Paramount Pictures invited ComingSoon.net/SuperHeroHype to stop by the Hasbro Showroom and have an early talk with all of them about what fans can expect from the upcoming sequel and what will differentiate it from its predecessor. The plot this time around is that the Joes have been targeted by the President of the United States, once again played by Jonathan Pryce, but as we saw at the end of G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, it’s really Zartan in disguise.
Below, you can watch our brief interviews with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (who plays Roadblock), Chu, Di Bonaventura, and the beautiful Adrianne Palicki (Lady Jaye) along with D.J. Cotrona (Flint).
Dwayne Johnson
We spoke with Johnson about his various action figures that have been made of him and why having an action figure in the new G.I. Joe line is a special honor for him, as well as Roadblock’s fighting style and weapons, using something called “Gun-Kata.” We talked a bit about the training he did specifically for this movie with the Navy Seals, how Bruce Willis really changed the game for the movie, as well as his penchant for revealing things on Twitter. We also offered an idea for a sketch he could do if he ever hosts “Saturday Night Live” again.
Director Jon Chu
We talked to the director best known for his work on the “Step Up” movies and the Justin Bieber concert film on the pitch he gave in order to get the gig and some of the ideas he brought to the table, including some of the “G.I Joe” characters he wanted to see in the movie. We talked a bit about the changes in Cobra Commander, although he remained secretive about who will be providing his voice in the new movie. We discussed the abundance of ninjas and how the “Silent Interlude” comic book story influenced the new movie, the casting of all the new characters and what Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis bring to the mix, as well as what he might want to do if he was able to direct another “G.I. Joe” movie.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura
The producer talked to us about the decision to do a sequel and why they decided to introduce a mostly all-new team of Joes for the new movie, calling it a “hybrid” and an “evolution forward,” but also hinting that some of the characters from the first movie might be back for a third one if it happens. This leads to him talking about the decision to get Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis on board, as well as to how they made the unconventional choice of Jon Chu as director. We also spoke about some of his other projects including the next “Transformers” and sequels to RED and Salt, which we already reported here.
Adrianne Palicki and D.J. Cotrona
We spoke with the two actors playing the classic characters who have been around since the very beginning of “G.I. Joe” about how they went about getting the roles, their own experiences with the toys and cartoons and how they used them as research. We also asked about the romance between Lady Jaye and Flint and whether they’ll have time to get into any of that in the movie. Palicki also told us that she really wants to play Supergirl as well as play Wonder Woman again.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in theaters on June 29.
