G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - Sequel

Sequel

A sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was announced in 2009. In January 2011, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writers of Zombieland, were hired to write the script for the sequel. The movie was originally thought to be titled G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes, which was later denied by Reese. Stephen Sommers was originally going to return as director of the sequel, but Paramount Pictures announced in February 2011 that Jon Chu will direct the sequel. In July 2011, the sequel's name was revealed to be G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

Chu stated that his movie will be much different from the original. He said that they do address killing off the characters from the first film a little bit in his film, but his movie is about the new characters, and that it was partially his idea to reboot the franchise. According to Chu, the comic book interprets it in one way, and even the cartoon series switched theme songs in the middle, so everybody interprets it in a different way. "It’s the same world, but at a different point, so let's pay homage to the old stuff, but also do new stuff."

In January 2011, it was confirmed that Lee Byung-hun will reprise his role as Storm Shadow in the sequel. Channing Tatum and Ray Park are also returning to the film as Duke and Snake Eyes, respectively. Rachel Nichols, the actress who played Scarlett in the first film, said that most cast members will not be returning, except for the three aforementioned actors. In March 2011, Sienna Miller stated that she would not be returning for a sequel. Joseph Gordon-Levitt also confirmed that he will not be returning as Cobra Commander in the sequel.

In June 2011, Dwayne Johnson was cast as Roadblock, D.J. Cotrona and rapper RZA were cast as Flint and Blind Master respectively, while Elodie Yung was in talks for the role of Jinx. In July 2011, Adrianne Palicki was confirmed for the lead female role of Lady Jaye, and Ray Stevenson was confirmed to portray the villain Firefly. Arnold Vosloo also confirmed that he would reprise his role of Zartan, and Joseph Mazzello was confirmed to play Mouse. In August 2011, Walton Goggins was added as Warden Nigel James, and it was confirmed that Bruce Willis was cast to star in the film as the original G.I. Joe. Ray Park also revealed that Snake Eyes' pet wolf, Timber, would be appearing in the sequel.

The film was originally slated for release June 29, 2012 but it was pushed back to March 29, 2013 due to a 3-D conversion and storyline change.