Bradley Cooper Stars as Duke in Danny McBride's 'G.I. Joe', Dated for October 2028

Bradley Cooper will play Duke in Danny McBride's reimagining of "G.I. Joe," and Paramount has given the film a wide theatrical release date of Oct. 20, 2028. The studio announced the dating on Friday.

McBride directs from a screenplay he wrote with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri. The franchise began as a Hasbro toy line and grew into comic books, animated series and three live-action films. Cooper stars as Duke, one of the property's most iconic characters; Paramount is keeping all further plot details under wraps. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Zev Foreman produce for Hasbro Entertainment.

The same announcement carried a second scheduling shift. The next "Paranormal Activity" movie will now open in the Halloween corridor on Oct. 22, 2027, instead of its original May 21 summer slot. The newly renamed Blumhouse Atomic is producing alongside Paramount, with Ian Tuason directing.

Why the dates matter

Both moves fit a larger pattern. Skydance, led by David Ellison, is working to maximize the combined studio's massive IP library after the major consolidation united Paramount and Warner Bros.

The mega-studio has committed to releasing 30 movies a year. The pipeline already runs deep:

• A new "Transformers" project, with Steven Spielberg attached as producer
• Sequels to "Top Gun," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Star Trek" at Paramount
• An "Ocean's 11" prequel at Warner Bros., directed by Cooper, who co-stars with producer Margot Robbie
• More "Lord of the Rings" movies and the "Weapons" sequel "Gladys"

So what does this change for moviegoers? Mostly, it signals that marquee franchises — not original scripts — will anchor the release calendar through 2028, with "G.I. Joe" claiming a prime October date nearly four years out.

The 'Paranormal Activity' track record

The horror move is lower-risk than it looks. Oren Peli created the original "Paranormal Activity," which grossed nearly $194 million worldwide and became one of the most profitable films in cinema history. The found-footage franchise (films shot to look like amateur recordings) has since expanded to seven installments and grossed more than $900 million globally.

The new entry stars Chase Yi, Sonia Mena and Maya Da Costa. Peli returns to produce for Solana Films, alongside James Wan and Jason Blum for Blumhouse Atomic. Michael Clear and Judson Scott executive produce for Blumhouse Atomic, with Alayna Glasthal overseeing the project for the company. Steven Schneider executive produces for Room 101, Inc., with Dan Slater and Cody Calahan also credited as executive producers.

Shifting a horror title from May to late October puts it directly into the Halloween window where the genre historically overperforms — a conventional play for a franchise that has already proven its profitability math. The 2028 "G.I. Joe" date is the bolder bet: a comedic filmmaker and an A-list star rebuilding a toy-based franchise from scratch, with four years of runway to do it.