Longtime fan of the G.I. Joe property, El Mayimbe from Latino Review reports that Paramount may have possibly narrowed down the list of potential G.I. Joe sequel directors to three names. I will admit, all three names mean nothing to me, but some of their work does.
On this list are Jaume Collet-Serra, F Gary Gray, and Jon Chu. While none of them are really household names, Collet-Serra has helmed some financial successes including House of Wax, Orphan, and the upcoming Unkown with Liam Neeson is already showing some promise. F Gary Gray seems to be the best name on the list, having a great action film resume, including The Italian Job, The Negotiator, and Law Abiding Citizen.
And then there’s Chu. Jon Chu’s most notable films to date are Step Up 3D and Justin Bieber, Never Say Never.
No, I’m not kidding.
Hey, I know I’m a big fanboy and everything, but if Chu somehow ends up directing the G.I. Joe Sequel, I think that just might push me off the bus. We’ll see. These are all rumors for now, take it for what its worth. El Mayimbe does have his finger on the pulse.
I doubt it would push you off the bus… Maybe the Chu choo train, but notthe bus.
Anyone here who is a Judge Dredd fan will get exactly what im about to say….
that new Dredd film with Karl Urban? well, with every pic they reveal, it brings into focus that Stallone’s version may not be as bad as its perceieved to be.
they hire this “never say never” director and Joe fans may start seeing Stephen Sommers in a whole new light.
not saying this Chu cant direct a good movie…but, this is NOT the movie we’d like to see him try and prove himself on.
Good one, Todd!
I think that this is more of a case of “who can we get for cheap?” vs. “Who is the best possible director?” Paramount isn’t going to invest a lot of $$ in the Joe sequel after the performance of the last film. According to IMDB.com: (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gijoe.htm)
Production Budget: $175 million
Domestic Gross: $150,201,498
Foreign Gross: $152,267,519
Yes, it made money but only due to the foreign markets. In the US, the film ran a deficit of $25 million dollars. For a sequel, the studio is going to be concerned with maximizing any potential profit and minimizing risk. This means a “leaner tighter” production– which means lowering costs. Granted, I can’t say that I blame them but one way to cut costs is to bring in a less-experienced director and cheaper cast. While the cast in the first wasn’t big– with Dennis Quaid being the headliner, Stephen Sommers (despite what folks may think) has been reasonably successful as a director. Films of his like “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns” proved to be rather profitable. Both of those more than made their production budget back with the domestic gross alone, meaning that the foreign gross was pure gravy. However, Van Helsing proved not to be such a hit and, as a result, Sommers faded away for a few years with Rise of Cobra marking his first Hollywood-directed film in 5 years. The point is, as much as I hate to admit this, Paramount is most likely to go with the cheapest least-experienced director on that list– someone who is very much watching their status with the studio and will deliver a formulaic film on time and under budget.
Personally, I still think that Hasbro should just wait a few years and reboot the film franchise. RoC was popcorn fluff- fun but ultimately empty of any real substance. (Okay, Joseph Gordon Levitt’s performance aside– he was the shining jewel in the film.) Just putting out a sequel to put out a sequel could lead us with another “Revenge of the Fallen” situation– a sequel that actually does more to damage the potential franchise than help it. (I know a great many people who aren’t going to go see Transformers 3 this summer based upon their experiences with Transformers 2.) G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra didn’t do much to endear the franchise with the film-going masses and did nothing to raise the perceptions of the brand up from years of mishandled media presentations. Unless a good director who treats the franchise and the film with respect (and not as high camp) is chosen, I doubt we’ll see G.I. Joe 3.
My personal hope would be to bring in someone with a reputation for salvaging franchises. I’m open for suggestions as to whom as the only names that springs to mind right now are Robert Rodriguez and the team that worked on “Predators.”
Is Step-Up 3D the one with Tatum? No, wait. Never mind. I do NOT need that knowledge in my brain.
In the sequel Cobra is a rival dance crew.
Maybe Chu didn’t really catch what the movie was about, he just heard Joes and Cobra and thought that it would be a great for the next Step Up, regular Joes versus the Cobra gang, lead by that shifty Zatan fellow.
Just imagine the action figures we’d get!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wave 1 Snake Eyes with “Turbo Dance” moves!!!!
Wave 2 Zartan with “Spin-o-rama” move!!!!!!
Wave 3 Cobra Commander with patented “Bee-bobbin'” maneuver!!!!!!
Regular Joes vs the Cobra gang?…………sounds familiar!
Major number from GI Joe 2 Electric Eel Bugaloo…
as performed by Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans…
——————–
“When you’re a Joe,
You’re a Joe all the way
From your first laser rifle
To your last dyin’ day.
When you’re a Joe,
If the spit hits the fan,
You got brothers around,
You’re a family man!
You’re never alone,
You’re never disconnected!
You’re home with your own:
When company’s expected,
You’re well protected!
Then you are set
With a capital J,
Which you’ll never forget
Till they cart you away.
When you’re a Joe,
You stay a Joe!
Yoooooooo JOOOOOOE!!!!”
Ever since the first word that the writers and the director for the sequel would be changed, I wondered, did someone involved realize that they could’ve done much better with the the film. Maybe they had hoped for Transformers-level popularity or maybe, shockingly, someone paid attention to the bad reviews. I know some fans liked this movie, but I had a very hard time just not hating it. The property has so much potential. And who knows? Maybe if Captain America turns out to be a big hit, they won’t be as reluctant to make it obvious G.I. Joe is an American property.
I think if they had been happy with the first one, a sequel would have been hurried along like the relatively quick TF sequels. I think they could improve the series without a full-on reboot if the right people get their hands on it.
LOL @ Justin Bieber film’s director. Couldn’t get any worse than casting the 3rd Rock kid as THE Cobra Commander.