Go G.I. Joe Pictures!

There was a time when I wasn't interested in the G.I. Joe movie. I used to play with the action figures when I was a kid, but it was Ireland in the 1980's and they were known as Action Force, but I didn't hold any excitement for this film.

Then Stephen Sommers signed on. I really love Deep Rising, and I hold a certain respect for The Mummy movies, but he lost me with Van Helsing. It's not that I loathe the film, it's just that it was a wasted opportunity. A huge wated opportunity.

However, I'm a big fan of Dennis Quaid, there's something about the movies that he's made in the last decade or so that elevate him into the "must watch" priorty list.

In the last day or so a barrage of G.I Joe character pictures have bombarded the net...and they look quite cool. With great thanks to Collider and one of our wonderful regular readers "Scott" for the heads-up on these fantastic images!

G.I. Joe Adds Brendan Fraser!

G.I. Joe director Stephen Sommers worked with Brendan Fraser on both Mummy films, and now Fraser has confirmed that he's appearing in the movie as Gung Ho. Okay, this is getting really cool; I think Fraser is a good action actor, and how could he not appear in a Sommers' film?

On the tech front, /Film is reporting that nanotechnology is being featured in the film as well, in the form of "accelerator suits," which sounds like Iron Man-style armor. Other gadgets that nanotech is finding its way into includes nano-bomb that Cobra Commander uses; Neo-Vipers, Destro's team; the ability to turn invisible; and Destro's mask is made up of "nano-mites." I hope the tech doesn't make the movie cheesy.

G.I. Joe opens summer 2009 from Paramount Pictures.

Sources: Latino Review and /Film

Scarlett From G.I. Joe Revealed!

Just a quick post to show off how the character "Scarlett" looks in the new, live-action G.I. Joe movie, directed by Stephen Sommers.

I have to say, this picture is HOT! For the rest of it see below.

Scarlett, the popular female soldier from the hit 1980s animated TV show is being played by Rachel Nichols. I can't wait to see more, and yes, I'm really excited about this film, which opens summer 2009 from Paramount.

G.I. Joe To Be An Origin Film?

It looks like G.I. Joe will be an origin movie, to help explain why Destro's got the metal head look, among other things. According to Access Hollywood, director Stephen Sommers promises that newbies to G.I. Joe will enjoy the film thanks to the origin story, while die hard fans will get to learn more about their beloved favorite characters.

Don't expect this to be a hardcore, realistic war film. The filmmakers are making a movie that'll be fun and probably over-the-top, featuring all our favorite Joes and Cobras.

Recent photos surfaced showing actors Channing Tatum as Duke and Sienna Miller as a pre-Baroness Baroness. Us fans were a little worried about Miller's appearance, since she had blonde hair in the photo. So are we getting a blonde Baroness?

First Look At Snake-Eyes From G.I. Joe!

Ray Parks as "Snake Eyes" in the upcoming G.I. Joe movie

[UPDATE: Added a second image below.]

Oh, man, this Snake-Eyes image is bad @$$! I am now really excited for Stephen Sommers' adaptation of G.I. Joe! Yes, that's Ray Park (aka, Darth Maul) under the ninja suit, and he looks incredible. To see an even bigger version of the image, click on over to Ain't It Cool News, which has the exclusive image.

G.I. Joe Movie Update

I thought it might be time for an update on director Stephen Sommers' G.I. Joe movie, since it has been shooting for a couple of weeks now.

There are a few things that have been floating around, including a couple of photos of Channing Tatum as Duke (although there isn't much to them), but they do givesa sense of what he looks like in the film. Also, a Hasbro exec and movie producer gave some movie detail tidbits you should check out below.

First up are a set of photos featuring Tatum as Duke and Sienna Miller as the Baroness. She doesn't look all that Baronessy (is that a word?), bit it does look like Tatum may be pulling off the Duke look pretty well. I like the shot of him on the bike, even though he's checking his make-up. You can see it over at JFX Online via MovieWeb. Does the photo of Miller reveal a crucial plot point? Does this funeral scene explain why she becomes the Baroness?

After the jump, read what the producer had to say plus former G.I. Joe comic book writer Larry Hama's involvement with the film!

Movie News Grab Bag 2-20-08

Some quick movie tidbits for you guys and gals, including an awesome look at Watchmen courtesy of a new image, who is playing Cobra Commander in G.I. Joe, news on the live-action Akira adaptation moving forward, and a small bit on Where the Wild Things Are.

First up is this cool image from Watchmen, which recently wrapped production, and is being cut for a release March 6, 2009:

I'm excited about this movie. This image is very cool and pretty much straight out of the comics. I just hope the lawsuit against the movie and Warner Bros., brought on by Fox, gets resolved so we can see it without problems next year. See a higher res version of the image above click here.

Screen Rant Movie News Grab Bag

The new Star Wars: Clone Wars animated feature film will premiere theatrically August 15, 2008, then it will air on Cartoon Network and TNT. This one is from Lucasfilm Animation, not from Genndy Tartakovsky, who oversaw the original Clone Wars series in 2004/05. He's attached to the new Dark Crystal movie.

This is cool, because I was just thinking that it's been three years since the last Star Wars movie, and we're not getting one this year. There were new Star Wars movies in 1999, 2002 and 2005.

Find out more at starwars.com.

Can G.I. Joe Be A Great Movie?

The more I read and write about the G.I. Joe film, directed by Stephen Sommers, the more excited I get. I think it can be a great movie, but only if they avoid some mistakes that seem to be popping up.

When I was 8 years old, Transformers and G.I. Joe were just coming out (circa 1984), and it was great to be a kid! I didn't hate Michael Bay's Transformers movie; sure it had its faults, but I had a great time watching it. However, I think things could be worse for G.I. Joe if the director, producers and studio (Paramount) aren't careful.

Hottie Karolina Kurkova Cast In G.I. Joe

This time, a beauty has been cast in the upcoming G.I. Joe from director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy). Karolina Isela Kurkova will be playing "Cover Girl", aka, Courtney A. Kreige: a former super-model-turned-solider. She joins Dennis Quaid (Hawk), Channing Tatum (Duke) and Ray Park (Snake Eyes) in the film.

Well, I have to say that I'm pretty okay with this casting decision! You know... I'm starting to get a little excited about the G.I. Joe adaptation, due in theatres in 2009 from Paramount. Shooting begins soon, so stay tuned for more details.

Source: IESB.net

General Hawk, Zartan And Destro Cast In G.I. Joe

More casting announcements for G.I. Joe. Okay, very few, if any, of us are thrilled that Channing Tatum was cast as Duke, but at least there's some good news. Dennis Quad was cast as General Hawk, which is a great choice, in my opinion. Zartan will be played by Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy), and this is another good choice. Okay, so maybe director Stephen Sommers isn't quite as insane after all.

David Murray, who has a background in theatre and film, will be playing Destro. Check out his IMDb profile to learn more about him. I think this may work out; he played the guy in Batman Begins who asks, "Where are you?!" And Batman's behind him, upside down, saying, "Here."

I am feeling a little better about this. Let's hope it's more in line with the first Mummy movie (1999) vs. Van Helsing, both by Sommers.

Source: Superhero Hype! (here and here). Hat tip to Scott M.

Duke In G.I. Joe Cast

Duke in the G.I. Joe movie has been cast, and they went with Channing Tatum, who is 27 years old. Personally, I think they should've gone with someone older, like Bruce Willis, as I mentioned in my previous post (near the bottom). Heck, I'd have been okay with Matthew Fox (Lost)!

The movie starts production shortly with Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) directing. This is his first film since the abysmal Van Helsing which came out in 2004.

So, what do you all think?

Source: Ain't It Cool News

Screen Rant Movie News Grab Bag 1-21-08

UPDATE: A Cloverfield monster action figure, for ages 4 and up (say what?!) can be found at HasbroToyShop.com (no picture yet); it ships by the end of September, 2008. Source: ComingSoon.net

With Cloverfield making big bank, it's almost certain there will be a sequel. The box office numbers are monstrous (pun-intended...sorry), hitting $46 million in North America. No one is talking yet, but in the next couple of days, expect a deal to be reached on a sequel, unless Bad Robot decides it's a one-off. And make it original, not "from another camera, same night." Let's see something fresh and new. See Vic's article for his thoughts on a part two.

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) have cut a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP); can a deal with the striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) be close behind? They've been striking for almost three months, and many in Hollywood and around the globe have been out of work. Plus, if the strike goes on, will they really shut down the Oscars?

I'm starting to wonder if a backlash from the public against the writers may happen if the Oscars are cancelled, or put on like the dismal Golden Globes (a press conference, that's all). You see how this could get political? I really hope the DGA deal gets the WGA and AMPTP back to the table to resolve it amicably, and all sides are happy. Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

After the jump, check out the official Star Trek movie website!

Screen Rant Grab Bag 12-19-07

G.I. Joe casting update: More cast members have joined the Stephen Sommers-directed film, including big-time Korean star Byeong-Heon Lee, who will be playing Cobra Commander's bodyguard (and Snake Eyes' brother) Storm Shadow. Scarlett O'Hara will be played by upcoming star Rachel Nichols. They join Sienna Miller (as the female lead) and Ray Park (Darth Maul, who plays Snake Eyes). The film is scheduled to open in 2009. Source: Latino Review.

USA Network cancels The Dead Zone and The 4400: Fans were disappointed to learn both The Dead Zone and The 4400 were canceled today, and the final episodes were aired in September. Looks like any dangling plot lines won't be worked out, unless fans can rally to save the shows, a la Jericho! Source: Ain't It Cool News.

Justice League Movie Update

I've read some rumors from trusted sources online that the JLA movie will be called Justice League instead of Justice League of America. I think Nikki Finke's tongue-in-cheek reaction said it best:

"[N]o doubt its proper name Justice League Of America would be too jingoistic for the foreign market."

Why do studios keep doing this? I have commented that a Captain America movie may end up being called Captain UN or Captain International to remain politically correct. And don't forget, G.I. Joe won't be a "real American hero" anymore, instead a real "international hero." Sigh...

In related news, JLA, er, JL is rumored to only feature four superheroes, according to Finke. Why not all seven?!

G.I. Joe: A Real (International?) Hero

I was reading up on the latest, apparently official G.I. Joe news, and I can't help but feel bummed out. According to Paramount, because of the so-called current "political climate", G.I. Joe will effectively be a United Nations-style organization called "Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity" (Do ya get it? Cool, huh?).

According to an article at the movie news site Ain't It Cool News, the studio and producers want to reach a wider, international audience (okay), but apparently aren't sure a movie about American soldiers will fly.

That's right, the producers are afraid that characters that have been an American staple for many, many decades and touched the lives of children of many generations (including my father and myself) will offend everyone outside (and probably, in their minds, inside) America. And thus, they begin destroying one of the most iconic fictional characters in American history.

G.I. Joe Casting Rumor Tidbits

Just a quick post about some casting rumors I've heard lately. Two possible candidates for the live action Stephen Sommers-directed G.I. Joe adaptation are...

Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) and his The Italian Job cohort, rising action star Jason Statham (also in War, The Transporter films). I haven't heard much else, and found out about this in a recent Entertainment Weekly interview with Statham.

Good Grief, Is Sommers Back On G.I. Joe Again?

So, now Harry at AICN is saying that Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Deep Rising) is back on G.I. Joe after all. Heck, I Googled G.I. Joe and saw more news reports of this. The rumors of him leaving are based on the fact that the script for the film is bad, not financial reasons.

So, why the rush to get this into production? It's probably for the same reason we're seeing Thor, JLA, and other films rushing to go before cameras recently...

Discharged: Sommers Off G.I. Joe?!

According to Mania.com, Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) has already been asked to leave the film.

So what happened? Creative differences? Fan uproar? What??

Simple: money.

Apparently, Sommers wanted $10 million to direct (not sure if he was scripting as well), which is a lot of money considering Van Helsing had a lukewarm reception. Obviously the studio shot that down, and now are looking for a new director.

Yo, Joe? The Mummy's Director Helming G.I. Joe?

Director Stephen Sommers, whose last film was Van Helsing, may be directing the big screen adaptation of G.I. Joe, says IESB.net.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Sommer's The Mummy and, believe it or not Deep Rising, were fun rides, but The Mummy Returns and Van Helsing were a bit overbloated with story and CGI effects.