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"G.I. Joe" Movie Gets More Cast Members

by Rob Walker | December 20, 2007 at 06:15 am

3581 views | 0 Recommendations | 8 comments

I've got to say, considering how well Transformers turned out, I can't wait for this movie to come out.

The "G.I. Joe" brigade is growing larger. Rachel Nichols ("P2"), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje ("Lost") and Said Taghmaoui ("The Kite Runner") will join Sienna Miller and Ray Park in the live-action movie based on the popular military doll and its comic-book and cartoon series spinoffs.

Stephen Sommers is directing "G.I. Joe," which is slated for an August 2009 release via Paramount Pictures.

The cartoon series featured military soldiers fighting a terrorist group called Cobra, with characters like the mute ninja Snake Eyes (Park) on the side of the good guys.

This latest version has G.I. JOE, which stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, as an international force of operatives set in Brussels.

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Jordan Yerman

at 07:15 on December 20th, 2007

A big re-imagining. I guess it makes sense, since the Joes had no consistent uniforms or rank. Still, there was something insidiously cool about COBRA being a shadowy organization bent on global domination... with masks. Somehow making COBRA's leader an arms dealer diminishes it.

babblingdweeb

at 08:57 on December 20th, 2007

I'm going to agree with you on COBRA, that much of an adjustment is boring. Granted, they always make adjustments in movies like thi; still...I'd rather see the focus of the group stay the same.

They should see if Bush wants to be COBRA Commander! Oooo, sorry. It was just too easy to pass up. :)

therealbigjosh

at 08:03 on December 20th, 2007

I've been a fan of GI Joe A Real American Hero since 1982. I found this figure of one of the Joes in 1:6 scale and added it to my collection. I am looking forward to the new GI Joe movie based on these characters and hope they at least make the movie as good as the old Marvel Comics.

therealbigjosh has contributed a photo to this story.

twelvemousegijoe

at 09:59 on December 20th, 2007

A custom vintage Joe I did in leather.

twelvemousegijoe has contributed a photo to this story.

Rob Walker

at 10:27 on December 20th, 2007

I think the idea of some shadowy, sinister unknown villain plotting massive random terrorist attacks throughout the world would hit a little too close to home. I'm not surprised they decided to change the tone a bit for the movie, they still want to sell toys to kids.

Though a slightly more adult themed movie, aimed at the nostalgia generation, would probably make them more money.

SuperiorRAW

at 11:52 on December 20th, 2007

This is G.I.JOE's Counter Intelligence specialist codenamed: SCARLETT
She's lethal with martial arts and still retains a sense of humour. Scarlett has been cast in the new up and coming G.I.JOE movie.

SuperiorRAW has contributed a photo to this story.

andymort

at 18:58 on December 21st, 2007

I'm curious to see what Cobra ends up being like -- I'm assuming it's going to be a whole organisation and not just one guy called Cobra like early reports implied. The Baroness being there looks hopeful, unless she's just his girlfriend...

The arms dealer thing works, inasmuch as Destro has always been an arms dealer. Hopefully they'll have him as the leader of Cobra, as I'd rather have Destro remaining true to the character and leading Cobra (which he has done a couple of times in the comics) than having some horrible amalgam of Destro and Cobra Commander.

I guess it makes sense for GI Joe to be based outside the US if they're going after an international arms dealer -- might be a bit hypocritical otherwise. However, the Brussels thing was in a rather early report that everyone seems to be quoting as it appeared in Variety. Since then, though, Hasbro has issued an "open letter" to toy & GI Joe fan websites (where the response to the initial news had been very poorly received) to say that this was an early draft that WASN'T being taken forward, and that the Joe team would be based in their traditional HQ, The Pit, in the USA.

So who knows what it'll be like? Whatever the case, I'm sure hardcore fans will hate it but hopefully it'll at least be well-received by the world at large!