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Fans weren't sure what to think when Paramount decided to hire Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and Step Up 3D director Jon Chu for their sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Armed with a script from Zombieland screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, Chu's work on G.I. Joe: Retaliation was recently unveiled in the form of a first trailer, a Super Bowl spot and an international trailer, all of which show that the new director seems to have done better with the material than Rise of Cobra director Stephen Sommers.
The biggest difference between the two directors is that Chu is a self-professed "fan" of G.I. Joe, while Sommers (reportedly) wasn't. While speaking to Moviefone at the American International Toy Fair, Chu agreed that it wasn't easy taking over a sequel from a non-fan.
It's hard, but I think everybody felt like we wanted to do a sort of re-attitude toward the movie. And that's part of the tradition of G.I. Joe, that it reinvents itself every several years. So it's sort of inline with what had been done, you know, whether it was in the cartoon or if they changed the theme song to another theme song. To me, all of those different transitions are what makes G.I. Joe so great.
more about Retaliation >> Posted 02.16.12 by Ryan -
Paramount has been on a roll releasing promotional items for G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation, releasing a Super Bowl spot, followed by a new photo and, now, an international trailer with footage previously unseen in the prior trailers.
Retaliation finds the Joes declared traitors by the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce), who is, in fact, Zartan (Arnold Vosloo), Cobra's master of disguise, as those who remember 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra will remember. After the Joes are double-crossed and attacked, only Roadblock (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), Snake Eyes (Ray Park), Flint (D.J. Cotrona), Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) and General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis) are left to take on Zartan, Firefly (Ray Stevenson) and Cobra Commander. Seen only briefly in the first trailer, Cobra Commander finally gets his moment in the international trailer, where a joke is made about his new helmet, one that is more in keeping with his appearance in the comic book and cartoon series, and a far cry from the squid-like mask he wore in Rise of Cobra.
watch the trailer >> Posted 02.08.12 by Ryan -
While attending the premiere of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura was asked about two other sequels he is working on — G.I. Joe 2 and a sequel to last year's $186 million worldwide-grossing, action-comedy RED.
Di Bonaventura told MTV that they've got a good script for the sequel, written by RED screenwriters Erich and Jon Hoeber, leaving them to assemble the ensemble cast, which included Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich.
ninja fans, prepare to "love" G.I. Joe 2 >> Posted 06.30.11 by Ryan -
Paramount is slowly assembling its cast for G.I. Joe: 2, the upcoming sequel to 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra from director Jon Chu (Justin Bieber: Never Say Never).
Earlier this month, French actress Elodie Yung (District 13: Ultimatum) was cast as L.A.-born ninja Jinx, while Dwayne Johnson began talks to possibly join the cast as heavy machine gunner and aspiring chef Roadblock. Chu and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland) have decided against using most of cast of The Rise of the Cobra, meaning there are plenty of new characters to cast for the sequel. Two more are getting drafted into the elite covert special forces unit.
who was cast? >> Posted 06.28.11 by Ryan -
Can you smell what the Rock is cooking (as Roadblock in G.I. Joe 2)?
Variety reports that wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson, fresh from the success of Fast Five, is in talks to join the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, titled G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes. Johnson would play Roadblock, one of the biggest and strongest members of G.I. Joe, and also an aspiring chef, something Johnson also aspired to be as a wrestler, at least in terms of his catchphrase.
more about Roadblock >> Posted 06.06.11 by Ryan -
Only days after it was announced that Justin Bieber: Never Say Never director Jon Chu would likely be taking over directing duties from Stephen Sommers on the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Paramount has announced that G.I. Joe 2 (working title) will be released in theaters Aug. 10, 2012. Interestingly, actress Rachel Nichols, who played Scarlett in Rise of the Cobra, recently revealed that only a few characters would return for the sequel and now THR is speculating that Chu, who is still in negotiations to direct G.I. Joe 2, will "likely" make "extensive casting changes."
more about G.I. Joe 2, plus Hugo Cabret's release date >> Posted 03.05.11 by BrentJS -
While reports have surfaced over Paramount's search for a director for their upcoming G.I. Joe 2 (working title), not much has been revealed about the sequel's script, written by Zombieland screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. More than a year ago, the writers said the sequel will "be a continuation" of the events depicted in 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and that their script would "be faithful" to the first movie, with little else revealed.
With Paramount staying quiet about the project, MTV News turned to Hasbro, the company that created the G.I. Joe action figures on which the movies are based, and asked CEO Brian Goldner about the sequel. Goldner praised the script from Reese and Wernick and revealed how the sequel will tie into the events of the 2009 original.
minor spoilers ahead >> Posted 02.22.11 by Ryan -
Good news for many G.I. Joe fans: Stephen Sommers won't direct G.I. Joe 2. That is, if recent reports turn out to be true.
Sommers directed 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which opened to mixed reviews and polarized fans, but still wound up earning more than $300 million at the worldwide box office, making a sequel an inevitability.
In January, Zombieland screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were hired to write the screenplay for G.I. Joe 2, but no director was announced. In August, reports claimed that Sommers would return, but now the LA Times reports that agents representing other directors have been approached about G.I. Joe 2 and were informed that Sommers would not be back. Paramount has yet to officially confirm or deny the report.
Not much is known about what G.I. Joe 2 will be about, but Reese has admitted that the sequel will "not be ignoring events from the first [movie]". Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura has said that G.I. Joe 2 could open as early as the summer of 2012, but a director will need to be in place for that date to come true.
Posted 01.06.11 by Ryan -
Based on the famous line of Hasbro toys, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra scored more than $300 million at the worldwide box office, even though the movie was beat up critically. With enough financial success to score a sequel, Zombieland screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were hired to write the screenplay in January, but, months later, producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura admitted that, while the screenwriting was going well, a director had not been hired for G.I. Joe 2. Now The Wrap is reporting that Stephen Sommers, who directed The Rise of the Cobra will be back for G.I. Joe 2.
Is Sommers' return good or bad news? >> Posted 08.06.10 by Ryan -
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra didn't fare well critically, but its number one opening weekend was the just the beginning of enough box office receipts to ensure a sequel. With Zombieland screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick hired to write it in January, news has been light on G.I. Joe 2 until producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura talked to MTV to update the status of the movie, revealing that a script has not been delivered yet.
more about the G.I. Joe sequel >> Posted 05.03.10 by Ryan