Paramount’s in desperate need of a reliable franchise. They had one in Transformers, but fans eventually got tired of the endless Michael Bay sequels. Bumblebee was a step in the right direction, but even that film earned less than the studio was hoping for. Nevertheless, they’re banking on Snake Eyes jumpstarting the world of G.I. Joe later this year (hopefully). But the studio has loftier ideas than just that.
According to our sources – the same ones who told us that a Captain Pike Star Trek spinoff is in the works and that Karen Gillan is being eyed for Pirates of the Caribbean 6, both of which we know to be true now – Paramount is planning a crossover between G.I. Joe and Transformers and a post-credits scene in the eventual Joe reboot will plant the seeds for it.
It’s been seven years since the last Joe movie and despite adding Dwayne Johnson to the sequel, it ended up underperforming at the box office. The thought of a shared universe with Transformers is a no-brainer then and honestly, I can’t believe they didn’t do it sooner.
Paramount has high hopes that G.I. Joe can become a money-maker again, too, with reports that they’re looking to not only bring back Johnson, but also add Ryan Reynolds to the mix and hire the Russo Brothers to direct. You have to admire their ambition with so many big names, but having said that, Snake Eyes is going to be an interesting test case.
Other than Henry Golding and Iko Uwais, there are no recognizable stars in the movie and director Robert Schwentke has made some questionable films, including R.I.P.D. and two Divergent sequels. Not really the person you want for rebooting a known IP.
Still, every big studio desires what Disney has with Marvel – expanded universes with multiple franchises. G.I. Joe and Transformers are both Hasbro properties and can easily be connected. And if they can find their own version of Kevin Feige, then there’s no reason why Paramount can’t reinvigorate two series at once.
