G.I. Joe Keeps Sommers Around For The Sequel

At a junket in Australia hosted by the native press outlet, Jabba, when asked about the word going around the water cooler (read: the internet), Steven Sommers quickly smothered the flaming rumor that he had been canned from G.I. Joe and that the film was being re-edited due to poor testing and flaccid online response.

“I have final cut, it was actually a surprise because I was in the editing room and I got a phone call from a friend checking if I had been fired and replaced, so I just kept editing. That’s what’s crazy about the internet because I have final cut and they couldn’t throw me off if they wanted and clearly when you see the movie you’ll realize how silly that was. Someone said ‘It was the worst testing movie in Paramount’s history’ that’s crap! When you see the movie you’ll know it’s false. It is discouraging though. If you took two seconds to look into it not only do I have final cut but as a director if I didn’t have final cut, you’d have to really screw up a movie to get fired because once a director gets fired from a project the stigma attached to that movie… you’re just dead.”

Allow me to translate:  “No f-ing way.  As if.  Whatever.”  Sommers seems to have his head screwed on squarely enough to realize that while it doesn’t take much to start a rumor, it takes a lot of work to overcome one, even a false one. Reinforcing his confidence in the movie, and thereby the public’s, Sommers goes on to reveal that not only will this movie prevail over canard, so will its sequel: Sommers revealed at the junket that the movie get a sequel, and that all the players are locked in to reprise their roles for next summer.

What does this tell us?  Cobra Commander will not be defeated?  Perhaps Storm Shadow will flip flop and cause enough commotion to warrant a sequel.  Maybe the sequel will flesh out Destro’s love for the Baroness and be a romantic comedy starring Matthew McConaughey? Or maybe we could go old skool and really mix it up: G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers vs. Predator (or the Terminator, or Aliens, whatever).  I’d be up for all of those, especially the last. Regardless, any plot pieces left dangling shouldn’t leave the audience with any unresolved tension; rest assured, they will be answered eventually.

So one person says something that’s deliciously incendiary, and it takes off, out of control, like a North Korean missile.  Before you know it, someone hates someone, or slept with someone’s dog, or is fighting with the Pope; rumors know no bounds.  That’s why its important to deep-six any sparks before they turn into wildfires. Thanks to Sommers for posting this little clip on his website, actively dispelling any rumors that the movie will suck, and giving us a taste of what looks to be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-Delta-6 Accelerator-Suits flick with plenty to offer the original G.I. Joe fans, and enough to keep the attention of the new ones.

I don’t know about you guys, but I like to keep an open mind.  People will say whatever they want, but it’s up to the audience to listen or not.  I choose not, at this juncture, and will see the movie regardless of what will or will not be said.  In fact, not only will I see the movie, I’ve already begun planning my costume:

Like this only less bad ass; I could never be Storm Shadow, perhaps I’ll be Light Drizzle Shadow.

So what do you think?  Are there enough die-hard Joe fans out there to overcome this speculation, or will Sommers’ G.I. Joe be felled by the Rumor Monster (not to be confused with Rumor Willis)? I say GO JOE!  And now you know…

Source: LatinoReview