CinemaBlend rounds up some quotes that makes it look like we may be subjected to more GI Joe.   Paramount’s Rob Mooore confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that a sequel will soon go into development.

Now, I’ve written my review and I’m not one to just constantly harp on things, but I thought “Joe” missed out on a lot of what made “G.I. Joe” cool.  With the so-called origins out of the way, might we see a better second film?  I’ve been watching the cartoons lately (look for a review soon), and while they are goofy, they work for me better than the film.   And I have the same opinion, or better, of the comics, which worked at a level far beyond what any toy-based comic-book had any business doing.

I understand “G.I. Joe” comic-book writer Larry Hama consulted on this film — and maybe the bits I liked were his — but maybe he’ll get a chance to do even more if a second film comes through.  I’ll hope so, because I like to be optimistic.  But a quote from Hero Complex doesn’t make me feel any better about it:

“You can never win with those guys,” Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, producer of both “Transformers” films and “G.I. Joe,” said of the San Diego convention. “They feel they’re the keepers of the fanboys flag and have a deep childhood association with many of these properties. And we know the hard-core fans are already coming to see the movie.”

However, from the same Hero Complex link, we do find out one thing Hama made happen in the film that’s out now: He was able to make sure that Snake Eyes doesn’t talk.

- Matt Price

GI Joe members Duke (Channing Tatum, left) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans, right) in “G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra.” (Paramount Pictures)

Director Stephen Sommers (”Van Helsing”) brings the military action heroes GI Joe to film with “GI Joe: Rise of Cobra.”
The movie is loosely based on the Real American Hero action figure line, introduced in 1983. Perhaps with worldwide box office in mind, the Joes no longer represent just the American military, but are a secret NATO organization headquartered in Egypt.
As the film begins, Army buddies Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) are part of a team tasked to transport a new type of weapon created by the company Mars.  Mars is run by James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston), a Scottish weaponsmaker.   But the convoy is attacked by high-tech forces led by The Baroness (Sienna Miller), who also happens to be Duke’s ex-girlfriend.
Things look bad for the good guys, until they are bailed out by the Alpha team of the elite military unit GI Joe.  This group includes ninja Snake Eyes (Ray Park), science genius Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), heavily armed Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and tech expert Breaker (Said Taghmaoui).  The Joes are led by General Hawk (Dennis Quaid), who OKs the addition of Duke and Ripcord to the team. But first they have to undergo training — which of course means a montage.
Then the Joes are off to recover the weapons, which feature nanomites, tiny metal-eating robots.  Along the way, flashbacks attempt to explain the connections between the characters, including Snake Eyes and McCullen crony Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee). But unfortunately, the characters never gain much depth.  Essentially, they appear to be action figures moving through the plot as more and more things explode.
The toy line GI Joe: A Real American Hero spawned an animated program and comic-book series in the 1980s.  Both made more sense than “Rise of Cobra.”
But for the first half, the pace moves quickly and the action is pretty good.  By the last hour, though, it’s started to wear thin, and the film’s undersea sequence goes on far too long.

- Matthew Price

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra
PG-13 /1:58 /2 stars
Starring: Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Christopher Eccleston, Sienna Miller, Dennis Quaid
(Strong sequences of action violence and mayhem throughout)

Rachel Nichols as Scarlett in GI Joe: Rise of Cobra

Ticket sales site Fandango.com reports that as of this morning, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra makes up 39 percent of the advance ticket sales on the site.

G.I. Joe may be spurred on Fandango by a promo that saves ticket buyers $5 on the tie-in Electronic Arts video game.

Julie and Julia, starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep, also opens Friday, and was selling the second-most tickets at Fandango as of 9 a.m. Pacific time.

- Matt Price

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra leads ticket sales at Fandango.com as of 9 a.m. Pacific time this morning with 24% of ticket sales at the site.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is hanging on at second with 13 percent.   The top 5 is rounded out by Funny People (10 percent), Julie and Julia (7 percent) and the Ugly Truth (4 percent).

- Matt Price

The military display at Pauls Valley's Action Figure Museum, shown here, will get a companion in a display dedicated to GI Joe: A Real American Hero.

Check out this link to see Time magazine’s write up as the Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley as a one of “50 Authentic American Experiences.”

Time writes: “The Toy & Action Figure Museum opened in 2005, and it has displays dedicated to all kinds of colorful plastic through history, including G.I. Joe, Transformers and other properties that Hollywood has unwisely decided to make into movies this year. Visitors will also find exhibits honoring local cartoonists, including Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould.”

If you have a chance, pop by the museum this weekend to see the debut of its latest exhibit, a room dedicated to the “GI Joe: Real American Hero” toy line.

The Toy & Action Figure Museum is located at 111 S. Chickasaw in Pauls Valley. General Admission is $6.

- Matt Price

New clip from G.I. Joe showing Baroness and company taking down the Eiffel Tower in order to … steal something, I guess. This movie still seems pretty aggressively goofy. I admit, at age 7 I was a pretty huge G.I. Joe fan. Not sure whether in 2009, it’s going to be able to do much for me. Then again, if there’s enough ninjas and explosions, I’ll at least have to give it a try.

- Matt Price

Kyle Roberts and Matt Price talk about the comic-book background of the Hasbro toy property, G.I. Joe, which comes to movie theaters this summer.

Game developer EA has announced the company is working on “G.I. Joe” games for all major console and handheld systems, tying into the release of this summer’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” film.

A sneak peek of the game will be shown at Toy Fair next week in New York City.

The G.I. JOE video game picks up where the live-action movie leaves off, according to the release, and will feature 12 Joe characters.

The full release is after the break.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., February 11, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that development is underway to bring Hasbro’s legendary G.I. JOE® brand to all major console and handheld gaming platforms in summer 2009 to coincide with the theatrical release of the G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA live-action movie from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, which opens in theaters August 7, 2009. EA will unveil a “first look” of the G.I. JOE® video game at Hasbro’s Showroom at Toy Fair on February 15-17, 2009 in New York City.

“As Hasbro and Paramount Pictures reignite the G.I. JOE® property this year with an all-new toy line and film, EA is excited to play a major role in bringing this icon of pop culture history to a new generation of enthusiasts through interactive gaming,” said Chip Lange, General Manager and Vice President of EA Hasbro. “G.I. JOE® offers exceptionally rich storylines and a cast of characters that lends itself incredibly well to creating an over-the-top action adventure video game that will thrill gamers as well as G.I. JOE® fans.”

For fans of all ages, 2009 is gearing up to become another watershed milestone in the timeless franchise by introducing even more new ways to engage, immerse and play within the G.I. JOE® universe. The G.I. JOE® video game will feature an exclusive storyline that picks up where the live-action movie leaves off, allowing players to re-create and re-live the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action figure toy line. The game will feature 12 G.I. JOE® characters, each with unique abilities and weapons. Adding to the adrenaline rush will be an intense single-screen co-op mode allowing two players to easily unite as a team in a classic struggle between good and evil as they work together to defeat the powers of the COBRA organization. The G.I. JOE® video game is under development for Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Wii^TM, PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), Nintendo DS^TM, and mobile devices.

“G.I. JOE® has been an icon of action for 45 years,” said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Gaming and Media at Hasbro. “EA has tapped the legacy of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga to create an amazing interactive experience inspired by the movie, comic books, animated series and iconography that we hope will resonate with millions of fans.”

For more than four decades, G.I. JOE® has been one of the premiere brands in the history of boys’ toys. Originating the term “action figure” in 1964, Hasbro’s G.I. JOE® brand ushered in a new play pattern that forever changed the scope of the toy industry. The G.I. JOE® brand made another revolutionary introduction in 1984 with the release of the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA toy line, which introduced a generation of boys to the heroic G.I. JOE® forces, led by Duke, and their epic struggle to defeat the evil COBRA organization. The G.I. JOE vs. COBRA saga featured a diverse cast of characters – both good and evil – that became a part of pop culture through Hasbro’s toy line, an animated television series and best-selling comic book franchise.

For more information about the G.I. JOE® video game and to sign up for updates, visit gijoe.ea.com

update: Here it is embeddable from YouTube:

– Matt Price

From the release:

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (May 29, 2008) ” Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) has reached an agreement with IDW Publishing, creators of the best-selling TRANSFORMERS comic book series, to launch an all-new line of G.I. JOE vs. COBRA comic books. As part of the agreement, IDW will produce a new monthly comic series, as well as deluxe reprints of the G.I. JOE property’s vast comic library, which helped catapult the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA phenomenon more than 25 years ago. IDW also has the rights for trade paperbacks and graphic novels.

The first products from this deal, a new monthly comic book series based on classic G.I. JOE vs. COBRA lore, will be launched with an introductory debut issue in October 2008. Featuring all-new storylines, the comics will portray the epic struggle of the G.I. JOE team against the evil forces of COBRA, while highlighting the brand’s favorite heroes and villains that made kids of the ‘80s today’s fans.

What does this mean? Well, probably a hit in market share for Devil’s Due, who revived the G.I. Joe series in 2001.  Possibly/probably a change in continuity in the official Joe stories.  IDW does really nice work on licensed comics, but “Joe” was always clearly a labor of love for the Devil’s Due guys.  I hope that Larry Hama can get involved in the property in some way, as he has off and on for Devil’s Due.

– Matt Price

The previously announced G.I. Joe exclusive for San Diego is Cobra Commander in a suit and tie, standing behind a podium.

– Matt Price

In addition to this picture of The Baroness, Comics2Film has pictures of Duke, Hawk, Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Storm Shadow, Breaker, Destro and Heavy Duty. “G.I. Joe” is scheduled for an August 2009 release.

– Matt Price

– Matt Price

You should be big time excited. I’m excited and I’m on set. The sets are unbelievable! The costumes, the wardrobe, the look is unbelievable and it’s such a nice, fun set to be on. I mean, I’m lucky – I’m playing Snake Eyes! I get to live out [the character] that I’ve been playing since I was a kid and now I get to actually be Snake Eyes! It’s just bizarre. I feel very lucky.