Remember all those rumors about Sam Worthington being in line to star as Duke in Stephen Sommers‘ live-action G.I. Joe? Well, they were true. Emphasis on the “were.”
Worthington’s spokeswoman recently confirmed reports that he’d had to drop out of the running for Joe due to scheduling conflicts with his role in James Cameron‘s Avatar. Cameron has apparently found it difficult to finish his latest sci-fi epic, and the continual pushbacks eventually created an overlap.
So…who’s your Duke, Joe fans? According to Latino Review, producers focused their post-Worthington hunt on three actors — Chris Evans, Channing Tatum, and Matthew Fox — and now, sayeth Ain’t It Cool News (and confirmed by Variety), the search is over. Drumroll, please…
Channing Tatum, Real American Hero!
As AICN notes, Tatum got his start as “Boy in Church” in Spielberg‘s War of the Worlds, and followed it with parts in pictures such as She’s the Man and Step Up — but the buzz surrounding his work in the upcoming Stop-Loss suggests he’s made the jump to more adult roles. That won’t prevent cries of “First Marlon Wayans, now this” from rising up out of the fanboy depths, but hey, it’s G.I. Joe. Is anyone expecting Oscar-level depth here?
Well, maybe you are — and if that’s the case, Variety‘s report that Dennis Quaid has also joined the Joe cast, as “grizzled team leader Hawk,” should help you feel a little better about the direction Sommers’ squad is heading. Who couldn’t use a little extra Quaid in their day?
Source: Daily Telegraph (Worthington article)
Source: Latino Review
Source: Ain’t It Cool News
Source: Variety
