Paramount is making an unusual move to finalize one of its major IP franchises. GI Joe.

Used by studio owned by David Ellison Max LandisThe screenwriter canceled the film to work on a feature film adaptation of Hasbro’s toy brand in the late 2010s, at the height of the #MeToo movement.

At the same time, we also hired jewel of justice Star and creator Danny McBride to work on another script Joe. Sources say the studio will then try to combine the two scripts into one, although studio officials say they are separate projects.

Lorenzo di Bonaventure is Joe movie.

Developing two scripts at the same time is somewhat unusual, but not unheard of. It happened in the 2010s as studios began to focus on franchises and big IP plays. warner bros tarzan and universal mummy For the mid-2010s reboot, writers worked on two versions before elements were merged or one script took over. Although not exactly taking this approach, Paramount has previously placed the Transformers and Star Trek film series on multiple tracks and developed several scripts including a G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover film.

what teeth Landis’ hiring is even more noteworthy. The son of John Landis, one of Hollywood’s top directors in the 1980s, the younger Landis made a name for himself with his screenwriting and his prolific output created fans across the city. He is known for selling spec scripts for millions of dollars and had early success with his 2012 product. chroniclea superpower thriller directed by Josh Trank and starring Michael B. Jordan. he wrote brightA big-budget fantasy starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, it became one of Netflix’s early hits.

He also has a keen eye for superheroes, writing and directing Superman, which became a popular YouTube video, and later writing a comic book mini-series for DC.

But the revelations peaked in 2019, with many women subsequently coming forward and accusing Landis of sexual and emotional abuse. daily beast. In the aftermath, he was removed from representation at CAA and Write Large, and saw the projects he was developing disappear. No charges have been filed against Landis.

In a YouTube video from three years ago, Landis admitted to making serious mistakes in relationships, calling himself a toxic partner to his girlfriend. “I understand why certain people don’t like me,” Landis said at the time.

And he continues to air his views on superheroes, as seen in a series of YouTube videos, including one titled: Max Landis Presents: Barry Allen’s Deposition. (Allen is the alter ego of the DC hero The Flash.) Landis’ long online monologues, delivered by the writer who played Allen, can be seen as parallels to his life. He plays Allen, a persecuted scientist on the verge of insanity whose career is over, but is given a second chance at work by Lex Luthor, an evil billionaire who employs other criminals for his secret projects.

“I’m not a psychopath,” Allen told Landis near the end of the piece. “I’m just a genius.”

Landis’ hiring continues a trend at Skydance-run Paramount of working with figures who have proven controversial in other parts of Hollywood. In fact, it has been done repeatedly.

David Ellison’s operating company has a history of recovering lost human assets, from Skydance to today’s Paramount. In the early days, former Pixar CEO John Lasseter Adopted He has been appointed head of animation at Skydance after admitting to “mistakes” at Pixar that left employees feeling “disrespected and made to feel uncomfortable.” We recently signed a contract to distribute rush hour 4The film marks the return of disgraced director Brett Ratner, who also directed the film, after being accused of sexual misconduct in 2017. melania Amazon documentary.

Although McBride is known for his acting, he also writes screenplays. Among his work was co-producing shows such as: jewel of justice, eastbound and downbound and vice principalall for HBO, have a strong, over-the-top comedy bent. He has also spent recent years immersed in horror, co-authoring a recent book. halloween A trilogy produced by Blumhouse as in 2023. Exorcist: Believer‘ was a commercial failure, and the then-promised reboot of the franchise failed.