Yo Joe! A follow-up to the 2009 release of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which grossed over $300 million worldwide, in G.I. Joe: Retaliation the G.I. Joe team is not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. We recently sat down with film stars D.J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Dwayne Johnson, director Jon M. Chu and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura.

di Bonaventura, who has had a hand in some of the most successful film franchises to date, including the billion dollar franchise Transformers, felt that the first film’s conclusion left the door open to explore more within the G.I. Joe world, “Before we started the script, what we do is we sort of say to ourselves, Alright, what characters did we wish we had been able to use the first time out? What characters are the fans clamoring for?”

When considering directors to helm the sequel, producers brought in director on-the-rise Jon M. Chu, who had just come off of the hugely-successful Justin Bieber movie Never Say Never. With his past with the singer we asked if he had considered Bieber for a role in the film to what he jokingly responded, “It would have been fun to have him as a soldier, to get him blown to pieces. His fans would have loved that. That would have been awesome.”

The G.I. Joe mythology has a pantheon of characters to draw from, each with their own back-story, nuances and characteristics. Returning from the first installment is Duke, the young all-American soldier who leads his team with confidence, precision and a great deal of pride. Reprising the role is actor Channing Tatum. With Duke as the head of the elite unit, the spine and backbone of the group is Roadblock, his second in command.  When looking for an actor who could match the character’s physicality while embodying his internal strength and fortitude the filmmakers set their eyes on, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “Dwayne was the only guy in our mind. Roadblock was the only part he could really own and go from second in command to first in command. That alone set the tone for us. He has that. He is funny. He is the everyman even though he is in a giant body. You also have to take him seriously because he will hit you in the face,” Chu said.   

After stepping into pre-existing franchises a couple times now, the former wrestling superstar hopes his addition as character Roadblock gives G.I. Joe: Retaliation the firepower it needs to redirect that film series into a more serious, more intense direction. “With G.I. Joe it was very special. It had a deep-rooted cool connection with me because I played with G.I. Joes when I was younger. So to get the call a year and a half ago about becoming a Joe, and leading the Joes, and having the opportunity to go in pay homage and respect to the mythology, and then hopefully make a better movie than the first is important,” Johnson said. And what about that up and coming superstar that originated the film franchise that is G.I. Joe? “I really enjoyed working with Channing. He’s a great guy, as you know. He is the sexiest man alive… till next year,” Johnson said and winked.

Another beloved character of the G.I. Joe mythology introduced to the film franchise is Flint, played by newcomer D.J. Cotrona. “I grew up as a huge G.I. Joe fan. I had all the toys, I had the aircraft carrier which was a big deal back in the day. So to get to actually become a part of it and make the movie and make it feel like how I've always wanted it to have it feel, it was a childhood dream come true,” Cotrona said. As one of the newer members of the elite team, Flint struggles to find the balance between being a hero in his own right and a supportive member of the unit.  “Flint has a lot of natural ability, but has a very short trigger and thinks that his way is the best way,” Cotrona continues.

Joining him is Lady Jaye, the only female in the squad and an integral part of the unit, played by actress Adrianne Palicki. When asked if she was familiar with the relationship Flint and Lady Jaye had in the cartoon she replied, “Yes, they get married eventually.” The relationship is touched upon slightly in the film but with so much going on we might have to wait for a third film for these two to get things going. “Yeah maybe, we'll see. But that was the thing, even Jon said we don't want to make this a thing. I think the studio really wanted a kiss in there and they said no, it just feels forced in this world where we're saving the world, do you know what I mean? We feel that in order for this moment to happen, it has to feel not forced. And they're just starting to get to know each other. The characters are introduced and then all of these people are just getting to know each other for the first time. I thought it was tastefully done,” Palicki said.

Director Jon Chu was very clear with the message he wanted to bring with this film. “What makes a soldier is not the laser guns or the hover crafts, it’s what’s inside. What we have inside to be a hero, when you stand up for something; that you mean for something. That was an important message for what GI Joe stands for but what we also want to infuse in this movie. The saying that is actually what the soul of GI Joe is about,” he said.

We really enjoyed this one. A fun action packed adventure that moves at a good pace. Will definitely do great with younger audiences.

G.I. Joe Retaliation is in theaters March 28, 2013!