Posted in: Movies, Paramount Pictures | Tagged: danny mcbride, g.i. joe, max landis

Two Different G.I. Joe Movies Are In Early Works…For Some Reason

There are two different G.I. Joe projects that are in the treatment phase, from writers Max Landis and Danny McBride, for some reason.

Published Fri, 27 Feb 2026 23:33:07 -0600

by Kaitlyn Booth

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Article Summary

Paramount is developing two separate G.I. Joe movies with scripts from Max Landis and Danny McBride.
Max Landis is returning to Hollywood after past allegations, providing a treatment for one G.I. Joe project.
Danny McBride, known for horror and comedy, is in talks to write a very different take on G.I. Joe.
The studio may eventually merge the two concepts, or they could remain completely distinct projects.

In a week littered with baffling decisions, we're ending the week on yet another one, and it's even coming from Paramount Pictures. The studio has several major IPs that it's been adapting to varying levels of success. The Sonic movies have turned out much bigger and even better than anyone might have hoped after that horrific initial character design. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was one of the best animated movies of that year, and while it had a hard time finding an audience at the box office, they were confident enough in it to keep the sequel greenlit. And then you have Transformers: One, which made all the right decisions, was a genuinely great movie, and flopped horrifically. Another big IP the studio has, but wasn't doing much with, is G.I. Joe. It's another one of those things where anyone who has tried has really overthought whatever they were doing.

: SAN DIEGO – July 22: Max Landis at the Entertainment Weekly's Annual Comic-Con Party 2017 at the Float at Hard Rock Hotel San Diego on July 22, 2017 in San Diego, CA. Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

: G.I.Joe Barracuda themed toys at the flea market. Ankara, Turkey – May 7, 2023. Editorial credit: Erman Gunes / Shutterstock.com

: Los Angeles, CA. 02MAR2025: Danny McBride at HBO's The Righteous Gemstones Final Season premiere at Parmount Studios. Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Well, Paramount might be the ones overthinking things right now if this decision is anything to go by. Or they are trying to throw something against the wall to see what sticks in the form of two different scripts from two different people, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That isn't an awful idea, but of the two named writers, one is questionable at best, and the other is a bit odd. Max Landis "has a treatment," according to Deadline's sources, while Danny McBride "is in talks to write a treatment." THR reports that "according to several sources, the studio will then try to blend the two scripts into one, but a studio source says that these are two separate projects."

Landis's career came to a halt during the #MeToo movement when he was accused of sexual abuse by multiple women. Landis posted about the allegations on his Medium account back in 2021. This would mark his return to mainstream Hollywood since the allegations were first brought forth.

McBride, on the other hand, is someone who would make a very different type of G.I. Joe movie, that's for sure. He's mostly known for his acting credits, but he's been working in horror for the past several years, including all of the recent Halloween movies and the recent Exorcist film. There are a lot of Strong Opinions about those films, one way or another, but McBride's background in comedy also means he might not overthink this concept as everyone else does. No one is going to a G.I. Joe movie expecting a deep, intricate plot with a ton of twists and turns. Good guys on that side, bad guys on that side, bad guys want to do bad things, good guys do a bunch of cool shit to stop the bad guys, roll credits.

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