More horrible G.I. joe news for my international friends this morning! Marlon Wayans has been cast as Ripcord in the upcoming G.I. Joe movie. We get the scoop thanks to our friends at ropeofsilicon:
Variety has just announced that Marlon Wayans actually is going to be in G.I. Joe as specualted earlier by Black Film, just not as Heavy Duty. Instead, Wayans will be playing Ripcord, a HALO jumper for the military unit, which stands for “High Altitude Low Opening”. Basically he is part of the Airborne Infantry. In other Joe news it appears Joseph Gordon Levitt is in negotiations to join the cast, but the character he may be playing was not mentioned.
I cannot say anything more about this movie, it looks like it is doomed to be horrible and I struggle to find any thread of enthusiasm for a film that I have been waiting for since I was a youngster. Marlon was alright in The Ladykillers and I am sure he can do dramatic roles if he wants to, but he is not right for this part. Not only does he not suit the personality of Ripcord; he looks nothing like the character. I am not sure if the people responsible for the movie know this; but Ripcord is white. I do not want a black Ripcord for the same reasons I do not want a white Roadblock, an asian Shipwreck or a goose wearing a metal mask playing Destro. I want the actors to look like the characters, it is important to me and it bothers me severely when they don’t even try.
I think the people responsible for this movie spend more time huffing glue out of a paper bag than anything else – including sleep. It seems like every week we hear of a new crowbar being thrown into the gears of a franchise that by all accounts – should kick ass. You have characters that work and a plethora of episodes in which to base a film, but FUCK IT we are going to make a horrible version and piss off every fan boy and girl that has been holding their crotches in anticipation since childhood. I don’t know what to tell you guys, all I can do is hope this film gets scrapped and they go back to the drawing board. If the writers strike can put the breaks to this film alone; it would’ve been worth it.
