Channing Tatum and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were among the stars who turned out for the premiere of G.I. Joe: Retalation in London on Monday (March 18).
Also in attendance for the film’s UK debut were co-stars Ray Stevenson and Lee Byung-hun.
Director Jon Chu’s upcoming action flick is the long-awaited follow-up to Van Helsing director Stephen Sommers 2009 flick G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra . The film is slated to arrive in theaters across the US later this month.
The sequel finds the G.I. Joes facing danger from all directions. Not only are they up against the evil forces of Cobra, the soldiers must also deal with threats from the US government.
Channing Tatum will reprise his role as Captain Duke Hauser in Chu’s sequel. Also returning for the follow-up are Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Arnold Vosloo, and Byung-hun Lee.
Although Joseph Gordon-Levitt portrayed Cobra Commander in the first film, he won’t reprise his role for the sequel. The villain will be voiced by actor Robert Baker ( Justified ) and portrayed on-screen by Luke Bracey.
In addition to these familiar faces, G.I. Joe: Retaliation adds a number of new characters to the story. Dwayne Johnson will tackle the role of Roadblock, while Ray Stevenson ( Thor , Punisher: War Zone ) will portray Firefly. Die Hard star Bruce Willis will play Joe Colton, also known as the original G.I. Joe.
Fans of the franchise have been waiting patiently for Paramount to finally release the sequel into theaters. G.I. Joe: Retaliation was originally scheduled to hit theaters on June 19, 2012. However, the studio yanked the movie weeks before its debut.
Although Paramount’s official statement suggested the film was being converted to 3D, rumors began to circulate that feedback from test screenings were mostly negative. Since audiences seemed to enjoy Channing Tatum’s character, the studio reportedly added some additional sequences featuring Duke.
Director Jon Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retalation will hit theaters on March 28. Are you planning to catch the sequel in theaters?
[Images by Pacific Coast News]