Brendan Fraser and The Rock in GI Joe?
LatinoReview is reporting that Brendan Fraser has filmed a cameo appearance for G.I. Joe. Fraser plays Gung Ho, a Village People-looking soldier from the toyline, during a training sequence in The Pit. If it was anything more than a cameo, I’d seriously question the logic behind this decision, as the actor hardly looks anything like the actor.
Also, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has apparently been offered the role of the Latino Navy SEAL named Shipwreck. And yes, The Rock is Samoan, so this makes perfect sense. But I’ve learned to stop questioning the logic behind this movie long ago…
Both actors have previous ties to filmmaker Stephen Sommers, who directed Frazer in The Mummy and The Rock in The Mummy Returns. So politically it makes sense, even though it doesn’t make sense for the characters or source material. I mean, who cares about the characters or source material anyway?
GI Joe will hit theaters on August 7th 2009.
Dark Sky
What is Dark Sky?
reader Dort Druben sent in the following report:
—-
So working at Culver Studios a few weeks ago I noticed a very ominous sign telling me subconsciously that if I entered through that doorway ninjas would descend upon me ripping my heart out of my chest before I could cross the threshold. Maybe that’s a bit extreme.
But I searched, wondering, what is, “Dark Sky”? The said sign is the attached image from my camera phone. I posed the question to some friends and didn’t think much of it.
Well I was back working at Culver Studios I noticed a truck “Dark Sky Transportation”. Then when driving off the lot after a tiring day I started passing “reserved” parking spaces. One caught my eye. Stephen Sommers. I hit reverse and looked again. DARK SKY: Stephen Sommers. Next to him, Lorenzo di Bonaventura. So there it is. DARK SKY is code for GI JOE. Now I don’t know if that is old news or not. But there it is. I don’t know if they’re shooting at Culver Studios or if its just the production offices. I do know that State of Play is happening at Culver Studios. That tiny lot is getting some big action.
GI Joe: Storm Shadow and Scarlett Cast
Two new bits of GI Joe Casting have just hit the interwebs before the upcoming Holiday week.
IESB is reporting that Korean star Byung-hun Lee has been cast as Storm Shadow (aka Tommy S. Arashikage), Snake-Eye’s (Ray Park) brother and rival. He is the only member of the GI Joe team to switch sides several times.
LatinoReview is reporting that Rachel Nichols (Charlie Wilson’s War, Alias) has been cast as Scarlett O’Hara. Ranked Master Sergeant, red-headed Scarlett is the first female character in the GI Joe action figure line. Her weapon of choice is the crossbow, and her specialty is counter intelligence.
G.I. Joe is scheduled to hit theaters on August 7th 2009.
Marlon Wayans and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Cast in GI Joe
I really want to be excited for Paramount’s big screen Live Action adaptation of G.I. Joe, but Stephen Sommers is doing everything he can to turn off the key fanbase.
First Sienna Miller was cast in the film, a groan inducing announcement heard around the world. Storyline points leaked to the web and caused so much anger among fans that Hasbro had to make a public statement in an attempt to reassure the key fanbase. Then the tide began to turn when we announced exclusively that Ray Park (formerly Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I) had been cast in the role of Snake Eyes. Fans around the world were ecstatic, as Parks was a number one fan favorite for the role. A few more announcements were made, none of which seemed to elicit excitement or disappointment from the fans.
But I have bad and good news for you today. We’ll go with the bad first:
Marlon Wayans has signed on to play Ripcord in the upcoming film. Ripcord, real name Wallace A Weems, is the leader of the military unit and first appeared in February 1985 issue of the comic book series. That’s right, the guy responsible for all the horrible Scary Movie films… The guy whose last few starring roles included Norbit, Little Man, and White Chicks. This can’t be good news for anyone out there besides Wayans and his family. I honestly can not think of a worse person to be cast in this film.
On to the good news: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in negotiations to join the cast. Former childhood comic actor Gordon-Levitt has of recent years made a good name for himself in the indie film arena (Mysterious Skin, Brick, The Lookout).
G.I. Joe starts shooting in Los Angeles next month, and is scheduled to hit theaters on August 7th 2009.
source: Variety