As the Transformers get set to crossover with the GI Joe franchise, their movie got an official update on its release date.
Paramount Pictures' Transformers: Rise of the Beasts set up the first-ever live-action crossover between the Autobots and the GI Joes, which would give fans a deeper look into the long list of Hasbro toys under the studio's purview.
Critics and fans reacted favorably to the recently released seventh movie highlighting the transforming robots, making it more likely that Paramount will follow through with its Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover plan.
Transformers & GI Joe Crossover Gets Release Update
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Gazette spoke with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura about the timeframe for the upcoming crossover movie featuring the GI Joes and the Transformers.
Di Bonaventura explained that the ongoing writers' strike delayed the studio's plans for this crossover film, which will likely push the film's release until sometime in 2026:
"It’s a good question. We were about to start a script when the writers’ strike happened. So, our hope was we were going to have it for 2025, but I think the longer the strike goes on, the more it puts it in 2026."
The producer also tackled the idea of this film potentially picking up after the events of 2021's Snake Eyes, which was loosely based on the GI Joe storyline, although the team hasn't gotten into details about the plot yet:
"Here’s the answer: I don’t know the second question’s answer because we haven’t gotten that far. But, like every other 'Transformers' movie, the ingredients of the movie is humans and robots get together to stop the villain."
He also made it clear that the Joes will be entering the world of the Transformers rather than the other way around, although that's "the closest thing to the plan" that's in place right now:
"The Joes are going to be part of the ingredients now. We’re not going into the Joe world, they’re coming into our world. So, if you think about it that way, I think that’s the closest thing to the plan that we have. We now have to figure out the plot we want to do, etcetera, but they will be an active participant, if you would, a few of the characters, in trying to stop the bad guy."
Will Transformers/GI Joe Crossover Stay on Schedule?
It's clear that there's been no shortage of Hasbro movies over the past few years thanks to the six previous Transformers films, the two GI Joe films, and 2021's Snake Eyes.
Now, the big question is how these stories will actually intersect with one another for their first crossover, especially as they look to compete with already established universes from other major players.
Depending on how long the writers' strike lasts, the team at Paramount will have plenty of work to do to develop the script and plan out the Transformers/GI Joe crossover event, although the strikes don't appear close to ending.
But with this film having already been on the table for the better part of two decades, the team at Paramount seems intent on making sure they do things the right way for this one-of-a-kind Hasbro team-up event.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is now available to stream on Paramount+.
