Draft:Untitled Transformers/G.I. Joe Crossover

An untitled crossover film based on the Transformers & G.I. Joe franchises by Hasbro. The film is expected to be the ninth installment of the Transformers film series, serving as a standalone sequel to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023).

Cast

 * Chris Hemsworth

Development
In March 2013, during the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, producer di Bonaventura announced the studio's plans to develop a G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover. On July 26, 2013, G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu stated that he is also interested in directing a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover film. Despite di Bonaventura stating that a crossover was not in the immediate plans for the franchises, he acknowledged that it is something they intended to do.

In March 2015, Paramount hired Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman to oversee and compile a team of writers, to pitch ideas for future films to expand the franchise into a cinematic universe. Twelve individual stories were written and pitched for the cinematic universe. Goldsman was tasked with developing a multi-part sequel storyline, along with prequels and spin-off films. A "brain trust" was commissioned to guide the productions of these stories, including Goldsman, Michael Bay, and producers Steven Spielberg and Lorenzo di Bonaventura. The team of writers who were hired included: Robert Kirkman, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, Zak Penn, Jeff Pinkner, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, Christina Hodson, Lindsey Anderson Beer, Ken Nolan, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and Steven DeKnight. Goldsman described the writer's room collaboration process, as a way to map out stories that can be further developed by the projects that are green-lit by the brain trust; stating: "...if one of the writers discovers an affinity for [a particular story], they can drive forward on treatments that will have been fleshed out by the whole room." In August 2017, following the poor reception of Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) which Goldsman co-wrote, the filmmaker officially left the franchise. In December 2018, di Bonaventura stated that there will be further films in the series, while also acknowledging that the franchise will make some changes in tone and style due to the success of Bumblebee. In July 2021, producer di Bonaventura and actor Henry Golding expressed interest developing a crossover film.

In July 2021, a crossover film with the G.I. Joe film series was once again in development. In February 2022 at the ViacomCBS Investors' Event, Paramount announced that Rise of the Beasts will be the first installment of a new trilogy of films. In June 2023, beginning with Rise of the Beasts, the two franchises began to share continuity. Producer di Bonaventura stated that in future films, actors from the G.I. Joe films may reprise their roles. In July 2023, di Bonaventura stated that while the crossover would not interfere with the continuity of the franchise's first five installments, he believed that "continuity's overblown, because sometimes you miss a great idea." In April 2024 Paramount announced the crossover was in development with a projected 2025 or 2026 release date. In June 2024, it was announced that Derek Connolly would write the script.

Casting
In May 2024, Deadline Hollywood reported that Chris Hemsworth, who voices the younger Optimus Prime in the then-forthcoming Transformers One (2024), is in negotiations to star in the film. Hemsworth was later confirmed shortly after the following month.