Derek Connolly, known for his work on the Jurassic World series and Detective Pikachu, has been chosen to write the script for Paramount’s upcoming Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover movie, which will feature Chris Hemsworth in a leading role.
This highly anticipated film will merge two of Hasbro’s iconic toy lines, the Transformers and G.I. Joe, bringing together the heroic Autobots and Joes to face off against their longtime adversaries, the Decepticons and the nefarious Cobra organization. Although these franchises have crossed paths in comic books — first seen in a 1987 Marvel Comics title — this will be their first collaboration on the big screen.
The new movie will follow the storyline established in last year’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which concluded with Anthony Ramos’ character receiving a job offer from the Joes.
The project will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Michael Bay, Tom DeSanto, and Don Murphy, with Steven Spielberg and Hasbro Entertainment serving as executive producers.
Connolly has a history of successful collaborations with director Colin Trevorrow, beginning with his feature screenwriting debut on Safety Not Guaranteed. The film earned Connolly the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay in 2013 and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance in 2012.
His work on Safety Not Guaranteed propelled him into major franchises, including the reboot of the Jurassic World series, which grossed $1.67 billion worldwide with its 2015 release, and its sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, in 2018. Connolly also contributed to Legendary’s MonsterVerse with Kong: Skull Island and worked on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Detective Pikachu.
Most recently, Connolly has been involved with Sony and Nintendo’s adaptation of the classic video game The Legend of Zelda, with Wes Ball set to direct.
