The role of Duke in Stephen Sommers’s G.I. Joe has been nailed down to three actors, according to a super confident Latino Review. The trio includes Lost’s Matthew Fox, Fantastic Four’s Chris Evans, and Channing Tatum from the upcoming Stop Loss. The previously rumored Sam Worthington is said to be out of the running due to his commitment on James Cameron’s Avatar. I’m in agreement with the guys at LR that Fox would be my last choice of the three, as Evans and Tatum just seem to fit the part more appearance-wise. Let’s take a look at them all after the jump…
Chris Evans
Channing Tatum
Matthew Fox
Who would you pick?
January 17th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
I’d go with Matthew Fox, he’s the best actor of the lot. Chris Evans was pretty good in Sunshine though, but his lackluster performances in the Fantastic Four movies kill his chances. And I just plain hate Channing Tatum, he is really really bad, and only a pretty face that manipulates teenage girls everywhere.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Evans look the part, but his age would be an issue. Duke was a 1SG and the head NCO of the Joes. On the low side you’d need someone at least in their late thirties to early forties to be believable. Fox is the logical choice in that respect. Tatum is just a flat out no.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Where’s the outrage, man? This is GI JOE we’re talking about! This stuff matters! It’s our mythology!
January 17th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Bruce Wills should be Duke….
But since Fox is familiar to audiences as a dick who bosses people around ..ala LOST… I gotta go Fox. I dont know how he’s gonna look Blonde though. Its gonna look like an Obvious bleach job..
January 17th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
word is, that they are taking an angle where duke & ripcord have some kind of buddy-duo thing going on, and in that (dreadful) scenario I can see Evans & wayans having good chemistry. But if they decide to actually show some respect for the gi joe franchise, they should nix that idea & go with fox who will bring an inherent sense of leadership to the role.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
@Isaac
It’s a Stephen Sommers movie. It’s like being outraged at a .99 cent frozen burrito. I’m interested to see what a $100 million plus frozen burrito looks like.
But if it wasn’t? I’d nominate Josh Brolin for Duke, or Russell Crow.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Neither one of these guys is good enough.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Hunter–tell that to Peter! He’s apparently got a deep, vested interest in the GI Joe and He-Man “mythologies” (his words).
It’s funny to watch him pretending like those movies are worth caring about.
January 17th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
@Isaac
I would, but Peter is prob having this heated conversation right now in a Jacuzzi surrounded by a bevy of Sundance babes and Harvey Weinstein.
I’m not saying that GI Joe isn’t worth defending on some level if you grew up with it. But when Stephen Sommers takes over, I’d cut it loose and concentrate on something else….like He-Man, I guess. No cast member is going to save this flick imo.
Movies based on toys are one of the few genres that I can’t take seriously, but that said, Thundercats and Voltron could be amazing on the big screen and Sommers needs to stay the hell away from ‘em.
January 17th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Harvey isnt here just yet.
January 17th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I’d go for Fox. He’s the best actor of the lot.
January 17th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Sam Worthington by far - should have waited
January 17th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
If I had to pick (and I’m a G.I. Joe fan, so I’m talking gun to my head-pick or die situation) I would probably choose Matthew Fox. They just need to lighten his hair or something (no Freddie Prinze Jr. Scooby Doo neon blonde please) and I’d believe it.
Honestly though, nothing about this movie makes me happy, aside from Ray Park as Snake-Eyes. I’m ready to skip this like I skipped the crapfest that was the Dukes of Hazzard (which I liked as a kid) movie.
January 18th, 2008 at 8:59 am
It doesn’t matter. This movie will flop no matter who they cast. The problem is that guys our age (born between 70-80) are the only potential audience. Now, factor in at least half of those who have moved on and could not care less about G.I. Joe (me included). At least half. Probably much more. But a handful of guys who are still interested are now in a position to make this thing happen, but the thing they forget is that most other guys, who were into G.I. Joe as kids, have moved on. I’ll bet anyone on here this thing is going to be a financial disaster. They may as well flush the cash down the toilet. Just cuz you were into it hardcore as a kid doesn’t mean a huge market for these things exists today. It is just leftover fantasy fullfillment on the part of a small number of people. Transformers was successful because it offered way more opportunity for sheer spectacle which was enough to lure in non-toy obsessed folks. And teenage girls. I could be wrong. But I am still betting on a big fat flop.