Why a Transformers vs. GI Joe Movie Will Probably Fail

Paramount is apparently planning to cross over G.I. Joe with Transformers, but both movie franchises need room to grow on their own beforehand.

The live-action Transformers movies have been big hits at the box office, and fans are more excited than ever for new entry Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. A sequel to 2018's low-key reboot Bumblebee, the movie will continue to flesh out this new universe by introducing the Maximals from Beast Wars. Likewise, Paramount seems to be once again planning to unite the robots in disguise with another Hasbro property, but the timing is terribly off.

In the 1980s, G.I. Joe ruled the airwaves, toy aisles and comic book stores alongside Transformers. To this end, Paramount is still prepping a cinematic crossover between G.I. Joe and Transformers, for better or worse. Given the nature of such a team-up and how ill-defined both franchises still are on the big screen, it might be necessary to keep said action figures in different toy boxes for the time being.

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Before the release of Bumblebee, none of the live-action Transformers movies were particularly well-received. In fact, some were outright despised by all but the most hardcore and accepting fans of the franchise, with critics and audiences in general reviling movies such as Transformers: The Last Knight. Bumblebee thankfully acted as the start of a new universe that featured more faithful designs and characterizations for the Transformers and a much better grasp on storytelling.

Rise of the Beasts will continue to explore this uncharted territory, with the gigantic Unicron even being a factor in the film. Many Transformers fans are finally excited about where the movies will go, which means said movies need to remain separate from other Hasbro properties for as long as possible. There are several characters and concepts from the Transformers franchise that deserve to either be introduced or redeemed after less than exemplary portrayal in previous movies. That's especially the case for fan-favorites such as the Dinobots, the Constructicons and Jetfire.

Going this route can give the Transformers film series longevity and make it an exciting box office smash hit again. This type of intent works best in a proverbial vacuum, allowing a franchise to grow in an organic fashion without having to bleed into or cross over with another. Doing a mashup between Transformers and G.I. Joe would only impede that, especially given the downright sad state of the Real American Hero's movie franchise.

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Both on the big screen and in general, G.I. Joe is an absolute shell of its former self and not even a fraction of what Transformers has become. The previous three G.I. Joe movies were close to major failures despite some of the actors involved. Not even Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock was able to turn G.I. Joe: Retaliation into a hit. Snake Eyes similarly failed big time at the box office and with audiences, and given the lack of G.I Joe comic books or even a cartoon series, the property as a whole has seen better days.

It's still up in the air as to where the cinematic franchise will go, though a reworked Lady Jaye spinoff series at Amazon is being considered. While it might not be the ideal way to get the Joes back in fighting condition, it's still necessary to turn G.I. Joe into a successful solo franchise. Crossing over with Transformers will destroy any sense of world building, especially with how much more popular it is compared to the Joes' movies. If anything, it could turn G.I. Joe into a less than epic spinoff of Transformers, despite the franchise coming out long before the robots in disguise did.

It's also worth noting that even in the comic books and the Generation 1 cartoons of the two series, their shared continuity rarely amounted to any sort of major crossovers. Exceptions include Megatron's Cobra-derived rebirth that led into the Transformers: Generation 2 comics, but for the most part, they've remained separate. That's the way things need to be for the next several years in order for each to find their footing and embrace what makes each great, as doing otherwise could only result in disaster.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits theaters on June 9, 2023.

Timothy Blake Donohoo is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he majored in Communication and minored in Creative Writing. A professional freelance writer and marketing expert, he's written marketing copy and retail listings for companies such as Viatek. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing video games, watching documentaries and catching up on the latest Vaporwave and Electro-Swing musical releases.