George Clooney In GI Joe? Rumours And Statements From Hasbro

A lot has been happening with the big screen adaptation of G.I Joe; casting rumours, screenwriting rumours and official statements to name but a few! The first rumour is courtesy of IESB and claims that Paramount Pictures has offered the role of Duke to George Clooney.

George Clooney recently walked away from Joe Carnahan’s White Jazz due to ‘scheduling conflicts’ although many sources have said he’s looking for a big blockbuster. Surely G.I Joe isn’t the blockbuster he’s looking for?

I would have assumed big names would’ve stayed away from a movie like GI Joe, but with the success of Transformers, maybe Hollywood’s finest are willing to take a chance on a project like this?

It has been reported that Paramount had asked for three different scripts from three different writers (Stuart Beattie, John Lee Hancock and Brian Koppelman and David Levien) for the GI Joe adaptation. Apparently this was another lie - Hancock and Koppelman/Levien were bought on board so they could polish certain scenes from a screenplay by Beattie before the WGA strike deadline.

Hasbro also had announcements to make and they posted a statement to fans, so they could clarify some of the facts behind the development of the live action film.

Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Team wanted to take this opportunity to clarify some of the facts regarding the G.I. Joe live-action movie that we are developing with Paramount Pictures.
First and foremost, we are not changing what the G.I. Joe brand is about. The name “G.I. Joe” will always be synonymous with bravery and heroism.
The G.I. Joe brand has enjoyed a successful 43-year history, spanning two key generations. The first was the line of 12-inch “realistic military” figures that were popular with kids in the 1960s and 1970s.
The second generation, was created in 1982, and is based on a cast of fictional heroes and villains that make up the “G.I. Joe vs. Cobra” fantasy. The premise of this fantasy is the story of the G.I. Joe team, led by Duke, and their “fight for freedom wherever there is trouble” against the evil Cobra Commander and his Cobra force. This storyline was an instant hit with kids in the early 1980s, spawning a highly popular 3-3/4-inch action figure line, comic book collection and animated series.
This movie will be a modern telling of the “G.I. Joe vs. Cobra” storyline and its compelling characters that Hasbro created 25 years ago. The G.I. Joe team will not be based in Brussels. Instead, they will be based out of the “Pit” as they were throughout the 1980s comic book series. And, in keeping with the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra fantasy, the movie will feature characters and locations from around the world. Duke, the lead character and head of the G.I. Joe team, will embody the values of bravery and heroism that the first generation of G.I. Joe figures established.
G.I. Joe is a very important property to Hasbro and we thank all of our fans for their enthusiasm. Without all of you, the brand would not be where it is today.
Thank you.

GI Joe will start production in February with an estimated budget of $160 million. The film will hit theatres in 2009.

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