Paramount film producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is largely responsible for the modern live-action film adaptations of the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises, says he believes a major crossover between the two is inevitable. G.I. Joe is about to return to the big screen after some major time away with the theatrical premiere of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins on July 23, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is scheduled to release in 2022. But could a big-budget theatrical crossover of the two Hasbro brands really happen?
In the modern era of filmmaking, franchises are the supreme unit of measurement for commercial success and popular appeal. Space Jam: A New Legacy demonstrated an excellent recent example of this in its repeated incorporation of other Warner Bros. properties – a response in part to what competitors like Disney have built out of brands like Marvel and Star Wars. Major cinematic crossovers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, and there are even rumors that NBCUniversal is intending to connect the Jurassic World franchise to Fast and Furious.
With all that in mind, is a live-action Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover actually possible? To hear di Bonaventura tell it, it’s inevitable, even if the odds are stacked against it happening. Speaking recently with Uproxx, the producer responded to the rumors of such a crossover film, saying that the idea has been repeatedly shot down by Paramount executives, but that he believes it will one day come to fruition. Read di Bonaventura’s full quote below:
“You know, the truth of matter is, the studio has always been against that. Every regime that’s been at Paramount is against it because it’s taking two franchises and making them one, but I think it’s inevitable.”
When the rumors of a Jurassic World/Fast & Furious crossover came up in the same interview, di Bonaventura said that the success of such a hypothetical film could pave the way for other such projects at other studios, like Paramount. He also added that while he believes past crossovers like Alien vs. Predator ultimately failed, they could be executed well. The producer even name-dropped director Steven Caple, who’s currently heading up Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, as someone who could potentially lead a G.I. Joe crossover.
For right now, though, both Paramount franchises have a lot to prove. Bumblebee did a lot to restore goodwill around the Transformers films, but Rise of the Beasts has to succeed to make that positive response a trend. And Snake Eyes is itself a soft reboot of the G.I. Joe movies, created because of its predecessors’ failures. But maybe, if both of those upcoming films do well, there could be a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover coming in the future.