D.J. Caruso’s Original Pitch For G.I. Joe 3 Teed Up A Transformers Crossover

Despite G.I. Joe: Retaliation improving on its predecessor in every which way – story-wise and financially – Paramount’s gleefully over-the-top action franchise has since been placed on ice to accommodate Dwayne Johnson’s stacked schedule. xXx: Return of Xander Cage‘s D.J. Caruso was once in negotiations to helm a potential third installment in lieu of Jon M. Chu, who parted ways with the series to direct Jem and the Holograms at Blumhouse – and we all know how that one turned out.

But when G.I. Joe 3 was still in the mix two years ago, Caruso’s original pitch involved a crossover with Michael Bay’s Transformers, another of Paramount’s live-action juggernauts that will return later this year in the form of The Last Knight. Before touching base on that wildly ambitious concept, Caruso reflected on the moment when the G.I. Joe franchise ground to a temporary halt.

Per Collider:

“Before I started this movie I had a couple meetings with Dwayne and the studio about what could happen with G.I. Joe. The franchise has been fairly successful, but there’s something about it that’s just not fully, fully clicking.”

Bringing together the G.I. Joe and Transformers universes for a live-action event film is something that’s been teased in the past – ever since The Rise of Cobra first graced screens in 2009, as a matter of fact. There are, of course, an array of logistical issues to consider – will the proposed crossover exist in a separate timeline? Or will it be shoehorned into the existing TF universe? – but as Caruso reveals to Collider, Paramount may well consider the pitch if and when Michael Bay calls time on his Transformers career.

“Well yeah but they’re not ready to do [G.I. Joe meets Transformers] yet. That’s exactly what they should do but they’re not ready to do that because in fact the script that I was developing, the two worlds sort of collided at the end and when they read it they were like, ‘We’re not ready to do this yet.’… They will eventually collide those two worlds and it’s probably when Mr. Bay decides he’s done with Transformers.”

What do you make of Caruso’s comments regarding a crossover between G.I. Joe and the Transformers series? As usual, let us know below. xXx: Return of Xander Cage, meanwhile, hits US theaters this Friday, January 20.