It’s fair to say that G.I. Joe didn’t enjoy a great deal of critical love.
By rights, nobody should be getting too excited about the prospect of a sequel, but the cast that director Jon Chu is putting together is pretty hard to ignore.
Ray Stevenson, most recently seen as Volstagg in Thor , has joined the cast as villain Firefly.
Stevenson has starred in Punisher: War Zone and The Other Guys , but he’s still best known for his role as rowdy soldier Titus Pullo in TV show Rome.
He joins Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson in the sequel, as well as the recently cast Adrianne Palicki. Bruce Willis’ name has also been bandied about, but his involvement remains a rumour.
The movie is further distanced from its predecessor by the fact Tatum seems to be the only cast member returning (although Lee Byung-hun and Ray Park have also been mooted to be coming back).
Here’s hoping that G.I. Joe 2 can deliver some more impressive action, a leaner plot and, in the form of Stevenson, a more threatening villain than the limp first instalment managed.
G.I. Joe 2: Cobra Strikes is expected to arrive in summer 2012.