Live-Action ‘G.I. Joe’ Movie Franchise Now Streaming for Free on Tubi

Once upon a time, Dwayne Johnson replaced Channing Tatum as the lead of the G.I. Joe movie franchise. Alongside Bruce Willis, who played the original titular “Joe,” G.I. Joe: Retaliation was the much-maligned sequel to the first film, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which also failed to impress critics and audiences alike. However, that did not stop longtime fans from enjoying select parts of the toy adaptations, especially in Retaliation, which features some of the best action of the two-film series. And now, audiences will be able to stream both movies at no cost.

From Apr. 1, both G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Retaliation are available on the streaming platform Tubi. Fans of the franchise can stream the movies at no cost but with ads, as with the rest of their library. Meanwhile, the latest reboot of G.I. Joe, 2021’s Snake Eyes, is currently streaming on Netflix and is not connected to the aforementioned films. The Rise of Cobra, which featured Channing Tatum in the lead role, and Retaliation, which saw Dwayne Johnson take over, are directly connected. So, if you want to catch up on the films, we seriously recommend watching Rise of Cobra first, although it’s the lesser of the two.

Released in 2009, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was directed by Stephen Sommers and starred Channing Tatum as Duke, Dennis Quaid as Hawk, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Heavy Duty, Christopher Eccleston as Destro, Sienna Miller as The Baroness, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Commander, Rachel Nichols as Scarlett, as Ray Park Snake Eyes, Said Taghmaoui as Breaker, Marlon Wayans as Ripcord, and Lee Byung-hun as Storm Shadow. Interestingly enough, 2013’s Retaliation saw a change in director, this time with Jon M. Chu behind the camera. Yes, the Wicked filmmaker once tackled the iconic toy franchise, and while it did not work out in the long term, his direction proved to be some of the more exciting parts of the two-film series. The sequel saw Dwayne Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, and Adrianne Palicki join the franchise as the new leads.

The Future of ‘G.I. Joe’ Movies, Explained

Although Snake Eyes failed to jumpstart a new movie franchise in 2021, Paramount did not give up on the iconic property. At the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the G.I. Joe organization was revealed to exist in the same universe as the alien robots. It did not take long for it to be confirmed that the next live-action Transformers movie would be a crossover with G.I. Joe. Updates on the film’s development have been scarce, but it seems to be moving fine, for now.

Chris Hemsworth has reportedly been in talks to lead the new crossover film, an exciting coincidence considering he just voiced Optimus Prime in the fantastic animated film, Transformers One. He would not be the aforementioned autobot for the live-action project, but instead a member of the G.I. Joe. As of right now, no details on the plot or cast have been confirmed by the studio. Steven Caple Jr., who directed Rise of the Beasts, was expected to direct the new movie, but he may have moved on to I Am Legend 2, which stars Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan.

Source: Tubi