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Who wanted to star in G.I. Joe, who didn't and why
Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans had very, very different responses when asked to be in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Wayans jumped at the opportunity, but Tatum wasn't quite so sure.
In the end, both Tatum and Wayans signed on for the movie, an action-adventure film set in the near future and, of course, based on Hasbro's iconic G.I. Joe toy line, animated television show and comic-book series. An origin film, the movie finds Duke (Tatum) and Ripcord (Wayans) joining the elite G.I. Joe military team—Gen. Hawk (Dennis Quaid), Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park), etc.—as they take on the Cobra villains, who include Ana/the Baroness (Sienna Miller), Storm Shadow (Byung Hun Lee) and James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston). (The movie opens Friday.)
"'I'm in. I want in,' that's exactly what I said," Wayans said in a joint interview with Tatum in New York over the weekend. "I was like, 'I want in. I don't care who I play. If I've got to play Scarlett, I want in.'"
Tatum wasn't so gung-ho. "I was a little apprehensive," he said. "I had just done a dramatic soldier film, and I just wasn't sure if doing a fantasy war movie in a time of war was exactly right. So I was feeling all patriotic and whatnot, but then when they sent me the script, it was nothing more than ... It's X-Men, and it's Star Wars, and it is an absolute fantasy film. And I wanted to be involved in that."
Both actors said they liked the characters on the page and sought the chance to expand on them during the shoot. Duke is an old hand at combat, and he sees in the G.I. Joe team a path to fighting the good fight at an even higher level. Ripcord is Duke's longtime pal, a weapons specialist and expert marksman who aspires to joining the Air Force, at least until he becomes a Joe and sets his romantic sights on Scarlett.
"What was great was, initially, Ripcord was written for a white guy," Wayans said. "I was like, 'That's tough. I played a white woman. I guess I could play a white guy.' But for me it's about the attributes of the character and not so much the color of the character. Even though he might have freckles, I don't have them, but I could play handsome, charismatic, funny and athletic. So the key was just to go through the regimen of a soldier so that I could be believable as the character, and also the approach was not to be too funny, just try and pepper it on, be fun, not funny."
"Duke is like an icon," Tatum said. "So it was even a little ... It was daunting to think of myself as Duke. It was just one of those things where it's the ultimate make-believe game. You get to play one of your heroes. Who wouldn't want to do that?"
By YapEWahu at 11:51 AM ON 08/04/09
Could this piece have been any more fluffy? It's so thin I can almost see thru it.
By smegforbrain at 2:43 PM ON 08/04/09
Considering that Paramount has decided against screening the film for critics, we're going to see all kinds of fluff this week as Paramount prays for good box office returns.
The more I see and hear, the more I cringe.
By Methos at 2:58 PM ON 08/04/09
I just read an interview where Sienna Miller said the movie was a big piece pf crap. Check it out here. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/aug/03/sienna-miller-decca-aitkenhead
By Debt Relief at 3:22 PM ON 08/04/09
This looks like a great movie! But I don't like Sienna Millers attitude.
By SCI FI Wire at 3:24 PM ON 08/04/09
@smegforbrain: Not sure where you got your information that Paramount's not screening the film, but it's not true. They've screened it several times and reviews are all over the Web, including on SCI FI Wire: http://scifiwire.com/2009/07/review-gi-joe-the-rise-of.php
By TurtleBurger at 3:29 PM ON 08/04/09
It may be bad or not but an actress saying its a peice of crap is funny coming from someone who is in a lot of crap.
By Spaceman Spiff at 4:09 PM ON 08/04/09
You know it's really sad not to be proud of the work you do. I mean this is her life her time! She can never get it back. Is she going to look back on her life when she's old and say. All my movies are crap! She should put up or shut up.
You don't like these kind of movies? Then don't make them stupid! God I hate hypocrits.
This movie is being ripped apart by critics so means it must be pretty damn good! I'm there.
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By Jerumie at 4:22 PM ON 08/04/09
Methos... did you actually read the article or just the headline? she says its not they type of movie she enjoys watching... meaning big budget action films. She states that it was fun to make and in another interview says that she has seen the movie and liked it.
By smegforbrain at 5:00 PM ON 08/04/09
"They've screened it several times and reviews are all over the Web,"
Yeah, general screenings are being done... but not for the real critics in the media. The folks who, unlike Sci-Fi Wire, are less likely to give the thumbs up that Paramount wants.
The studios are afraid of what the critics think when they do nothing but pump out crap like Wolverine and Transformers 2, rather than do the right thing and make better films.
By SCI FI Wire at 5:21 PM ON 08/04/09
@smegforbrain: Again, not true. They've screened it primarily for critics, and the reviews have been generally positive, and not just from us: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gi_joe/?name_order=asc
By TageRyche at 5:56 PM ON 08/04/09
Wait, Duke is going to go after Scarlett?
And ruin one of the better comic book romances ever?
BAH!
By parrothead0333 at 10:25 PM ON 08/04/09
I wouldn't listen to a single thing Sienna Miller says about anything. She is not a good actress and if not for her mother running Lee Strasberg's acting academy she would probably not have been in any movies at all. Stick with the modeling.
By ray e at 3:03 AM ON 08/05/09
um who cares critics arent always right to be honest
i think this movie will be ok however
By MCP-001 at 11:27 AM ON 08/05/09
I'm a little skeptical from what I've seen so far.
Aside from the one actor tripping in a "multi-million dollar" battle suit and someone taking out the Eiffel Tower, I'm not seeing a lot that would get my attention.
I'm not relegating it to coaster status just yet, but there better be a lot more for this to make any money.
By smegforbrain at 12:10 PM ON 08/05/09
"Again, not true."
Still true: Respected and credible critical outlet you are not.
Many people might not like what the real critics have to say, but the real critics are the ones who get their names and comments attached to the TV spots.
By Vikes4ever at 12:10 PM ON 08/05/09
@ YapEWahu and anyone else that bitches about articles on this site.......What exactly are you expecting from articles on SyFy Wire? It isn't the New Yorker for pete's sake. Every article on this site has someone bitching about how thin the article is or that the writer is a hack, etc. Quit the complaining already and give them a break. The writers are just trying to do their job. It's an article about a GI Joe movie, not universal health care.
By Wyngarde at 2:39 AM ON 11/16/09
I swear Paramount has bought all these type of websites. We all know this is terrible casting. But these sites keep saying how great they are.
Visit mobile.syfy.com/wire on your mobile device.
Wyngarde:
I swear Paramount has bought all these type of websites. We all know this is terrible casting. But these sites keep...More »