Screenwriter Signed for 'G.I. Joe' Movie
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Paramount, Comic/Superhero/Geek
It is now official: Stuart Beattie is the new screenwriter for G.I. Joe. As I told you a week ago, IESB already had the scoop that Beattie would be writing the live-action adaptation, joining newly appointed director Stephen Sommers (who IESB also had announced first) on the project. Beattie has sort of a strange resume, so it is hard to tell if he's really the best to tackle the movie. He started out as co-writer of an Australian family film about a boy and a kangaroo. Then he did a couple of badly received Australian movies before landing a gig as one of the story writers for the first Pirates of the Caribbean. After that, he scripted the mostly excellent Michael Mann thriller Collateral (his ending could have used work) and penned the adapted screenplay for the so-so thriller Derailed. Since, he's co-written a documentary about a surfing gang and had something to do with Baz Luhrman's upcoming epic Australia and the long-in-works video game adaptation Spy Hunter. The thing to look for, to see if he's worthy of an action-packed pic is next month's vampire movie 30 Days of Night.Of course, G.I. Joe could be more of a thriller -- one for the whole family, that is -- but I guess it is doubtful. Beattie is probably just a writer for hire who will not have much to say. The basic idea for the movie has already been set up, and not just because at least three other writers have worked on drafts in the past. Paramount has given the simple plot as being about a Brussels-based, co-ed force that battles an evil arms-dealing organization. One thing I hadn't noticed the first time I wrote about that homogenized update is that the head of COBRA is double-crossing Scot. Funny, I never knew this when I was growing up, but after looking up COBRA on Wikipedia, I learned that, yes, Destro was a Scottish arms dealer. But was he head of COBRA? Well, no, that was Cobra Commander, but I at least thought he was a member of the organization. Now I'm confused, but I guess the movie is combining COBRA with something called M.A.R.S. (Military Armaments Research Syndicate), which was in fact led by Destro. Isn't it interesting how much of this specific stuff we don't pay attention to as children? I should go and check out an old episode to see how much I didn't understand the first time.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-02-2007 @ 11:31AM
AJ MacReady said...
Really? How are you going to be so hard on Beattie, and yet I give him a pass? The simple fact that it was his script that Mann signed on for? "You could wind your watch to it", I believe I read, it was that tight.
Plus, there's this - Frank Darabont did an uncredited rewrite and single pass at the script, so if the horrible "ending" got past him, it must have worked to SOMEBODY, on some level, right?
All I know is that Collateral kicks ass.
Reply
11-27-2007 @ 11:34PM
The Indigo Effect said...
From what I hear, the script retains much of the gritty realism portrayed in the comic books but nonsensically diverts from the textbook G.I. Joe formula.
Cobra Commander has always captivated me with his trademark sadism whilst Destro is almost bereft of personality. Granted, Destro has his moments, but I surmise the brilliant minds of the G.I. Joe property saw fit to place him in a support role due to his somewhat dull nature, and perhaps to the bewilderment of one widely hated screenwriter, the series managed to turn out just fine.
In the script, Cobra (the Commander suffix has been axed for some ridiculous reason) originally begins his career as Duke's old military buddy Rex, and through a series of questionable events becomes Cobra himself. It would seem that this contrived origin story garbage is the screenwriter's pitiful attempt to churn out some dramatic tension, but is it really necessary to implement this into the script when Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are already expected to play out a similar rivalry? Furthermore, how much drama is really required for what most would consider to be an ACTION movie?
9-04-2007 @ 11:15AM
b00ga said...
Sounds like from your description of the current script direction, that they are taking their cues from the history on the bio cards that came with the action figures.
Here's the card from the original Destro figure over at Yo Joe!
http://yojoe.com/filecard/83/destro.shtml
-b00ga
Reply
9-04-2007 @ 8:34PM
ThePete said...
Yeah, to me that sounds like a mess. Destro was never supposed to be the lead badguy--he was Darth Vader to Tarkin in the original Star Wars--he was the Darth Maul to Darth Sidious in the crappy Star Wars. Well, not structurally, but thematically. Destro was one of those guys who would work for either side--betray Cobra Commander in a moment if the money from someone else was better. He was a wildcard. Cobra was the fictional Al Qaeda of it's day. They even called themselves terrorists, for crying out loud.
Ah well, Hollywood effed up Transformers, they might as well go after GI Joe next.
Too bad they couldn't trash Go-Bots and Masters of the Universe, instead. Oh wait--they already did that to MotU.
But seriously--it's perfect timing for a GI Joe movie now--Destro could be just off a deal with Al Qaeda when CC calls him up to do a deal. A member of the GI Joe team finds himself rapped up in the middle of it and has to call in his team mates to stop the sale/shipment to Cobra Island.
VOILA. A decently adapted GI Joe movie. YOU'RE WELCOME, HOLLYWOOD.
Just keep the Snake-Eyes/Stormshadow dynamic intact and I will be one happy fanboy. Oh and the Snake-Eyes/Scarlett dynamic. And the part where Snake-Eyes has to wear a mask/make-up to hide how disfigured he is. And he better not talk, either.
Oh man, Hollywood's going to screw it up royal.
Reply
11-20-2007 @ 8:01PM
Jon said...
Yeah, you said it, Pete. I was HOPING that, somehow, Larry Hama would be involved, consulted, emailed by the producers, SOMETHING...as he's the best man for a good storyline, but oh well.
Here's the thing, though, that might give me hope:
In Transformers, they made Bumblebee a MUTE. Why that was necessary, I dunno.
So why 'UNMUTE' Snake Eyes? Maybe Marvel Mutes can be the new token 'color character'...?
But you know they'll make him talk, if they even put him in (which they bloody well should).
10-12-2007 @ 12:29PM
xynphix said...
If they stuck to the original stories from the comics up until their high point in 1991, it could be the best thing since the original Star Wars but I don't believe that there is a screen writer on the planet that knows GI Joe that well. Why can't they just get the real deal, Larry Hama to write the script? Besides him, I think I'm the only other person who wouldn't screw it up like what happened to the punisher.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 3:07PM
wildwes said...
I completely agree with xynphix - the original Marvel GI Joe series should be the standard, and Larry Hama was at the helm of that series. Obviously, there might be problems because I think Hasbro owns the rights to GI Joe (not Marvel) and I am not even sure if Larry is still working with Marvel.
I grew up reading the comics and watching the cartoons, and the cartoons pale in comparison to the comic books. Please don't botch up this job and cast GI Joe into purgatory with a host of other bad comic book-to-movie adaptations - go to the source, go to Larry.
Yo Joe!
Reply