G.I. Joe | |
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![]() The official G.I. Joe Hasbro toy line logo, which is also used for the film releases | |
Directed by |
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Based on | G.I. Joe by Hasbro |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | 2009–present |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $393-415 million |
Box office | $715 million |
G.I. Joe is a series of American military science fiction action films based on the toy line of the same name. Development for the first film began in 2003, but when the United States launched the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Hasbro suggested adapting the Transformers instead. In 2009, the first film was released, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra . A second film, G.I. Joe: Retaliation , was released in 2013. A third film, centered on Snake Eyes titled Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins , also serving as a reboot of the series, was released in 2021, and a fourth film, G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, is confirmed to be in active development. A crossover film with the Transformers is also being developed. [1] [2] [3]
Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | August 7, 2009 | Stephen Sommers | Paul Lovett, David Elliot & Stuart Beattie | Stuart Beattie, Stephen Sommers & Michael B. Gordon | Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Brian Goldner and Bob Ducsay |
G.I. Joe: Retaliation | March 28, 2013 | Jon M. Chu | Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick | Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner | |
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins | July 23, 2021 | Robert Schwentke | Joe Shrapnel & Anna Waterhouse and Evan Spiliotopoulos | Evan Spiliotopoulos | Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis |
Transformers/G.I. Joe | TBA | TBA | Derek Connolly | Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian, Tom DeSanto and Don Murphy | |
The first film in the series, released on August 7, 2009. It grossed $302 million worldwide. It was directed by Stephen Sommers from a screenplay by Stuart Beattie, David Elliot, and Paul Lovett and a story by Michael B. Gordon, Beattie, and Sommers.
In 1994, Larry Kasanoff and his production company, Threshold Entertainment, had held the rights to do a live-action G.I. Joe film with Warner Bros. as the distributor. Instead they chose to concentrate their efforts on their Mortal Kombat films. As late as 1999, there had been rumors that a film from Threshold Entertainment was still a possibility, but that project was canceled.
In 2003, Lorenzo di Bonaventura was interested in making a film about advanced military technology; Hasbro's Brian Goldner called him and suggested to base the film on the G.I. Joe toy line. [4] Goldner and Bonaventura worked together before, creating toy lines for films Bonaventura produced as CEO of Warner Bros. Goldner and Bonaventura spent three months working out a story, and chose Michael B. Gordon as screenwriter, because they liked his script for 300 . [5] Bonaventura wanted to depict the origin story of certain characters, and introduced the new character of Rex, to allow an exploration of Duke. [6] Rex's name came from Hasbro. [7] Beforehand, Don Murphy was interested in filming the property, but when the Iraq War broke out, he considered the subject matter inappropriate, and chose to develop Transformers (another Hasbro toy line) instead. [8] Bonaventura felt, "What [the Joes] stand for, and what Duke stands for specifically in the movie, is something that I'd like to think a worldwide audience might connect with." [6]
By February 2005, Paul Lovett and David Elliot, who wrote Bonaventura's Four Brothers , were rewriting Gordon's draft. [9] In their script, the Rex character is corrupted and mutated into the Cobra Commander, whom Destro needs to lead an army of supersoldiers. [10] Skip Woods was rewriting the script by March 2007, and he added the Alex Mann character from the British Action Man toy line. Bonaventura explained, "Unfortunately, our president has put us in a position internationally where it would be very difficult to release a movie called G.I. Joe. To add one character to the mix is sort of a fun thing to do." [11] The script was leaked online by El Mayimbe of Latino Review, who revealed Woods had dropped the Cobra Organization in favor of the Naja / Ryan, a crooked CIA agent. In this draft, Scarlett is married to Action Man but still has feelings for Duke, and is killed by the Baroness. Snake Eyes speaks, but his vocal cords are slashed during the story, rendering him mute. Mayimbe suggested Stuart Beattie rewrite the script. [12] Fan response to the film following the script review was negative. Bonaventura promised with subsequent rewrites, "I'm hoping we're going to get it right this time." [13] He admitted he had problems with Cobra, concurring with an interviewer "they were probably the stupidest evil organization out there [as depicted in the cartoon]". [11] Hasbro promised to write Cobra back into the script. [14]
In August 2007, Paramount Pictures hired Stephen Sommers to direct the film after his presentation to CEO Brad Grey and production prexy Brad Weston was well received. [15] Sommers had been inspired to explore the G.I. Joe universe after visiting Hasbro's headquarters in Rhode Island. [16] The project had found the momentum based on the success of Transformers, which Bonaventura produced with Murphy. [15] Sommers partly signed on to direct because the concept reminded him of James Bond, and he described an underwater battle in the story as a tribute to Thunderball . [17] Stuart Beattie was hired to write a new script for Sommers's film, [18] and G.I. Joe comic and filecard writer Larry Hama was hired as creative consultant. Hama helped them change story elements that fans would have disliked and made it closer to the comics, ultimately deciding fans would enjoy the script. [19] He persuaded them to drop a comic scene at the film's end, where Snake Eyes speaks. [20] To speed up production before the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, John Lee Hancock, Brian Koppelman and David Levien also assisted in writing various scenes. [21] Goldner said their inspiration was generally Hama's comics and not the cartoon. [22] Sommers said had it not been for the rich backstory in the franchise, the film would have fallen behind schedule because of the strike. [23]
After Variety had reported that G.I. Joe became a Brussels-based outfit that stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, [24] there were reports of outrages over Paramount's alleged attempt to change the origin of G.I. Joe Team. [25] Hasbro responded on its G.I. Joe website claiming it was not changing what the G.I. Joe brand is about, and the name "G.I. Joe" will always be synonymous with bravery and heroism. Instead, it would be a modern telling of the "G.I. Joe vs. Cobra" storyline, based out of the "Pit" as they were throughout the 1980s comic book series. [26]
The second film in the series, released on March 28, 2013, in 3D and IMAX 3D. It grossed $375 million worldwide. It was directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay written by Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick.
For the second film, after the financially successful release of The Rise of Cobra , Rob Moore, the studio vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated in 2009 that a sequel would be developed. In January 2011, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writers of Zombieland , were hired to write the script for the sequel. [27] [28] The film was originally thought to be titled G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes, [29] which was later denied by Reese. [30] Stephen Sommers was originally going to return as director of the sequel, but Paramount Pictures announced in February 2011 that Jon Chu would direct the sequel. [31] [32] In July 2011, the sequel's name was revealed to be G.I. Joe: Retaliation. [33] [34] Chu would later declare that Paramount wanted a reboot that also served as a sequel to The Rise of Cobra since "a lot of people saw the first movie so we don't want to alienate that and redo the whole thing." [35]
In May 2018, Paramount announced a film centered on Snake Eyes, with Evan Spiliotopoulos hired to write the script. [36] In December, Robert Schwentke signed on as director with principal photography scheduled to take place in Japan, Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada and Los Angeles, California. [37] [38] Ray Park was later reported to not reprise the role, as the film deals with the character's origin story. [39] By August 2019, Henry Golding was cast as Snake Eyes, while Andrew Koji was set to portray Storm Shadow, replacing Lee Byung-hun, who portrayed the character in previous films. [40] [41] Kimani Ray Smith was hired as Stunt Coordinator on the project. [42] In September 2019, Iko Uwais entered negotiations to portray Hard Master, while Úrsula Corberó was cast as Anastasia Cisarovna / Baroness (replacing Sienna Miller, who played the character in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra). [43] [44] James Madigan was hired as the Second-Unit Director, after previously working on G.I. Joe: Retaliation. [45] By October 2019, Samara Weaving was cast as Shana O'Hara / Scarlett (replacing Rachel Nichols, who previously portrayed the character in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), while Takehiro Hira, Haruka Abe and Steven Allerick were cast in an undisclosed roles. [46] [47] [48]
The film was scheduled for an October 23, 2020 release date, [49] [50] and was delayed to July 23, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [51]
In April 2013, a third G.I. Joe film was announced, [52] with the studio looking at the potential for it to be released in 3D format. [53] [54] Chu was initially hired to return to direct the third film, [55] though the filmmaker left the project in favor of directing Jem and the Holograms instead. Producer di Bonaventura expressed interest in having Johnson and Willis reprise their respective roles, while announcing a third primary role. [56] By September of the same year, Evan Daugherty was hired as screenwriter. [1] The film was initially scheduled for a 2016 release, [57] [58] though this changed when di Bonaventura revealed that the studio was in search of a new director. [59]
By July 2014, Jonathan Lemkin was hired to contribute to the script, with a plot that will focus on Roadblock. Johnson signed on to return as the star of the film. [60] The story will incorporate M.A.S.K. character Matt Trakker, and the villainous twins Tomax Paoli and Xamot Paoli. [61] In April 2015, the studio hired D. J. Caruso as director, with Aaron Berg hired to do a re-write of the previous draft of the script. [62] In January 2017, Caruso revealed that a previous draft of the script ended with the introduction of the Transformers. This was not approved by Paramount Pictures, who as a studio were "not ready...yet". [63] [64] In May, Dwayne Johnson stated that he would appear in any future G.I. Joe film, and that he hopes to be a part of the franchise expansion. [65]
In May 2018, the film was titled G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, with Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec signed on as co-screenwriters. Johnson is again in early negotiations to reprise his role, with the plot centering around his character leading a new team of Joes. That team features Daina Janack, Dr. Adele Burkhart, Wild Bill, Barbecue, General Flagg, Doc, and Keel-Haul; the primary antagonists are Tomax and Xamot. Cobra Commander has a smaller role. [66] The film was scheduled to be released on March 27, 2020, until Snake Eyes took precedence and was given that release date. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the intended October 23, 2020 release of Snake Eyes was delayed, [49] [50] also delaying Ever Vigilant development. In May 2021, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura revealed that there are multiple scripts for the sequel in development. [67]
In March 2013, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura announced that he would be interested in producing a G.I. Joe / Transformers crossover film. [2] By July, G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu stated that he is interested in directing the movie. [68] In June 2014, di Bonaventura cast doubt on the project, while acknowledging that it is an ongoing possibility. [69] [70] The Transformers were initially written to be introduced at the end of G.I. Joe 3, but Paramount decided against this. [63] [64] In July 2021, while stating that Paramount Pictures has been hesitant to green-light production on the crossover, di Bonneventura declared that the project is "inevitable". [3] [71] [72] In July 2021, the project was once again in active development. [3] In June 2023, beginning with Rise of the Beasts the two franchises began to share continuity. Producer di Bonaventura stated that in future Transformers installments, actors from the G.I. Joe films may reprise their roles. [73] The crossover would later be announced officially at CinemaCon 2024. [74] Derek Connolly was hired to write the crossover film in June 2024. [75]
In December 2015, it was reported that Hasbro and Paramount were creating a cinematic universe that would combine G.I. Joe with fellow Hasbro properties Micronauts , Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light , M.A.S.K. , and Rom . [82] In April 2016, The Hollywood Reporter stated that a writers' room was formed consisting of Michael Chabon, Brian K. Vaughan, Nicole Perlman, Cheo Coker, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein and others. [83] Director D. J. Caruso said in January 2017 that a script was being written, [84] but the writers' room disbanded six months later. [85] The project has since remained in development.
In 2009 to promote The Rise of Cobra 2 short stop-motion films were created. [86]
A sequel to G.I. Joe: The Invasion of Cobra Island - Part 1. [87]
Released in promotion for Snake Eyes, Paramount produced a stop-motion short film, including toys of the characters of the film where they discuss the upcoming movie as a reboot/prequel. The short debuted on the studio's YouTube channel. [88]
The home video release of Snake Eyes, included a bonus feature short that debuted in the form of an animated motion comic. The plot detailed the origins of the character's weapon, Morning Light. [89]
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.
Film | Crew/Detail | ||||||
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Composer(s) | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Production companies | Distributing company | Running time | ||
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | Alan Silvestri | Mitchell Amundsen | Jim May Bob Ducsay | Hasbro Studios Sommers Company Spyglass Entertainment di Bonaventura Pictures | Paramount Pictures | 118 min | |
G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Henry Jackman | Stephen Windon | Jim May Roger Barton | Hasbro Studios Skydance Productions di Bonaventura Pictures | Paramount Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | 123 min | |
Snake Eyes | Martin Todsharow | Bojan Bazelli | Stuart Levy | Skydance Entertainment One di Bonaventura Pictures | 121 min |
Film | Release date | Box office revenue | Box office ranking | Budget | Reference | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | International | Worldwide | All time domestic | All time worldwide | ||||
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | August 7, 2009 | $150,201,498 | $152,267,519 | $302,469,017 | # | # | $175 million | [90] |
G.I. Joe: Retaliation | March 28, 2013 | $122,523,060 | $253,217,645 | $375,740,705 | # | # | $130 million | [91] |
Snake Eyes | July 22, 2021 | $28,264,325 | $11,800,000 | $40,064,325 | # | # | $88–110 million | [92] [93] |
Total | $300,988,883 | $417,285,164 | $718,274,047 | — | # | $393-415 million | — | |
List indicator(s)
|
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | 33% (169 reviews) [94] | 32 (25 reviews) [95] | B+ [96] |
G.I. Joe: Retaliation | 29% (182 reviews) [97] | 41 (31 reviews) [98] | A- [99] |
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins | 35% (147 reviews) [100] | 43 (32 reviews) [101] | B- [102] |
In addition to the films, various comic books were presented by IDW Publishing:
Snake Eyes is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and animated series, created by Larry Hama. He is one of the original and most popular members of the G.I. Joe Team, and is most known for his relationships with Scarlett and Storm Shadow. Snake Eyes is one of the most prominent characters in the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero franchise, having appeared in every series of the franchise since its inception. He is portrayed by Ray Park in the 2009 live-action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and the 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Henry Golding portrays the titular character in the 2021 reboot Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.
G.I. Joe has been the title of comic strips and comic books in every decade since 1942. As a licensed property by Hasbro, G.I. Joe comics have been released from 1967 to present, with only two interruptions longer than a year. As a team fighting Cobra since 1982, the comic book history of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero has been covered by three separate publishers and four main-title series, all of which have been based on the Hasbro toy line of the same name.
Robert Schwentke is a German film director and screenwriter. He is best known for directing Flightplan (2005), The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), Red (2010), The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015), The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016), The Captain (2017), and Snake Eyes (2021).
Jinx is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. She debuted in 1987 as the G.I. Joe Team's female ninja, and since then her code name has been the identity of several other incarnations of the same character, including one of Snake Eyes' apprentices in G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, Chuckles' undercover contact in G.I. Joe: Cobra, and Storm Shadow's cousin in G.I. Joe: Renegades. She is portrayed by Élodie Yung in the 2013 film G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a 2009 American military science fiction action film based on the G.I. Joe toy line. It is the first installment in the G.I. Joe film series. Directed by Stephen Sommers from a screenplay by Stuart Beattie, David Elliot, and Paul Lovett, the film features an ensemble cast based on the various characters of the toy line. The story follows two American soldiers, Duke and Ripcord, who join the G.I. Joe Team after being attacked by Military Armaments Research Syndicate (M.A.R.S.) troops.
Brian David Goldner was an American business chief executive and film producer. He was the chief executive officer of the American toy and media company Hasbro from 2008 until his death.
Joseph Colton, the original G.I. Joe, is a fictional character from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, a line of military-themed toys created by Hasbro. He also appeared as a character later in the comic book series, but did not appear in any of the animated series. He is portrayed by Bruce Willis in the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Transformers is a series of science fiction action films based on the Transformers franchise. Michael Bay directed the first five live action films: Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014), and The Last Knight (2017), and has served as a producer for subsequent films. A sixth film Bumblebee, directed by Travis Knight, was released in 2018, while a seventh film, Rise of the Beasts, directed by Steven Caple Jr. was released in 2023.
G.I. Joe is a comic book series by IDW Publishing, based upon Hasbro's G.I. Joe characters and toy line.
Chuckles is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and animated series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's undercover specialist and debuted in 1987.
G.I. Joe is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier, Action Sailor, Action Pilot, Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse. The name is derived from the usage of "G.I. Joe" for the generic U.S. soldier, itself derived from the more general term "G.I.". The development of G.I. Joe led to the coining of the term "action figure". G.I. Joe's appeal to children has made it an American icon among toys.
Allspark, formerly known as Hasbro Studios, LLC, was an American production and distribution company owned by toy and multimedia company Hasbro and based in Burbank, California that was in operation from 2009 to 2019. Originally just a television division, many of its shows were based on Hasbro properties and were broadcast on multiple media platforms, including Hasbro's joint venture Discovery Family.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation is a 2013 American military science fiction action film based on the G.I. Joe toy line. It is the second installment in the G.I. Joe film series and the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by the writing team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the film features an ensemble cast with Lee Byung-hun, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Channing Tatum, and Arnold Vosloo reprising their roles from the previous film, while Luke Bracey and Robert Baker take over the role of Cobra Commander, replacing Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and D. J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, Bruce Willis, and Dwayne Johnson round out the principal cast. In the film, heavy machine gunner Roadblock (Johnson), along with the surviving G.I. Joes, exacts vengeance on Cobra for his intelligence and infantry specialist Duke (Tatum) and their comrades' deaths, after a Pakistan incident involving nuclear warheads in which the Joes become traitors.
M.A.S.K. is a media franchise created by Kenner. The main premise revolved around the fight between the titular protagonist underground task force and the terrorist organization V.E.N.O.M.. After its initial launch in 1985, the franchise spawned a variety of products and presentations, including four series of action figures, an animated television series, video games, and comics; as of 2018, a live-action theatrical film is in development by Hasbro and Paramount.
Di Bonaventura Pictures, Inc. is an American film and television production company founded in 2002 by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is known for producing the Transformers films.
The Hasbro Universe refers to several shared fictional universes featuring characters from several franchises owned by toy and entertainment company Hasbro.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is a 2021 American superhero film loosely based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe toy line character Snake Eyes. It is the third installment in the G.I. Joe film series. The film is directed by Robert Schwentke from a screenplay by Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel, and Anna Waterhouse. It serves as an origin story for the title character, while also being a reboot of the film series. The film stars Henry Golding as Snake Eyes, with Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving, and Iko Uwais in supporting roles.
Snake Eyes: Deadgame is an American comic book limited series by Rob Liefeld and Chad Bowers, and debuted on July 15, 2020, by IDW Publishing. The series features several characters from the G.I. Joe franchise by Donald Levine and Hasbro, but focuses on Snake Eyes as the main character.
crossover movie will be released in theaters in 2025 or 2026.
audience word of mouth may not be great, despite a solid rating of B+ from opening-day moviegoers, according to market research firm CinemaScore.
These two movies, which received lackluster CinemaScores of C+ and B-