The first two G.I. Joe films have combined for $675M worldwide, but do they seem like one Hollywood's top franchises? Hardly; in fact Paramount continues to try and find just the right formula, one that will appease diehard fans and lure in casual audiences. Simply adding Dwayne Johnson into the mix for G.I. Joe: Retaliation was a good start, but as they gear up for G.I. Joe 3 the next step is going to have to involve a new director, and it may be Casino Royale's Martin Campbell.
According to a rumor over at Schmoes Know, Campbell is Paramount's top choice to direct the untitled G.I. Joe film, with early talks already taking place. Jon M. Chu was at the helm for the second installment and, as a longtime fan of the G.I. Joe toys, he sought to make the film as close to what he remembered as possible. He did a pretty good job with it in my opinion, and it would have been preferable for if he stayed on board. Campbell is a very different kind of director, one that I don't think necessarily meshes well with what makes G.I. Joe work. Sure, Campbell can do darker material like Casino Royale or Edge of Darkness, but he also directed Green Lantern and the two Zorro movies which were pretty terrible.G.I. Joe needs to be both grounded and a little silly, and Campbell isn't the right guy for finding that kind of balance.
The bigger question is who will re-enlist for another G.I. Joe mission. Johnson is expected to return as Roadblock and will probably have a larger presence, but what about Bruce Willis or Channing Tatum? Previous rumors suggested some of the first film's cast could also return, while we've also seen clues suggesting the storyline will focus heavily on Snake Eyes' ninja clan. Right now the film has a script by Jonathan Lemkin (The Devil's Advocate) and a possible release date in 2016.
