Chris Hemsworth in Talks to Star in ‘Transformers’ and ‘G.I. Joe’ Crossover Movie
Chris Hemsworth is in talks to join another blockbuster franchise.
After playing Marvel’s Thor and the deranged villain Dementus in George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” Hemsworth is in talks to star in the upcoming crossover between the “Transformers” and “G.I. Joe” franchises from Paramount.
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The “Transformers” and “G.I. Joe” crossover was first teased back in last year’s entry, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” and officially confirmed at this year’s CinemaCon by Paramount. In the end of “Rise of the Beasts,” Anthony Ramos’ character Noah meets a shady government operative named Agent Burke, played “House of Cards” star Michael Kelly. He hands Noah a business card, after saving the world with the Autobots, and it’s revealed Burke works for the G.I. Joes, a special team of commandos. The two popular ’80s brands have crossed over in Marvel comics before, but this would be the first time they come together on the big screen.
“Noah goes from somebody who cannot get a job, to a guy who gets the greatest job ever. It really felt organic to put it in here because you could relate it to the story,” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura told Variety at the “Rise of the Beasts” premiere. “It didn’t feel like we were being cynical and like, ‘Good news, we could just jam G.I. Joes in here.’ The fans want a lot of things; if we do it and we don’t figure it out well, they’re going to be disappointed. It took us a while to figure out the Maximals, and now we have the hint of how to begin the Joes story.”
This would mark the second “Transformers” role for Hemsworth, as he’s already starring in the animated movie “Transformers One.” He voices young Optimus Prime, back when he was just known as Orion Pax, in the film, which opens in theaters on Sept. 20.
Di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Michael Bay, Tom DeSanto & Don Murphy will produce the crossover, and Steven Spielberg and Hasbro Entertainment will executive produce.
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