Exclusive G.I. JOE 2 Update: Starts Filming This August in New Orleans and It’s Not in 3D
by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub Posted:May 19th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
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With G.I. Joe 2 getting released next summer – specifically on August 10, 2012 – you had to figure that filming would begin in the near future. After all, Paramount has already hired director Jon Chu (the last two installments in the Step Up franchise and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never) to replace original Joe director Stephen Sommers and we’ve also heard that only Lee Byung-hun (Storm Shadow), Ray Park (Snake Eyes) and Channing Tatum (Duke) will be reprising their roles from the first film.
With news rather quiet since those announcements, I did some digging and heard a few things about the sequel. It seems that filming is set to begin in the middle of August and unlike the first film which primarily shot in Los Angeles, the sequel will be filming in New Orleans. In addition, while Chu had been talking about doing the Joe sequel in 3D, I’ve been told they will not be shooting in 3D and they also will not post convert to 3D. Meaning G.I. Joe 2 will be released in good old fashioned 2D. More after the jump.
jon-chu-imageAbout a month ago, Chu talked about getting hired to do G.I. Joe 2. At the time he said:
“We’re just beginning it. We just got the deal done, so now I get to get my hands dirty; this is the fun part, where we get to do pre-vis, to design characters, design worlds and literally the things I would create in my backyard.”
When asked directly about his feelings toward shooting the film in 3D, the director showed support for the technology, saying:
“I really want to do it in 3D, but the decision hasn’t been made yet. A lot of factors that go into that, which I think it’s good to have a big discussion about. I think it’s going to be perfect for it, but there are other factors that are built into it—how it slows you down, things like that. But I could try some other things if it wasn’t in 3D; it would change my whole view of how I would make this movie, so we’re trying to figure it out.”
At the time, it sounded like 3D was a real possibility. But for whatever reason, I’ve been told the film will not be shooting in 3D and not post converting. As someone who thinks 3D is great when done right, I’m happy they’ve made the decision this early and now 3D won’t be a distraction.
On a similar note, last night I got to see some of Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon (here’s my thoughts and video blog). After seeing the way he painted his canvas using 3D cameras to help tell the story, it’s once again got me excited about the technology. But if Hollywood keeps releasing horrible post converted movies, I’m going to sour to the format permanently.
3D or not, as one of the people who really liked the first G.I. Joe movie, I’m hoping Chu is going to do a great job with his first big studio movie. And as far as additional casting, I’m sure over the next month or two we’re going to hear plenty of casting news. More as we get it.