The New G.I. Movie Has A Surprising Director, And He's Perfect

When Paramount Pictures recently announced its plans to develop two new "G.I. Joe" features, one written by Danny McBride and the other by Max Landis, fans were fairly united in the preference for the man who's given us such legendary characters as Kenny Powers, Fred Simmons, and Jesse Gemstone. Evidently, the studio took note of this enthusiasm, because, according to The Hollywood Reporter, McBride is going to take command of the Real American Heroes and direct their first big screen adventure since, technically, "Snake Eyes."

Known primarily for his comedy work, McBride is an all-around genre geek who's paid homage to 1980s swords-and-sorcery flicks by co-writing "Your Highness," while also proving his horror bona fides with the Blumhouse "Halloween" trilogy. This, however, will be a much greater challenge, as you can expect that Paramount is going to pump loads of money into this new "G.I. Joe" film. The studio needs franchises, and this is one of their most promising IPs. McBride's gotta deliver.

This might be McBride's first feature-directing assignment, but he's proven to be a master of juggling tones with the episodes of "The Righteous Gemstones" he helmed (which featured some impressive action sequences). McBride is a smart, skilled guy, and he loves this kind of material. This feels like a perfect match.

How big of a "G.I. Joe" fan is Danny McBride? During a recent appearance on John Horowitz's "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, McBride didn't hold back. "It was definitely the cartoons and the comics," said McBride. "Like 'G.I. Joe' was my thing when I was a kid. I liked that more than 'Star Wars,' more than anything. Like I loved 'G.I. Joe,' and I still have all the characters."

McBride said he initially pitched a movie that would've focused on the COBRA-controlled Dreadnoks biker gang, but Paramount persuaded him to write a full-on "G.I. Joe" reboot. And while he wrote the screenplay with his "Righteous Gemstones" collaborators Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri, he stressed that this will be a grounded, non-comedic take on the franchise. "It's gonna be a lot of fun ... There's that town in the comic, Springfield, which is a town that's secretly all COBRA... that is where our film takes place."

McBride said they've already got some actors lined up, but he wouldn't spill the beans. I imagine he'll steer clear of making this one great big "Righteous Gemstones" reunion, but Walton Goggins must be a part of this. If he's to be involved, he'd be an instant Best Supporting Actor candidate as Snow Job. And with McBride calling the shots, maybe Channing Tatum will return as Duke.