Will director Jon M. Chu's take on Hasbro's toy soldiers make us forget about Stephen Sommers' 2009 wack-fest G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra? Well, the Justin Bieber: Never Say Never filmmaker's latest acquisition has piqued our interest, at least. Thor co-star Ray Stevenson, who impressed us earlier this year with the independent gangster flick Kill The Irishman, has signed on to play Cobra contract killer and saboteur "Firefly" in G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes, which begins shooting in Louisiana in a few weeks.
Joining recently announced cast members Adrienne Palicki, Dwayne "The Rock Johnson, Elodie Yung, and The RZA for the action-adventure sequel, Stevenson is bringing an existing character from the old-school Joe world to the big screen. In the original 1984 G.I. Joe series, though, Firefly is a ninja master who's also an expert in all NATO and Warsaw Pact explosives and detonators.
Channing Tatum, Ray Park, and Lee Byung-hun have already signed their enlistment papers to return as Duke, Snake Eyes, and Storm Shadow, respectively. In addition, rumor is that Bruce Willis is in talks to fill in the role of General Joe Colton.
G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes is scheduled for theatrical release on August 10, 2012.
[Via The Hollywood Reporter]
