The upcoming sequel to the box-office hit ‘G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra’ has been given a new release date of August 10, 2012, Collider.com is reporting. Paramount Pictures, which distributed ‘The Rise of Cobra’ in August 2009, decided on the date change after Stephen Sommers, who directed the first film, choose not to return for the sequel in January. Paramount then scrambled to hire another director, and choose Jon Chu, who helmed last month’s successful Justin Bieber concert movie, ‘Never Say Never.’
Not much is known about the plot for the ‘G.I. Joe’ sequel yet, which was penned by ‘Zombieland’ screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. However, Rachel Nichols, who played Scarlett in ‘The Rise of Cobra,’ has tweeted that only a few of the characters from the original will be returning for the sequel, including Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes and Duke.
The budget for the sequel hasn’t been revealed yet either, and it’s not known if it will receive the same $175 million budget as ‘The Rise of Cobra.’ However, it’s rumored that it will be much lower, since such big stars as Dennis Quaid, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Sienna Miller haven’t been asked to reprise their roles. Also, Chu hasn’t directed any big-budget action films yet, having risen to fame helming the two ‘Step Up’ sequels.
Written by: Karen Benardello
