Paramount Pictures, the studio that brought you everything from Mission Impossible<\/em> to Transformers<\/em>, has reportedly decided to reboot the G.I. Joe franchise by making one of the most controversial hires of the post #MeToo era. According to a report published by The Hollywood Reporter on February 27, 2026, the studio has tapped Max Landis to develop a treatment for a brand new G.I. Joe movie.<\/p>\n If that name sounds familiar, it is likely because his career famously imploded back in 2019 when eight women came forward with allegations of sexual <\/a>and emotional abuse.<\/p>\n This move is a massive deal because it marks his first major studio gig in about seven years, signaling that Paramount is ready to test whether a \u201ccanceled\u201d creator can still deliver a hit. At the same time, the studio is hedging its bets by hiring Danny McBride to write a completely separate treatment for the same property, creating a bizarre creative bake-off.<\/p>\n The situation at Paramount is currently in the early stages, meaning there are no directors or actors attached to the project just yet. Variety reports<\/a> that the studio is aiming to rejuvenate the franchise with Landis and McBride both crafting scripts inspired by the classic Hasbro toy line.<\/p>\n While some sources say the goal is to eventually blend these two scripts into one movie, others within the studio insist the projects are intended to remain distinct for now.<\/p>\n It is a dual-track approach that feels less like a traditional collaboration and more like a desperate attempt to find a pulse for a brand that has been dormant since the 2021 spinoff \u201cSnake Eyes\u201d.<\/em> Essentially, the studio is throwing two polar opposite creative energies at the wall to see which one sticks, all while navigating the reputational minefield of a high-profile comeback.<\/p>\n The decision to bring back Landis is not just a one-off choice; it appears to be part of a broader corporate strategy that has industry observers raising their eyebrows. The Hollywood Reporter frames this move as part of a documented trend under David Ellison\u2019s leadership, in which the studio collaborates with individuals who have sparked massive controversy.<\/p>\n They even went so far as to call it a history of acquiring \u201cdistressed human assets\u201d, citing other high-profile hires such as John Lasseter and Brett Ratner.<\/p>\n Lasseter was famously brought into Skydance Animation after he acknowledged \u201cmissteps\u201d<\/a> at Pixar that left his employees feeling \u201cdisrespected and uncomfortable\u201d. Then there is the massive 7.7 billion dollar agreement<\/a> Paramount struck with the organization Dana White headed, even after he was recorded assaulting his wife<\/a>.<\/p>\n It seems the vibe at Paramount is shifting toward a meritocracy of efficiency where \u201cbeing useful\u201d is starting to win out over \u201chaving a clean record.\u201d This return comes despite Landis eventually admitting to some of the behaviors that derailed his career.<\/p>\n In a 2021 essay published<\/a> on Medium, Landis wrote that \u201csome of what\u2019s been said about me is true,\u201d specifically confessing that his \u201cinstability translated into relationships as \u201cemotional abuse, infidelity, and wild unpredictable emotional behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n While he claimed he was not the \u201cmonster\u201d the internet believed him to be, he noted that he never apologized because the parts of the allegations that he felt were untrue left him in an \u201cimpotent fury.\u201d<\/p>\n The G.I. Joe brand is in a weird spot because it has never quite achieved the consistent box office glory of its sibling franchise, Transformers<\/em>. We have seen three different attempts since 2009, ranging from the neon action of Rise of Cobra<\/em> to the grounded failure of Snake Eyes<\/em> in 2021.<\/p>\n Entertainment Weekly and IndieWire note that the franchise has struggled to find its footing, and this latest reboot is a priority for Ellison as the studio plans a massive Transformers<\/em> and G.I. Joe<\/em> crossover<\/a>. That crossover was teased at the end of Transformers Rise of the Beasts<\/em> and officially announced at CinemaCon 2024.<\/p>\n Now, the studio is trying to find a disruptive tone to justify why these toys still matter in a post-Marvel world, and they are using two very different writers to find it.<\/p>\n Vulture<\/a> characterizes the idea of blending these two scripts as akin to swapping the head of one G.I. Joe figure onto another body. On one hand, you have Landis, who spent his years away from Hollywood helming fan films and running a YouTube channel<\/a>. On the other hand, you have McBride, whose career is built on absurdist and character-driven comedy like The Righteous Gemstones<\/em>.<\/p>\n This tonal clash suggests that Paramount still does not quite know what a modern G.I. Joe movie should look like. By commissioning two treatments at once, they seem to be bypassing traditional development in favor of a modular strategy that lets them pivot whenever they want.<\/p>\n![\"Paramount](\"https:\/\/wealthofgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Max-L-3.jpeg\" "\\"Animation\\"")
The Paramount Pattern of Distressed Assets<\/h2>\n
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A Tonal Frankenstein for a Broken Brand<\/h2>\n
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The Reality of the New Industry Graylist<\/h2>\n
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