Paramount has locked in release plans for two of its biggest franchise projects, announcing on Friday that the Danny McBride directed G.I. Joe movie starring Bradley Cooper will open in theaters on Oct. 20, 2028, while the next Paranormal Activity installment shifts to the Halloween corridor on Oct. 22, 2027.
The G.I. Joe film is described as a reimagining of the long running property, which began as a Hasbro toy line before expanding into comic books, animated series and three live action features. McBride will direct from a screenplay he wrote with Jeff Fradley and John Carcieri.
Cooper is attached to star as Duke, one of the most recognizable characters in the franchise, though the studio is keeping other plot details under wraps. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian and Zev Foreman are producing for Hasbro Entertainment.
Meanwhile, Paramount and the newly renamed Blumhouse Atomic confirmed that the upcoming Paranormal Activity sequel, directed by Ian Tuason, will no longer arrive in summer. The film had previously been dated for May 21, 2027, and will now target the lucrative Halloween season instead.
The franchise has a long history of box office success. The original Paranormal Activity, created by Oren Peli, earned nearly $194 million worldwide and ranks among the most profitable films in cinema history. Across seven installments, the found footage series has grossed more than $900 million globally.
The new entry stars Chase Yi, Sonia Mena and Maya Da Costa. Peli returns to produce for Solana Films alongside James Wan and Jason Blum for Blumhouse Atomic. Michael Clear and Judson Scott will executive produce for the company, with Alayna Glasthal overseeing the project, while Steven Schneider of Room 101, Inc., Dan Slater and Cody Calahan also serve as executive producers.
The release date moves come as Skydance, led by David Ellison, works to squeeze the most out of a massive intellectual property library following the consolidation that united Paramount and Warner Bros. The combined studio has committed to releasing 30 movies a year.
Among the projects in the pipeline is a new Transformers film with Steven Spielberg attached as a producer. Paramount is also developing sequels to Top Gun, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sonic the Hedgehog and Star Trek, while Warner Bros. is preparing an Ocean's 11 prequel directed by Cooper, who co-stars with producer Margot Robbie, along with additional Lord of the Rings movies and the Weapons sequel Gladys.
