. Swapping a franchise’s face midstream is hardly unprecedented in action cinema, either. Lionsgate is attempting the same maneuver with its John Rambo prequel, which hands Sylvester Stallone’s iconic role to Noah Centineo and opens June 4, 2027.