Perhaps Dwayne Johnson is starting a trend. By signing on to a series after the initial installment bows, he doesn’t have the added weight of hoping the franchise starter makes it. With a sequel, he can help make the franchise better. It worked for Fast Five, the fifth entry in the successful Fast and Furious franchise. Though his role was small, he helped to attract viewers, especially those who tune in to watch wrestling every week, and make it a $500 million hit. Johnson will also be starring in a Journey to the Center of the Earth sequel this fall.
The wrestler-cum-actor looks to do the same with G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes. The 2009 release, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, made $300 million worldwide and that’s with bad writing, bad acting and bad direction. While the jury is still out on Jon M. Chu, who replaces Stephen Sommers this time, as a director (he previously helmed the last two Step Up movies and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never), the addition of Johnson should help the project .
Johnson’s role is a character named Roadblock, a solider who hails from Biloxi, Miss., that specializes in heavy infantry weapons.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is confirmed to not be returning to the franchise as Cobra, but Channing Tatum, who Chu directed ever so briefly in Step Up 2 the Streets, is likely to reprise his role of Duke.
With word that a Star Trek sequel may not happen for summer 2012, Paramount is hoping that the People’s Champ can bring audiences to the theater next summer.
G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes is tentatively scheduled for release on August 10, 2012.
