Remember when the first G.I. JOE: RETALIATION trailer hit in December of 2011? Yes, that’s right, a year ago. The movie was scheduled to hit in July of this year, but got pushed back just two months before its release date… pushed back until March of next year. The ‘official’ excuse given was that director Jon Chu could post-convert the movie to 3D. It was a particularly interesting excuse as Chu originally wanted to make it a 3D film but the studio reportedly wouldn’t let him. Others speculated that the real reason for the delay was to go back and film more scenes with Channing Tatum, who was reprising his starring role as “Duke” from the first movie. This is also funny, as Tatum was widely panned for his wooden (not my words) performance in the first film, but lately he’s been a hot commodity, and rumors were flying that Duke gets killed in the new film’s opening. With fans in an uproar saying they couldn’t bear the thought of seeing a character die in the sequel, despite not liking him in the first one… well, perhaps the studio thought it a smart idea to bring Tatum back for some extra scenes. In the new trailer, which also happens to be the best of all the trailers we’ve seen so far for it, it’s even assumed that Duke survives the preliminary attack, and perhaps shows up late in the film to help the remaining heroes save the day. That’s our guess anyway. Still plenty of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, plenty of Bruce Willis, and lots of Ray Park returning as Snake Eyes. I have high hopes for the sequel. I actually enjoyed the first movie as a mindless fun time at the theater, but this new one looks pretty slick, so the franchise may live on for a third or even fourth installment. G.I. JOE: RETALIATION stars D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Stevenson, Channing Tatum with Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson. Directed by Jon M. Chu, and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner, from a screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe characters.
Check out the new poster (a few days old now) above and new trailer below, and tell us your thoughts in the comments.
In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
