After wowing Hollywood with his spec script Section 6, up-and-coming scribe Aaron Berg has been tapped by Paramount to pen a new script for G.I. Joe 3, which will revamp the action franchise with an eye toward setting up future installments.
DJ Caruso (Disturbia, Eagle Eye) is directing the threequel, which is expected to see the return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Roadblock. Outside of that, plot details are scarce, though it has been rumored that the film will introduce M.A.S.K. leader Matt Trakker and villainous twins Tomax and Xamot.
The first two installments, 2009’s The Rise of Cobra and 2013’s Retaliation, proved box office hits but drew middling reviews and certainly didn’t leave moviegoers thirsting for a follow-up. The studio hopes to change that with Caruso and Berg, the latter of whom is taking the reins from previous scribe Jonathan Lemkin (Shooter). If all goes according to plan, G.I. Joe 3 will set a new creative direction for the franchise and turn the Hasbro toy property into a more confident franchise, with a set leading man (Johnson inherited that responsibility from Rise of Cobra‘s Channing Tatum, but it’s unclear whether the actor will be able to stick around for more than just G.I. Joe 3) and a mythology fans of the toys and accompanying cartoon series will recognize.
Berg’s spec script Section 6, which detailed the origins of British secret intelligence agency MI6, ignited a bidding war in late 2013. Universal ultimately snapped it up, setting Attack the Block helmer Joe Cornish to direct and Unbroken‘s Jack O’Connell to star.
G.I. Joe 3 has no set release date yet, but expect to see it before the summer of 2017.
