G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
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Directed by
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Produced by
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Lorenzo di Bonaventura
Bob Ducsay Brian Goldner |
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Screenplay by
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Story by
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Michael B. Gordon
Stuart Beattie Stephen Sommers |
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Based on
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G.I. Joe by
Hasbro |
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Starring
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Channing
Tatum
Sienna Miller Christopher Eccleston Karolina Kurkova Joseph Gordon-Levitt Ray Park Lee Byung-hun Rachel Nichols Marlon Wayans Dennis Quaid |
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Music by
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Cinematography
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Mitchell Amundsen
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Editing by
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Bob Ducsay
Jim May |
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Studio
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Spyglass Entertainment
Di Bonaventura Pictures Hasbro |
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Distributed by
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Paramount Pictures
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Release date(s)
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August 7, 2009
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Running time
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118 minutes
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Country
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Language
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English
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Budget
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$175 million
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Box office
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$302,469,017
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After leaked drafts of the script were criticized by fans, Larry Hama, writer of the comic, was hired as creative consultant and rewrites were made. Filming took place in Downey, California, and Prague's Barrandov Studios, and six companies handled the visual effects. The film was released on August 7, 2009, worldwide, following an extensive marketing campaign focused on the Mid-American public. Rise of Cobra opened at the top of the box office and grossed over $302 million worldwide by the end of its run. Critical reception was mostly negative, with criticism of the writing and acting. The sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, is set to be released on March 29, 2013
Plot
In the near future, weapons master James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) has created a nanotech-based weapon capable of destroying a city. His company M.A.R.S. (Military Armaments Research Syndicate) sells four warheads to NATO, and NATO troops led by American soldiers Duke (ChanningTatum) and Ripcord (MarlonWayans) are tasked with delivering the warheads. Their convoy is ambushed by the Baroness (Sienna Miller), whom Duke recognizes to be his ex-fiancee Ana Lewis. Duke and Ripcord are rescued by Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park), Breaker (SaïdTaghmaoui) and Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). They take the warheads to The Pit, G.I. Joe's command center in Egypt, and upon arriving rendezvous with the head of the G.I. Joe Team, General Hawk (DennisQuaid). Hawk takes command of the warheads and excuses Duke and Ripcord, only to be convinced to let them join his group, after Duke reveals that he knows the Baroness.McCullen is revealed to be using the same nanotechnology to build an army of soldiers with the aid of the Doctor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), planning on using the warheads to cause panic and bring about a new world order. Using a tracking device, McCullen locates the G.I. Joe base and sends Storm Shadow (Byung-Hun Lee) and the Baroness to retrieve the warheads, with assistance from Zartan (Arnold Vosloo). After a fight, Storm Shadow and the Baroness retrieve the warheads and take them to Baron DeCobray, the Baroness's husband, for him to weaponize. Making their way to Paris, the Joes pursue the Baroness and Storm Shadow, but are unsuccessful in stopping them from launching the missile. The nanomites destroy the Eiffel Tower and some of the surrounding area before Duke manages to hit the kill switch, but in doing so he is captured and taken to McCullen's base under the Arctic.
The Joes locate the secret base and fly there, as McCullen loads three missiles with nano-warheads. After Snake Eyes takes out one, Ripcord pursues the remaining missiles in a stolen M.A.R.S. prototype Night Raven jet, while Scarlett, Breaker, and Snake Eyes infiltrate the base. Snake Eyes duels and prevails over Storm Shadow. Duke learns that the Doctor is Rex Lewis, Ana's brother believed to have been killed by a mistimed airstrike during a mission led by Duke (also the origin of the alienation between Duke & Ana). Rex had encountered Doctor Mindbender (Kevin O'Connor) in the bunker and was seduced by the nanomite technology, taking too long to retrieve the data and getting caught in the bombing, which disfigured him. After freeing Duke, the Baroness is subdued, as the Doctor reveals he has implanted her with nanomites, which has put her under his control for the past four years. Attempting to kill Duke, McCullen ends up being burned, so he and the Doctor flee to an escape vessel. Duke and the Baroness pursue him while the Joes fall back, when the Doctor activates the base's self destruct sequence; which involves 'blowing the ice cap' to create blocks of ice which then supposedly fall with gravity down through the water onto the base far below.
The Doctor assumes the identity of the Commander, having healed McCullen's burned face with nanomites, encasing it in silver and naming him "Destro", which places McCullen under the Commander's control. They are captured by G.I. Joe soon after. On the supercarrier USS Flagg, the Baroness is placed in protective custody until they can remove the nanomites from her body. Meanwhile, Zartan, having had his physical appearance altered by nanomites, infiltrates the White House during the missile crisis and assumes the identity of the President of the United States of America (Jonathan Pryce).
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Cast
* ChanningTatum as Duke
(Conrad S. Hauser)
The lead soldier. Lorenzo di Bonaventura was originally interested in casting Mark Wahlberg, and when the script was rewritten into a G.I. Joe origin story, the studio offered the role to Channing Tatum. Tatum had played a soldier in Stop-Loss, an anti-war film, and originally wanted no part in G.I. Joe, which he felt glorified war. Once he read the script though, he realized the franchise was a fantasy akin to X-Men, Mission: Impossible and Star Wars rather than a war film.
The lead soldier. Lorenzo di Bonaventura was originally interested in casting Mark Wahlberg, and when the script was rewritten into a G.I. Joe origin story, the studio offered the role to Channing Tatum. Tatum had played a soldier in Stop-Loss, an anti-war film, and originally wanted no part in G.I. Joe, which he felt glorified war. Once he read the script though, he realized the franchise was a fantasy akin to X-Men, Mission: Impossible and Star Wars rather than a war film.
* DennisQuaid as General
Hawk (General Clayton M. Abernathy)
The team leader. Quaid described Hawk as "a cross between Chuck Yeager and Sgt. Rock and maybe a naïve Hugh Hefner". Quaid's son convinced him to take on the part, and the filmmakers enjoyed working with him so much that Stuart Beattie wrote "ten to fifteen more scenes" for the character. He filmed all his scenes within the first two months of production. Quaid is signed on for two sequels.
The team leader. Quaid described Hawk as "a cross between Chuck Yeager and Sgt. Rock and maybe a naïve Hugh Hefner". Quaid's son convinced him to take on the part, and the filmmakers enjoyed working with him so much that Stuart Beattie wrote "ten to fifteen more scenes" for the character. He filmed all his scenes within the first two months of production. Quaid is signed on for two sequels.
* MarlonWayans as Ripcord (Wallace A. Weems)
A pilot with a romantic interest in 'Scarlett'. A fan of the franchise, Wayans was cast on the strength of his performance in Requiem for a Dream. Bonaventura said that the film showed Wayans could be serious as well as funny.
A pilot with a romantic interest in 'Scarlett'. A fan of the franchise, Wayans was cast on the strength of his performance in Requiem for a Dream. Bonaventura said that the film showed Wayans could be serious as well as funny.
* Rachel Nichols as Scarlett (Shana M. O'Hara)
She graduated college at age twelve and became the team's intelligence expert. Having left school so early, she does not understand men's attraction to her. Nichols was the first choice for the role. Nichols had dyed her blonde hair red – Scarlett's hair color – for her role in Star Trek, which she filmed before G.I. Joe. She burned herself filming an action sequence with Sienna Miller.
She graduated college at age twelve and became the team's intelligence expert. Having left school so early, she does not understand men's attraction to her. Nichols was the first choice for the role. Nichols had dyed her blonde hair red – Scarlett's hair color – for her role in Star Trek, which she filmed before G.I. Joe. She burned herself filming an action sequence with Sienna Miller.
* Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Heavy Duty (Hershel Dalton)
An ordnance expert and field commander of the team. Common was offered the role of Heavy Duty's cousin Roadblock, although Bonaventura previously indicated Heavy Duty was being used in that character's stead. Stuart Beattie ultimately chose to have Heavy Duty instead of Roadblock.
An ordnance expert and field commander of the team. Common was offered the role of Heavy Duty's cousin Roadblock, although Bonaventura previously indicated Heavy Duty was being used in that character's stead. Stuart Beattie ultimately chose to have Heavy Duty instead of Roadblock.
* Ray Park as Snake-Eyes
A mysterious ninja commando who took a vow of silence, a departure from the character's traditional difficulty in speaking due to grievous vocal wounds, a close member of The Arashikage Ninja Clan, and Storm Shadow's rival. Like his character, Park is a martial arts expert and specifically practiced wushu for the role, as well as studying the character's comic book poses. Park had known of Snake-Eyes because he played with the toys as a child, but he knew very little of the surrounding saga of G.I. Joe versus Cobra, so he read the comics to further understand the character.
A mysterious ninja commando who took a vow of silence, a departure from the character's traditional difficulty in speaking due to grievous vocal wounds, a close member of The Arashikage Ninja Clan, and Storm Shadow's rival. Like his character, Park is a martial arts expert and specifically practiced wushu for the role, as well as studying the character's comic book poses. Park had known of Snake-Eyes because he played with the toys as a child, but he knew very little of the surrounding saga of G.I. Joe versus Cobra, so he read the comics to further understand the character.
* SaïdTaghmaoui as Breaker (Abel Shaz)
He is the team's communications specialist and hacker. He is seen chewing gum during the Battle of Paris in homage to the original character's habit of chewing gum.
He is the team's communications specialist and hacker. He is seen chewing gum during the Battle of Paris in homage to the original character's habit of chewing gum.
* Karolína Kurková as Cover Girl (Courtney A. Kreiger)
Hawk's aide-de-camp. Kurková described going from her modeling career to making such a film as "an amazing experience", but said she was upset on not taking part in any action sequences.
Hawk's aide-de-camp. Kurková described going from her modeling career to making such a film as "an amazing experience", but said she was upset on not taking part in any action sequences.
* BrendanFraser (uncredited) as Sgt. Stone (Geoffrey Stone IV)
At first, it was reported he was going to play Gung-Ho, but it was later revealed he plays Sergeant Stone. Fraser was apparently ecstatic upon learning the movie was in production and begged director Stephen Sommers to be in it. Cobra
At first, it was reported he was going to play Gung-Ho, but it was later revealed he plays Sergeant Stone. Fraser was apparently ecstatic upon learning the movie was in production and begged director Stephen Sommers to be in it. Cobra
* Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cobra
Commander (Rex Lewis/The Doctor)
The Baroness's brother, a former mild-mannered U.S. Soldier who was thought to be killed during a mission – instead, he became the insane disfigured MARS head scientist. USA Today reported that Gordon-Levitt will play multiple roles
The Baroness's brother, a former mild-mannered U.S. Soldier who was thought to be killed during a mission – instead, he became the insane disfigured MARS head scientist. USA Today reported that Gordon-Levitt will play multiple roles
* Christopher Eccleston as Destro (Laird
James McCullen XXIV)
A weapons designer and founder of the Military Armament Research Syndicate (MARS) and the main villain in the early part of the film.
A weapons designer and founder of the Military Armament Research Syndicate (MARS) and the main villain in the early part of the film.
* SiennaMiller as The Baroness (Ana Lewis/Anastascia
DeCobray)
A spy and sister of Cobra Commander. Years before the film, The Baroness was going to marry Duke, but he left her at the altar,due to his guilt over the apparent death of her brother Rex Lewis.
A spy and sister of Cobra Commander. Years before the film, The Baroness was going to marry Duke, but he left her at the altar,due to his guilt over the apparent death of her brother Rex Lewis.
* LeeByung-hun as Storm Shadow (Thomas S. Arashikage)
Snake-Eyes' rival, both were close members of The Arashikage Ninja Clan. Lee said he did not know G.I. Joe because it is an unknown series in South Korea. Sommers and Bonaventura told him that it was not necessary to watch the cartoons to prepare for the role. Lee was attracted to Storm Shadow's "dual personality", which he stated has "huge pride and honor".
Snake-Eyes' rival, both were close members of The Arashikage Ninja Clan. Lee said he did not know G.I. Joe because it is an unknown series in South Korea. Sommers and Bonaventura told him that it was not necessary to watch the cartoons to prepare for the role. Lee was attracted to Storm Shadow's "dual personality", which he stated has "huge pride and honor".
* ArnoldVosloo as Zartan
An expert in make-up and disguises serving Destro. He is also Destro's aide-de-camp.
An expert in make-up and disguises serving Destro. He is also Destro's aide-de-camp.
* Kevin J. O'Connor as Doctor
Mindbender
A scientist in McCullen's employ who developed the nanomite technology.
A scientist in McCullen's employ who developed the nanomite technology.
Production
Development
In 1994, Larry Kasanoff and his production company, Threshold Entertainment, held the rights to do a live-action G.I. Joe film with Warner Bros. as the distributor, but instead chose to concentrate their efforts on their Mortal Kombat films. As late as 1999, there had been rumors that a film from Threshold Entertainment was still a possibility, but that project never panned out. In 2003, Lorenzo di Bonaventura was interested in making a film about advanced military technology; Hasbro's Brian Goldner called him and suggested to base the film on the G.I. Joe toy line. Goldner and Bonaventura worked together before, creating toy lines for films Bonaventura produced as CEO of Warner Bros. Goldner and Bonaventura spent three months working out a story, and chose Michael B. Gordon as screenwriter, because they liked his script for 300. Bonaventura wanted to depict the origin story of certain characters, and introduced the new character of Rex, to allow an exploration of Duke. Rex's name came from Hasbro. Beforehand, Don Murphy was interested in filming the property, but when the Iraq War broke out, he considered the subject matter inappropriate, and chose to develop Transformers (another Hasbro toy line) instead. Bonaventura felt, "What [the Joes] stand for, and what Duke stands for specifically in the movie, is something that I'd like to think a worldwide audience might connect with."By February 2005, Paul Lovett and David Elliot, who wrote Bonaventura's Four Brothers, were rewriting Gordon's draft. In their script, the Rex character is corrupted and mutated into the Cobra Commander, whom Destro needs to lead an army of supersoldiers. Skip Woods was rewriting the script by March 2007, and he added the Alex Mann character from the British Action Man toy line. Bonaventura explained, "Unfortunately, our president has put us in a position internationally where it would be very difficult to release a movie called G.I. Joe. To add one character to the mix is sort of a fun thing to do." The script was leaked online by El Mayimbe of Latino Review, who revealed Woods had dropped the Cobra Organization in favor of the Naja / Ryan, a crooked CIA agent. In this draft, Scarlett is married to Action Man but still has feelings for Duke, and is killed by the Baroness. Snake-Eyes speaks, but his vocal cords are slashed during the story, rendering him mute. Mayimbe suggested Stuart Beattie rewrite the script. Fan response to the film following the script review was negative. Bonaventura promised with subsequent rewrites, "I'm hoping we're going to get it right this time." He admitted he had problems with Cobra, concurring with an interviewer "they were probably the stupidest evil organization out there [as depicted in the cartoon]". Hasbro promised they would write Cobra back into the script.
Filming and design
Filming began on February 11, 2008, in Los Angeles, California. The Downey soundstage was chosen as Paramount needed a large stage to get production underway as soon as possible. The first two levels of the Pit were built there, to complement the rest of the building which would be done with special effects. Downey also housed Destro's MARS base in the Arctic, his legitimate weapons factory in an ex-Soviet state, as well as various submarines interiors, including a SHARC (Submersible High-speed Attack and Reconnaissance Craft) manned by two G.I. Joes.Filming in the Czech Republic's Barrandov Studios began in May. The crew took over sections of the Old Town in Prague. While filming in the city on April 26, people were injured when a bus and several cars collided with a four-wheel-drive vehicle that appeared to have braking problems. The emergency services confirmed those taken to hospital had minor injuries. Filming wrapped after a month in Prague. Additional second unit filming took place in Paris itself, Egypt, Tokyo, the Arctic and underwater.
Release
The film was first screened in the US on July 31, 2009 at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The premiere was at Hollywood's Grauman's Chinese Theater on August 7, 2009, and in the following day, G.I. Joe started playing at 4,007 theaters in the US, along with 35 overseas markets.Marketing
The film's actors were scanned for Hasbro's toy line, which began in July 2009 with the release of 3 3/4-inch tall action figures. The Rise of Cobra toy line also includes 12-inch figures, and vehicles, including the first play set based on the Pit in the franchise's history. Electronic Arts developed a video game sequel to the film, also titled G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.IDW Publishing released a four-issue prequel written by Chuck Dixon. Each issue focuses on Duke, Destro, the Baroness and Snake-Eyes respectively. It began publication in March 2009. The weekly film adaptation is written by Denton J. Tipton and drawn by Casey Maloney. The film's universe will be continued by a limited series about Snake-Eyes later in 2009; Ray Park enjoyed playing the character and approached writer Kevin VanHook and artist S. L. Gallant with the idea of a comic further exploring his incarnation of the character.
As part of the movie launch campaign, over 300 12-inch, parachute-equipped, G.I. Joe action figures were dropped from a 42-story Kansas City hotel roof and soar over 500 feet to the ground at 16th Annual International G.I. Joe Convention.
Video game
Main article: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Box office
During the opening weekend (August 7–9), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra opened at the top of the North American box office with an estimated $54.7 million. It earned an additional $44 million internationally during the same weekend. In the following week, the film opened in 14 more territories and continued atop the international box office with $26 million. The film grossed US$302,543,074 worldwide, of which US$150,201,498 was from the United States, On the List of 2009 box office number-one films in the United States, it debuted at #32 behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($108,966,307 & $42,320,877), Brüno ($30,619,130), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($77,835,727), G-Force ($31,706,934) and Funny People ($22,657,780).
Home media
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was released on November 3, 2009 on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, in regular and two-disc editions. Both editions include an audio commentary by Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay, and two making-of featurettes, with the second disk of the special edition holding a digital copy of the film. The film opened at #1 at the DVD sales chart, making $40.9m off 2,538,000 DVD units in the first week of release. The film sold over 3.8 million discs, 500,000 of them on Blu-ray, during its first week.DownloadMovie Now Free
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