Disney Sets 'The Smurfs' Writers for 'Enchanted' Sequel; 'G.I. Joe 3' Gets New Scribe

A couple of big sequels that have been in the works for some time have finally taken that crucial first step by hiring screenwriters. One of those films is Disney's long-developing sequel to Enchanted, one of the films that helped make Amy Adams a star, and the other is Paramount's third G.I. Joe film, which will have a new director now that Jon M. Chu has moved on.

So let's start with Enchanted 2, the sequel to Disney's 2007 fairy tale film that made a whopping $340M and really set the stage for the live-action movies the studio is so fond of lately. Last we heard about it was back in 2010 when Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses) was brought in to direct the film, with plans to release it the following year. For whatever reason that never happened but progress has commenced with the hiring of writers J. David Stem and David N. Weiss, who penned The Smurfs and Shrek 2, to work on the screenplay. The story followed a Disney princess who was magically transported to modern day New York City where she sang and danced and basically did everything she would do in an animated film, including falling in love with a "prince". There's no word on if Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Frozen's Idina Menzel or any of the original cast will be returning. 

And now for G.I. Joe 3 which has just landed veteran writer Jonathan Lemkin (Lethal Weapon 4) to pen the Real American Heroes' next mission. Jon Chu has apparently moved on, possibly to direct Now You See Me 2, and the search is on for someone to replace him in time for the film to hit a planned 2016 release date. Dwayne Johnson is expected to return as Roadblock and if the teaser poster of the Arashikage Clan is any indication there will be even more ninja action than before.  [Variety/Deadline]

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New Director Sought for 'G.I. Joe 3'; Teaser Poster Released

Despite Jon Chu frequently talking about his plans for a sequel to G.I. Joe: Retaliation, it was beginning to look more like he was getting some distance from the franchise. He circled the Star Trek 3 gig for some time, and then took on a live-action Jem and the Holograms. But when his name recently surfaced as the frontrunner to helm Now You See Me 2, it became clear he would not be chronicling the Real American Heroes' next adventure.

Collider spoke with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura who confirmed that new directors are being sought for G.I. Joe 3....

di Bonaventura: “We’re just starting [to talk to directors]. We’re negotiating with a writer right now, and once we close that deal—which should be any moment—then we’ll have a story locked down. I’m really excited about it.” 

Paramount Pictures recently dated the film for some time in 2016, which means a production date of early next year is likely. Dwayne Johnson, who is due to return and take over the franchise as Roadblock, previously said filming would begin in January of 2015, but di Bonaventura says it will be a touch later...

di Bonaventura: "G.I. Joe 3 we are trying to get going, starting early next year…I think it’ll be a little later than [January]. I think February or March is probably more realistic. We were originally shooting for January and I think it’s slid a little bit, but you never know. It’s still a little too early to tell yet."

As for other characters who might be returning other than Roadblock? That's still very much up in the air...

di Bonaventura: “One thing is for sure: there were some characters the fans were really shouting for us to put in, we’re gonna put in a few one of the ones that they know that would be new to the movie audience if they don’t know the mythology.”

One thing is clear, though, and that the ninja action is only due to be ramepd up to another level, at least if this teaser poster, sent to our pals at Bleeding Cool, is to be believed. It shows the insignia of the Arashikage Clan, of which Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes are members.

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Will Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis, and Dwayne Johnson Return for 'G.I. Joe 3'?

This will come as a surprise to absolutely no one, but the Internet has a habit of blowing things out of proportion. A few days ago G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu said this about the possibility of Channing Tatum returning for G.I. Joe 3...

Chu: "You never know. Storm Shadow died in the first one and came back in the second one, and then other characters have died and never come back. The G.I. Joe world, the best thing about it is you never know who's coming back and who's not."

Well now Chu has come out and clarified his statement and it doesn't seem likely we'll be seeing anymore of Duke. While talking to Comingsoon, Chu said...

Chu: " It all gets carried away again. They asked me about Channing and I don't know. You never know in these movies, and that's all I said, and suddenly it became "Channing Tatum might be back." To me, every possibility is open and we're writing the script right now and we're figuring everything out. It's an extremely low possibility when you kill somebody like that, it's pretty much it, but you never know with "G.I. Joe." We did that with Storm Shadow, too."

On the other hand, he seems pretty confident the influx of star power the franchise got with Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis will continue...


Chu: "I'm excited to bring in new characters and fun things beyond Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis that we're working on and some great villains, but we're forming those ideas now," he said. "I think we're going to be shooting next year. We're pretty motivated to get that up."

That's hardly a confirmation, but it does sounds as if both will be returning for another mission. Joining them will be Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye, confirming last week that she would be back. Chu has also left open the door for some of the first film's stars to return, including Rachel Nichols as Scarlet.

There's still no hard release date but Chu seems pumped to get production going in 2014....

Chu: "I think we're going to be shooting next year. We're pretty motivated to get that up."

If that's true it pretty much rules him out as director of Star Trek 3, doesn't it? 

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Jon Chu Talks 'G.I. Joe 3'; Hints at Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis' Return

Many were surprised when Jon Chu went from directing the Step Up movies to G.I. Joe: Retaliation, largely based on the enthusiasm and childhood love he had for the franchise. Paramount's gamble on him paid off, and while the $370M it took in wasn't a huge jump over the prior film, it got fans excited to see more of G.I. Joe in action, and a third film was quickly ordered up with Chu returning.

Chu has been talking up G.I. Joe 3 a lot over the last couple of weeks, recently suggesting we could see some familiar faces from the first film making a comeback. There was a massive amount of turnover between the two movies, which has led to some question whether Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis, big reasons for the sequel's success, could possibly move on as well. Chu recently spoke with Collider about that possibility, and seems to confirm that Johnson and Willis will be on board for at least one more mission...

Chu: "Y'know Dwayne only has a certain amount of time in his schedule, and Bruce only has a certain amount of time. Not saying that they're back or not back yet, but y'know when you're looking at their schedules there are certain times. Do we need to get going? It would be really awesome to get going now.” 

He would backtrack on any sort of confirmations even further during a conversation with Comingsoon, saying...

Chu:  "I can't confirm or deny the reports. But yeah we're continuing and of course the Rock is our leader and much of what he displays is what G.I. Joe and what the future G.I. Joe will be, but we're trying to figure all that stuff out right now."

What it sounds like is that Chu is moving forward as if both stars are involved, although nothing is confirmed, and probably won't be until a screenwriter is hired and Johnson finishes up with Hercules and Fast & Furious 7.

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Who Might Return for 'G.I. Joe 3'?

While the $370M G.I. Joe: Retaliation earned didn't set the world on fire, it was enough to get Paramount moving forward on a sequel. Jon Chu is coming back to direct it, but there's nothing on which cast members will re-enlist for another mission. There was a massive amount of turnover between the first two films, but it sounds like the third one could bring back some we haven't seen in awhile.

Walking talking to CraveOnline, Chu revealed at least one character from G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra could be returning....

Chu: "There's definitely a possibility that we'll get Scarlet back. I think there's a lot of characters that we can get back. The G.I. Joe world is a large world and we're with one section of it. In mind it was never "Oh we're getting rid of everyone and that's that!" This is another part of the universe and I'm sure we'll get her back. She has some of the most interesting storylines, especially with Snake Eyes."


Scarlett as played pretty well by Rachel Nichols, but her character was left out of the sequel. Perhaps they felt having her and Adrianne Palicki was a bit too much estrogen for the military outfit. There have been some questions whether we'd be seeing more of the rivalry between Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow, and at least in those comments it sounds like the former will be back. Snake-Eyes and Scarlet are a romantic item in the comics, and she shares a ninja affiliation with him, as well.

Fans are probably more concerned about Dwayne Johnson coming back as Roadblock, but nothing has been confirmed on that front.

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