Chris Hemsworth is set to return to the Transformers franchise, and he’s also in talks to appear in a GI Joe crossover film.
Currently enjoying strong reviews for his performance in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, still in cinemas, Chris Hemsworth could be about to join yet another huge franchise – well, two in fact.
Deadline reports that Hemsworth is in negotiations to star in a planned Transformers/GI Joe crossover film that will bring two of Hasbro’s biggest toy lines (and two of Paramount’s biggest action franchises) together. It’s a project that was teased in 2023’s Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts and was then officially confirmed last month.
There’s a couple of ways to look at this: more cynical types might argue that the last few years has seen both franchises facing waning interest, so to Hasbro and Paramount, sticking them together is an attempt to reinvigorate interest in both properties.
If you want to be a little more charitable, you might argue that Transformers and GI Joe comics have a rich history of crossover stories. There was one in the 1980s that fans really enjoyed, while a more recent one that transplanted the robot and human warriors to a World War I setting was really quite good.
Hemsworth’s appointment adds some star power to the mix. The actor is already involved with the Transformers franchise, given that he’s voicing Optimus Prime in the upcoming animated feature, Transformers One.
We’re going to guess that voicing the Autobot leader isn’t what he’s signing up for here, though. Could Hemsworth instead be ‘crossing the divide’ and signing up for a prime role on the GI Joe side of things? He’s certainly got the right look and feel to play Duke, the fearless soldier played by Channing Tatum in the original Joe films (until Tatum infamously wanted out and demanded to be killed off).
The curiosity factor alone has got us intrigued here. When we hear more about this project, you can be sure we’ll let you know.
