With a release date a little more than 2 months away, Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe Origins is the next reboot of the Hasbro G.I. Joe movie series (after 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation), intended to be part of a shared universe of features based on Hasbro properties including a host of familiar characters and toys, all coming to the big screen: G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, ROM: Spaceknight, and Micronauts. Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe: Origins will star Henry Golding (The Gentlemen) as Snake Eyes, Andrew Koji (Fast & Furious 6) as Storm Shadow, Samara Weaving (Ready Or Not) as Scarlett, Úrsula Corberó (The Broken Crown) as Baroness, and Iko Uwais (Wu Assassins) as Hard Master. Paramount released the official movie poster plus first looks at Snake Eyes, Baroness, Scarlett, and more. Check out images from the movie below.
With a tentative release date in October 2021, Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe Origins is a reboot of the Hasbro G.I. Joe movie series (including 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of COBRA and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation), intended to be part of a shared universe of features based on Hasbro properties including a host of familiar characters and toys, all coming to the big screen: G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, ROM: Spaceknight, and Micronauts. Snake Eyes–G.I. Joe: Origins will star Henry Golding (The Gentlemen) as Snake Eyes, Andrew Koji (Fast & Furious 6) as Storm Shadow, Samara Weaving (Ready Or Not) as Scarlett, Úrsula Corberó (The Broken Crown) as Baroness, and Iko Uwais (Wu Assassins) as Hard Master. While we’re waiting for the next movie, a new one-shot story from IDW Publishing called G.I. Joe: Castle Fall continues with characters drawn to conjure the casting of G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Half animated film come to life, half martial arts movie, in G.I. Joe: Retaliation look for one of the best action sequences ever to hit the big screen. Darker and more grounded in the realities of today’s terrorism themed movies as opposed to the days of action war pictures centered on the Cold War, the sequel to G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra is only slightly less fun than the first live-action look at the action figure-turned-animated show and comic book-turned-action figure again franchise. Whereas Rise of Cobra was steeped in toy references and faithful action figure costume re-creations, Retaliation has a plot that could have been pulled from the 1980s animated series.
After a disaster caused by a conspiracy between Zartan and the evil shadow organization called Cobra wipes out literally every active G.I. Joe but three, it’s up to new top ranking officer Roadblock, played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to lead the charge to unravel the conspiracy and save the world. He’s joined in a superbly created, fast-thinking survival maneuver by Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki), who must then find their way out of a deep water well. Despite being developed characters from G.I. Joe incarnations past, Flint comes off a bit like Hawkeye in The Avengers and Lady Jaye as the token female Joe in an era you’d think would be long past relying on jokes about women in the service. Still, they both make the best of it and the trio, along with Duke (Channing Tatum), the squad leader of the Joes in Rise of Cobra, they share some good chemistry and laugh out loud moments in the film. If there is any fault in Retaliation it is why the producers thought the plot required eliminating such a pantheon of other great Joe characters who were featured in Rise of Cobra, like Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Baroness (Sierra Miller), Ripcord (Marlon Wayans), Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), or General Hawk (Dennis Quaid). It’s also a bit disappointing Bruce Willis’s General Joe Colton didn’t have a few more scenes. Willis, transitioning from action role to the wise general role, steals every scene and a partnership with Dwayne Johnson in another film, G.I. Joe or not, would be a fun thing to see.
The movie studios are releasing multiple trailers for coming attractions these days and this week we’re featuring four new previews from movies that already released previews that we’ve featured here at borg.com.
First up is for our pick as the most awaited movie this year. We’ve seen a few trailers already but beginning this week–finally–is the sequel to 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, G.I. Joe: Retaliation with Bruce Willis as Joe Colton, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Ray Park. We could watch this newest preview featuring Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes over and over. Is this some new kind of parkour?
G.I. Joe: Retaliation begins this Thursday, March 28, 2013.
Next up is a flick we’ve seen previewed over and over–Iron Man 3. It has a fun new movie poster, too (above). The international preview is pretty long as previews go and reveals more footage of Ben Kingsley’s villain Mandarin than previously released. Compared to the first Iron Man film and Robert Downey, Jr.’s role as Tony Stark in The Avengers, Iron Man 2 was a pretty weak entry in the Marvel superhero universe. So our expectations are in check. But this sequel is expected to unveil nearly every version of the Iron Man armor from the Marvel Comics archive, so this could be a lot of fun. Here’s one of two new previews:
Iron Men drones? Where can we get one? Here’s the shorter TV ad also just released:
Kansas City’s Planet Comicon announced today that actor and stuntman Ray Park will be one of the headliners of this year’s event April 6-7, 2013 at the Kansas City Convention Center downtown at Bartle Hall. In his short career as actor he has amassed some key, iconic roles across major franchises. And because some of his roles are behind a mask or make-up you might not recognize him at first. But when he moves and performs has trademark wushu spin you just know this Glasgow, Scotland-born second degree black belt martial artist is behind the performance. He’s been a lead contender to play Iron Fist in a future Marvel Comics project and on March 28, 2013 he will reprise his role as Snake Eyes in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Let’s check out his major acting and stunt roles so far.
If there is a constant as we look ahead to movie franchises and other entertainment properties in 2013, it is the sequel, spin-off, and remake. We’re sure someone will provide new content and stories for us for movies and TV from entirely new characters and worlds in 2013, but just take a look at the 24 biggest genre movies coming out next year and it is obvious that Hollywood is following the “tried and true” model of investing in current properties rather than investing money in “the new”.
So with that in mind, what are the big characters to watch out for next year–the characters we already know that seem like they can only get bigger?
10. Jack Ryan. Back in the 1980s and 1990s it seemed like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan was everywhere, first with Alec Baldwin taking on the role in The Hunt for Red October, then mega-star Harrison Ford in two sequels, followed by a big break and then Ben Affleck in the prequel Sum of All Fears. With Star Trek star Chris Pine bringing us yet another prequel effort next December, we think a wide audience will come back again to see what this CIA agent has been up to.
9. Wolverine. I’ve always thought Wolverine should be Marvel Comics’ key property. Spider-man always relied on Peter Parker (well, until recently) who seemed pretty planted in the psyche of the past. The Avengers seemed too cartoony with characters with too little in common to really be a huge property (happily I was wrong!). But Wolverine has a certain modern grittiness that readers, especially young readers, would seem to really attach to. Audiences seem to like Hugh Jackman’s take on the character and his incredible fifth outing as Logan/Wolverine in July, titled The Wolverine should tell us if this will be the end of a big-screen Wolverine for a while or whether he will only get bigger.
IDW Publishing announced this week it will be re-launching its G.I. Joe comic book series with a new creative team and a new focus–G.I. Joe’s cover is blown, and they must now deal with the aftermath, along with a COBRA invasion on U.S. soil.
Written by Fred Van Lente (The Comic Book History of Comics, The Incredible Hercules) with art by Steve Kurth (Ultimate Iron Man, Avengers Vs. X-Men: Consequences), the all-new G.I. Joe series promises to be a turning point for the ongoing adventures and a jumping-on point for new readers. Several alternate covers will also be offered with the release of the new #1 issue, slated for release in comic book stores on February 13, 2013.
Whether you’re into sci-fi, fantasy, super-heroes, or spies, 2012 is gearing up to be a good year for genre movie releases. What’s our top 10 most eagerly awaited genre films? Here’s a countdown to the one film we can hardly wait to see:
10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.* Already in limited release at the tail end of 2011, this spy movie, a remake of the 1974 film based on the novel by John LeCarre, couldn’t have more promise for its all-star cast of Britain’s best: Last year’s Oscar winner for Best Actor, Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Pride and Prejudice, The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love) Gary Oldman (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Harry Potter series, The Fifth Element) Ciaran Hinds (The Woman in Black, Phantom of the Opera, Road to Perdition, Sum of All Fears), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Green Lantern), John Hurt (V for Vendetta, Hellboy, Harry Potter series, Skeleton Key, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, The Elephant Man, Rob Roy, Contact), and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Amazing Grace, The Hobbit).
9. The Dark Knight Rises. Rounding out the latest trilogy of Batman movies, this one hints at the death of Batman in the trailer and advance posters. It’s Batman, so we’re going to see this one, but the franchise is getting a bit stale. If not for Gary Oldman’s perfect performances in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight as Commissioner Gordon, this one might not make the top 10 list. Then again, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman is reason enough to see this one. What we really want for Batman? A film version of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.
8. Men in Black III. Although we liked him most recently as a codger of an officer in Captain America: The First Avenger, Tommy Lee Jones’s roles seem to be pretty similar. We were surprised at how good the trailer for the new Men in Black movie looks, even with Jones reprising the role he has played twice. For Jones and Will Smith to reprise their roles yet again, but with a trip to the past for Smith’s Agent J, this may be the first time we like a genre prequel.
7. Total Recall. When there are so many Philip K. Dick stories to adapt for the big screen, it’s a little strange that someone would opt to redo the short story “We Can Remember it for You Wholesale,” when it seems like the original came out only yesterday. Still, if it’s anything like Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, and early production photos seem to indicate that to be the case, we may have a really stylistic view of the future coming soon.
6. G.I. Joe: Retaliation. It was easy for viewers to laugh off the first G.I. Joe live action movie, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, but we think the movie was a blast, handling both the comic book and animated series universe, the classic story of the original 12-inch Joe action figures, and the small-sized action figures. With the new trailer just released for G.I. Joe: Retaliation, we’re just as excited to see our two favorite tough guys, Dwayne (formerly The Rock) Johnson, and Bruce Willis taking on the G.I. Joe mantle, with Willis as the original Joe Colton.
5. The Avengers. After years of DC Comics movies outdoing their Marvel Comics counterparts, last year the pendulum finally swung in favor of Marvel, with the super Captain America: The First Avenger film matching the first Iron Man in quality. Finally bringing them together with Thor and The Hulk is way overdue. But the character we really can’t wait to see more of is Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury.
4. Brave. Animated movies tend to showcase female characters as cutesy, dressed in pink, damsels being rescued, usually, by some dim-witted guy. It’s about time we have an animated film about a gal with a mind of her own, wielding her own sword. And the fact that she is performed by Kelly McDonald and her cool Scottish accent makes us want to see this film that much more.
3. Skyfall. We haven’t seen a trailer for this one yet. Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale was a contender for best-ever James Bond film, but the follow-up Quantum of Solace didn’t really deliver the punch we all wanted. Whatever this new film will be about, we don’t care, as we love Bond and at the end of each movie when we see “James Bond will return” it just starts the waiting again.
2. The Woman in Black. In part because we just want to see what both Harry Potter and Daniel Radcliffe do following the end of the Potter series, in part because we love a good ghost story, and in part because this trailer may be the best one released this year, we can hardly wait to see The Woman in Black. Eerie, cool with Radcliffe playing an adult role, we hope this will be as good as it looks.
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Not since the original Star Wars trilogy had we seen a more significant fantasy series than Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings series. The original story from Middle Earth has been read and loved more than any of Tolkien’s works, and for it finally to hit the screen is not only a miracle because of production issues, we’re lucky all the original cast members from the Lord of the Rings series are still around and interested in reprising their roles from the Oscar winning series for Best Picture and a roster of other awards. Although the first trailer released wasn’t all that exciting, since Peter Jackson is in charge again, we’re certain this film will deliver as promised.
Based on trailers and early release photos, we’ll also keep an eye out for the following genre films, although, as noted here previously, we think some of the trailers make us want to avoid a few of these instead of get excited to see them: Prometheus, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, The Amazing Spider-man, The Hunger Games, and Man of Steel.
*Update: Don’t miss our January 8, 2012, opening weekend review.
Bruce Willis as General Joe Colton, founder of team G.I. Joe? That’s just what the franchise needs to re-ignite interest as we approach the 50th anniversary of the guy that launched the modern action figure.
G.I. Joe has gone through several incarnations since “America’s movable fighting man” was released as a 12-inch action figure by Hasbro in 1964. He started out as one of four U.S. Service soldiers. In 1970 with the Vietnam War all over television Hasbro switched gears to Joe as member of the Adventure Team, when the action figure also got “life-like” hair. (Personally, I had the army soldier with the brown beard and later added the dark-haired soldier without the beard). Here are 12-inch Joes landing at Comic-Con this year:
In 1974 G.I. Joe got the famous kung fu grip to replace the hard plastic, reversed-hand that had served as Hasbro’s trademark (and was actually used to catch international imports of fake Joes). He always had a trademark facial scar, too. Hey, so did Willis in Hart’s War…
In 1975, to compete with the popular 12-inch Six Million Dollar Man action figure, Hasbro introduced Mike Power, the Atomic Man. These two characters duked it out on many occasions in living rooms across the country. The last of the original Joes was released in 1976. In 1982 G.I. Joe would return in 3 3/4 inch action figures, closer in size to the popular Star Wars action figure line, but with knee and elbow joints. In 1985 these little G.I. Joe figures were the top selling American toy. They have been available in varying versions ever since, and between 1991 and 2005 the 12-inch line of figures returned.
Meanwhile between 1980 and 1994 Marvel Comics had a G.I. Joe title that mirrored the action figure line. In 1985 a cartoon series focused on good (G.I. Joe) vs. evil (Cobra) as opposed to true-life war. In the cartoon G.I. Joe became synonymous with an early Seal Team Six type of special forces. This was followed by various animated movies, including many that went direct to video. In 2009 G.I. Joe finally hit the silver screen in the movie G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, a good action movie that didn’t take itself too seriously, had a lot of great action, great writing, and–with a lot of references to the original Joe story and toys–was just all-out fun.
So who is Joe Colton? It wasn’t until the 1980s that the action figures and cartoon characters got their own names, origins, and developed stories. For decades there never was a single action figure or character named Joe, consistent with the historic reference to the G.I.s as G.I. Joes from years past, derived from an earlier comic strip with no relation to the Hasbro line. General Joseph B. Colton did not appear as a named character with the early toy line, or with the animated series, but surfaced with the Marvel Comics comic book series, first with Issue 86. His character is flushed out in later comic book series as the leader of the elite G.I. Joe special forces unit.
Which brings us to the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, titled G.I. Joe: Retaliation. If Retaliation follows the comic book line, Cobra may have some success against General Hawk, the hero of Rise of Cobra, played solidly by a tough-as-nails Dennis Quaid. Which leaves a key role for General Joe Colton. And Bruce Willis is now in discussions to play Colton in Retaliation. I can’t think of anyone better as an action hero in G.I. Joe. Even at 56 who better can face an uphill battle, walking barefoot across broken glass if need be, especially against the likes of the evil Cobra? What more could you want? Maybe a cameo by Arnold Schwartzenegger and Sylvester Stallone? Although it is not yet confirmed that Willis has signed on as Joe, the Internet Movie Database lists Willis as the lead.
Already signed up for G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Channing Tatum will return as Captain Duke Hauser, Ray Park (Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I) as Snake Eyes and Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow. New characters out of past incarnations that will appear include Dwayne Johnson (fka The Rock) as Roadblock, Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye, Joseph Mazzello (the little kid in Jurassic Park!) as Mouse, Arnold Vosloo (Imhotep from The Mummy) as Zartan, Elodie Yung as Jinx, and as D.J. Cotrona as Flint. But no Scarlett or Baroness??? While you go back to watch Rise of Cobra, in case you haven’t seen it yet, try counting the classic nostalgic catchphrases, like “you have kung fu grip” and “you’re a real American hero.”
Other reasons why Bruce Willis is made for a G.I. Joe role? He’s already trained for the part:
He’s saved American cities four times as Detective John McClane in the Die Hard movies
He sleuthed out the bad guy as Detective Sergeant Tom Hardy in Striking Distance
Butch Coolidge, son of a war hero who gets his watch back, in Pulp Fiction
He saved the whole planet as Korben Dallas in The Fifth Element
He saved the world (again) as driller turned Astronaut Harry Stamper in Armageddon
And he actually played a soldier as Major General William Devereaux in The Siege
and again, as a special ops commander as Lieutenant A.K. Waters in Tears of the Sun
