The G.I. Joe sequel could be directed by the guy behind that Justin Bieber movie

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Pick the one that doesn’t seem to fit: F. Gary Gray (LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, THE ITALIAN JOB); Jaume Collet-Serra (UNKNOWN, ORPHAN); Jon Chu (JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER, STEP UP 2 and 3D)

According to the good hombres over at Latino Review, the above three directors appear to be on Paramount’s shortlist for their impending sequel to Stephen Sommers’ fun but terribly dumb G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA. Sommers dropped (or was dropped from) the project last month, leaving the director’s chair wide open for some new blood to take on the sequel’s Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (ZOMBIELAND) script.

Gray, of course, is probably the biggest name of the three. He’s had his share of flops (BE COOL) and successes (THE ITALIAN JOB), but he’s proven over the years to be a very competent workman director. Catalonian filmmaker Collet-Serra is a lesser known quantity, but perhaps this week’s release of the Liam Neeson thriller UNKNOWN will put him on the map?

And then there’s Jon Chu, a seemingly out of leftfield choice when you look at his filmography, but who’s made Paramount (JOE’s studio) a relatively lump sum after nearly taking this past weekend’s box office with the Bieber documentary everybody loves to hate (but which I hear is actually… not bad). You can see why Paramount likes him, but would a director primarily known for song and dance actually be a good fit for the cartoony G.I. Joe brand?