Back in 2009, Paramount Pictures and Hasbro rolled out their live-actionG.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobraadaptation, hoping for a repeat of the 2007 live-actionTransformerssuccess. Though “Yo Joe!” hasn’t taken off likeMichael Bay’s “More Than Meets the Eye” franchise, the studios made a masterful move by includingDwayne Johnsonin their 2013 sequel,G.I. Joe: Retaliation. That inclusion, which came in the midst of Johnson’s meteoric rise in popularity, was likely a big factor in the film’s more than $375 million global box office take.
Unfortunately, building your franchise on the broad shoulders of someone as in-demand as Johnson means that continuing your franchise is now dependent on his schedule. And that schedule is insane. Johnson is tied to a number of other high-profile movie franchises in addition to his television work, so it’s going to be quite some time beforeG.I. Joe 3can get going. That fact was confirmed by co-starByung-hun Leeduring a recent chat withLRM(viaScreenRant) duringTIFF.
Image via Paramount Pictures[/caption]
Here’s what Lee had to say about the state ofG.I. Joe 3:
“I heard from the studio that there’s a possibility to do the third one, but I think they’re waiting for the actors’ schedules. They’re arranging the schedules for the actors, especially Dwayne Johnson.”
Additionally, Lee and co-starRay Parkhave been in contact, talking about what they might like to do on-screen should the third installment get off the ground:
“Him and I always talk about those kinds of ideas and some other projects and what if we do some things. We always talk, but it’s just talk.”
Here’s the problem though: Johnson’s film slate is already nuts and shows little sign of clearing up before 2019. He’ll lend his voice to this year’s animated Disney filmMoana(which could conceivably spawn a sequel) and will star in the anticipated 2017 filmsFast 8,Baywatch,Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon, andJumanji.With the exception of theFastandJourneyfranchises, for which sequels have already been announced and will likely include Johnson, there’s every possibility that Johnson could also return for a follow-up toBaywatchandJumanji.As if that all wasn’t enough already, he’s poised to enter Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe as Black Adam, antagonist to Captain Marvel inShazam!due out in 2019.
Are you anxious to see Johnson return for a thirdG.I. Joefilm? Would you rather see another sequel sooner if Johnson can’t find room to fit it into his schedule? Let us know in the comments below!
