Bradley Cooper is set to star as Duke in director Danny McBride's upcoming GI Joe film, reports Deadline. Also known as Conrad S Hauser, Duke is the popular first sergeant and field commander from the GI Joe comic books, which are based on a line of toy products from the company Hasbro. Cooper's casting has been confirmed following recent negotiations over it.
The film is directed by Danny McBride for Paramount Pictures based on a screenplay he has written alongside John Carcieri and Jeff Fradley. Reportedly, Bradley Cooper topped the list of artists that director McBride wished to see star as Duke in the film after the filmmaker landed the project. The upcoming film reunites Cooper and McBride after their collaboration on the television series The Righteous Gemstones, which the latter not only created but also starred in.
The science-fiction and action film franchise already has three live-action films in it, including a prequel following the Snake Eyes character starring Henry Golding in the titular role. Reportedly, the three films have earned a combined collection of around $720 million at the global box office.
Coming back to Bradley Cooper, the actor already has multiple projects at various stages of production, including an Ocean's Eleven prequel with Margot Robbie. Besides starring in the upcoming instalment in the heist film franchise, Cooper is also directing it from his screenplay. Lee Isaac Chung was attached to direct the film before production on it commenced, but his exit from the project made Warner Bros approach Cooper for it. Principal photography on the Ocean's film is underway in Europe. Cooper is also part of the voice cast for Ally, which marks the first-ever animation film for director Bong Joon Ho.
Reportedly, despite Cooper's packed schedule right now, he has signed on to act in the upcoming film after a recent meeting with McBride and going through the screenplay.
