GI Joe lurches towards live-action filmdom (i.e. G.I. Joe live action)

[bsu legato]

http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=11398

I have to echo the article's love for the early Hama comics, although I'd even push my "best before" date up as far as #50, Serpentor aside*. Even some of the latter issues had gleams of greatness, such as the multi-part Cobra civil war with the Joes stuck square in the middle. Then Action Force 2000 showed up and the whole thing went to hell. But anyway....it seems we're doomed to get a mediocre film treatment of the beloved 1980's franchise, aimed squarely at the lowest common denominator like so many other films these days. I'm not going to recycle the usual fanboy tirade about how the property needs a "darker, more violent" treatment but I do have to wonder how they'll handle the basic concept of a Ruthless Terrorist Organization, determined to rule the world. Bottom line, it can't be any worse than this year's Transformers movie. We surely won't see Roadblock peeing on a federal agent.....or will we?

*The two-part battle in Springfield was such a long time coming, and kicked so much ass those issues get a pass from me no matter how lame Serpentor was.

[Guest sh002]

cobra la la la la la la la la... sorry

[Vermillion21]

Live action movie ... I dunno, it could end up being another Street Fighter: the movie!!!

:lol:

And worse than Battle Force 2000, were the Eco-warrior and Drug Enforcement lines!!!

[David Hingtgen]

My only request (which I know won't happen due to Hollywood stupidity) is that an actual redhead play Scarlett.

PS--Baroness. She's pale, and ethnically eastern European (specifically Czech I think, based on latest comic canon). That means NOT Jessica Alba.

[Max Jenius]

"Did you ask them about the GI Joe Action Figures?"

"DESTRO! YOU IDIOT!"

[terry the lone wolf]

My only request (which I know won't happen due to Hollywood stupidity) is that an actual redhead play Scarlett.

PS--Baroness. She's pale, and ethnically eastern European (specifically Czech I think, based on latest comic canon). That means NOT Jessica Alba.

In the Hama comics Baroness was Asian(Eventhough I prefer the Eastern European version,"Destro! My darling!"). Baroness & her brother was members of the Vietcon & she hated Snake-Eyes because Snake was responsible for her brother's death.

Edited August 13, 2007 by terry the lone wolf

[JsARCLIGHT]

I think you're confusing your Joe characters.

The Baroness, AKA Baroness Anastasia DeCobray, was not VietCong. She has always been Eastern European in race. In fact she was only a child during Vietnam. She WAS in Vietnam though as her older brother the Baron Eugine was funding relief efforts in Vietnam only to discover his money was being spent on weapons rather than medical supplies. The young Anastasia -thought- she saw Snake Eyes kill her brother in a warehouse full of illicit weapons which started her down the path to Cobra.

[baronv]

Gotta have Quick Kick...QUICK KICK!!!! Able to kick butt in the arctic without a shirt or shoes on, that's hard-core.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

So long as the script is not going to utilize most of an earlier script I read"the one where they resorted to calling Cobra Commander 'cool guy", then the movie may turn out well. I hope it does.

[Guest sh002]

get michael bay and we will have a winning story

[Roy Focker]

I prefer the Britsh Action Force origin of the Baroness. With her being from Austria.

I'm sick of the Six degrees of separation that all leads to Snake Eyes.

When Snake Eyes was at the ninja camp one day throwing ninja stars he killed a parrot. That dead parrot left nest with one egg in it. Ship Wreck on vacation found that nest and that's how he got polly.

[bsu legato]

When Snake Eyes was at the ninja camp one day throwing ninja stars he killed a parrot. That dead parrot left nest with one egg in it. Ship Wreck on vacation found that nest and that's how he got polly.

That's only what Shipwreck thinks happened. Actually the fatal throwing star was tossed by none other than Firefly, hired by Cobra Commander as a backup assassin to Zartan, who was attempting to kill Snake Eyes. the Soft Master knew this, but alas he was never able to pass this information onto Storm Shadow before he left the dojo.

[JsARCLIGHT]

For as much as the Hama Marvel comics were totally soap opera-ish in their constant twists, turns and double-backs I still love them to death. My personal favorite being the three or four issue arc around issue 11 in which Cobra lures the Joes to Springfield. That arc was also the introduction of Desto, the Baroness, Dr. Venom, Kwinn and all sorts of other great classic Hama Joes. But as Bsu said I love them until about issue 50.

The thing that strikes me as funny is that nearly everyone knows GI Joe from the cartoon and not from the comics. And the cartoon has next to zero character development or backstory. I wish I had not pitched all my old Joe comics from the '80s. I'm still looking for a place I can buy all the collection issues and re-live some teenage comic book reading lazy afternoons.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

For as much as the Hama Marvel comics were totally soap opera-ish in their constant twists, turns and double-backs I still love them to death. My personal favorite being the three or four issue arc around issue 11 in which Cobra lures the Joes to Springfield. That arc was also the introduction of Desto, the Baroness, Dr. Venom, Kwinn and all sorts of other great classic Hama Joes. But as Bsu said I love them until about issue 50.

The thing that strikes me as funny is that nearly everyone knows GI Joe from the cartoon and not from the comics. And the cartoon has next to zero character development or backstory. I wish I had not pitched all my old Joe comics from the '80s. I'm still looking for a place I can buy all the collection issues and re-live some teenage comic book reading lazy afternoons.

As over the top as some issues and arcs got, the comics were at least believable compared to the cartoon, where "yo joe!" was exclaimed every other 5 minutes. Not to mention there was seriousness and depth.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Personally for me I liked how the comics tied the characters to real world wars and countries, which gave them a more "tangible" feel to me. My three favorite Joes from the comics where the 'Nam buddies Snake Eyes, Stalker and Storm Shadow... but I only liked them in the early comics before Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow became super uber ninja jujitsu warriors.

My biggest fear with a live action modern day GI Joe is that all these wonderful characters will once again be watered down into catchphrase shouting glorified Rambo super soldiers who throw down their "laser" rifles in order to have a nice fistfight with the faceless Cobra soldiers... complete with jumpy "what the hell is going on" Michael Bay meets Borne Ultimatum camera work with a blaring Good Charlotte or My Chemical Romance soundtrack and some dog dump of a band like Third Eye Blind singing the theme song.

[gerwalk25]

Here's a couple people in mind:

Jessica Chobot as Baroness!

Reb Brown as Duke

RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! YO JOE!

Edited August 14, 2007 by gerwalk25

[Vermillion21]

For as much as the Hama Marvel comics were totally soap opera-ish in their constant twists, turns and double-backs I still love them to death. My personal favorite being the three or four issue arc around issue 11 in which Cobra lures the Joes to Springfield. That arc was also the introduction of Desto, the Baroness, Dr. Venom, Kwinn and all sorts of other great classic Hama Joes.

I loved the original comics too!! And I think Kwinn was introduced in issue #2, the Joes were on some Arctic mission!!

I can't believe I still remember that!!

[jenius]

If this isn't the perfect vehicle for Patrick Swayze's comeback i don't know what is!

[lord_breetai]

Oh yay... Serpentor bashing... I still love him as one of my top 3.

Anyway...

GI Joe needs to be somewhat believable, some good guys have to die... and there needs to be a Scifi element... Cobra needs a super weapon or something James Bond like in terms of weapons. GI Joe was always a little bit scifi even in the Hamma era, nothing that's totally unbelievable like the MASS device or the Weather Dominator from the cartoon... but there needs to be some scifi.

Sean Connery should be Destro... he could still do it!

[David Hingtgen]

Try to get Transformers-style military cooperation. Too bad all the F-14's are gone, or we could have Skystrikers.

[Godzilla]

A joe movie? OMFG. Look I finally watch Transformers and it was a decent film compared to most 80s remakes. But isnt enough enough?

[Smiley424]

No way, with the money Transformers made, I'm pretty sure every studio is picking up whatever 80s cartoon movie rights that are out there. Same deal with the studios picking up all the comics after X-men hit it big. It's not a matter of if, but who and when.

[Uxi]

That's only what Shipwreck thinks happened. Actually the fatal throwing star was tossed by none other than Firefly, hired by Cobra Commander as a backup assassin to Zartan, who was attempting to kill Snake Eyes. the Soft Master knew this, but alas he was never able to pass this information onto Storm Shadow before he left the dojo.

That totally brought me back to the original comic. The Hard Master was the blind black guy right? And the Soft Master was the guy we only saw in flashbacks?

[Mog]

I'm not going to recycle the usual fanboy tirade about how the property needs a "darker, more violent" treatment but I do have to wonder how they'll handle the basic concept of a Ruthless Terrorist Organization, determined to rule the world.

Personally, I'd like them to take a more serious, more "grounded in realty" take on Cobra. (Hell, I'd like at least a third of the movie be about the rise of Cobra and the origins of Cobra Commander.) If I remember the comic books correctly, Cobra was pretty much a home-grown terrorist organization.

How would group like this start in the US? Would enough people be so disillusioned by the world, the B.S. spewed by politicians and the nightly news, the ridiculous focus on budgets and mission statements at their jobs, and the crap that passes for entertainment these days that a group like Cobra could actually succeed?

Granted they'd have to change Cobra Commander from the shrill beeyotch we all know from the cartoon into a skilled and influential orator (something along the lines of an Abraham Lincoln or an MLK, perhaps?). But if they did this kind of take with the movie, I'd be very intrigued.

Of course, this is Hollywood we're talking about here. So most likely, we'll get something that peddles to the lowest common denominator (as bsu so wisely put it).

Or even worse, we'll get some way-too-preachy, overly-political piece of crap.

Or even worse than that, they'll revamp the 25th Aniversary figures to become more "movie accurate."

[eugimon]

Well, looking at the oklahoma bombing, the various religous nut jobs living in armed compounds, the various home grown terrorist acts in the UK... I think the idea of a COBRA type organization catching fire is definitely within the reach of a plausible plot. I'm really hoping this movie is james bond and more jason bourne, in that it lives in more of a "real world" and doesn't go over the top with cartoonish and comical elements.

[ShadowerV2]

I hope they have Snakes Eyes and ninjas inside...

[baronv]

If they grounded GI Joe in reality, I hope it's better than the Devil's Due GI Joe: Reloaded series, that was kind of boring. Anyone read the Cobra: Reborn follow-up, is it any better?

[bsu legato]

That totally brought me back to the original comic. The Hard Master was the blind black guy right? And the Soft Master was the guy we only saw in flashbacks?

Close. The Hard Master was Storm Shadow's uncle who gets an arrow (courtsey of Zartan, stolen from Storm Shadow) instead of Snake Eyes. The Soft Master was SS's other uncle, a pudgy dude who first showed up in the Snake Eyes origin issues. He was the guy who eventually played chicken with a TOW missile, trying to save Billy, Bongo and drunk guy. The black blind dude with the tattoo-hiding skin graft was....another guy whom I can't recall right now. But I answered 66% of your question anyway.

Edited August 15, 2007 by bsu legato

[Guest sh002]

the first series cartoon opening in live action with all the joes, cobras, and vehicles would be cool.

[GutsAndCasca]

Wow reading this thread brought back so many memories of when I used to collect GI Joe comics as a kid. I don't know about any of the stuff you guys are explaining, but I'd give anything to have my Snake-Eyes-Trilogy back. I do have quite a time purchasing old 3/4 Joes for my son on ebay; sometimes I get the coolest deals. Also, the Sigma 6 toys are awesome! They don't make anything other than Snake Eyes for the most part though... I've had to buy extra figures to customize personally for more variety. I even made my kiddO' Tomax and Xamot.

If this movie is as cool as Transformers then I'll be more than satisfied.

[Vermillion21]

All I know is, somewhere in the script, the main Joe characters have gotta yell: YO JOE!!!! with one arm raised as they rush to attack Cobra.

:lol:

[Max Jenius]

Pff, my "friends" ripped off my GI Joes while I was on vacation and sold them to the neighborhood kids. That pissed me off royally. Yeah, I had to kick 3 brothers' butts that year. This thread makes me mad.

lol

Edited August 16, 2007 by Max Jenius

[Ladic]

they want Marky Mark for Duke, and jason Statham for Action Man (no clue which Joe that is)

[JsARCLIGHT]

they want Marky Mark for Duke, and jason Statham for Action Man (no clue which Joe that is)

Action Man is the UK version of GI Joe. "Action Man" is not one joe per se, it is the name of the British toy line that paralleled The American GI Joe line.

[The Shade]

After the movie ends, will we get a public service announcement stating that all the shooting, martial arts fighting, and explosions we saw was just make-believe and that kids should be careful how they play outside?

"And knowing is half the battle".