While the face of Walton Goggins may be better known than the name Walton Goggins, fans who recognize him from Justified, Cowboys & Aliens and The Shield will be happy to hear that the recent Emmy nominee has signed on for a part in GI Joe: Retaliation, the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
Walton Goggins joins an expansive cast that includes Channing Tatum, Ray Park and recent additions Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Bruce Willis.
According to First Showing, Goggins is playing Warden Nigel James, a name not among the lore of G.I. Joe either in comics or cartoons. The title of Warden implies, naturally, a prison. Goggins’ casting is the latest of what has been a great deal of cast turn over from 2009’s GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra.
In fact, the list of name actors not returning for the sequel is nearly as impressive as those joining the cast. They include Dennis Quaid (General Hawk), Joseph Gordon Levitt (Cobra Commander), Rachel Nichols (Scarlett), Sienna Miller (Baroness), Marlon Wayans (Ripcord) and Christopher Eccleston (Destro). These aren’t merely big star names but famed characters from G.I. Joe mythos that aren’t coming back.
The replacements should, at the very least, fill the star power gap as they include Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Roadblock, Bruce Willis as Joe Colton, aka the real G.I. Joe, Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye, Ray Stevenson as Firefly and D.J Cotrona as Flint. Also, new to the GI Joe franchise is director John M. Chu who replaces Stephen Sommers.
John M. Chu‘s track record does not inspire confidence as it includes two of the Step Up movies and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Thankfully, he’ll get some help in the screenplay department where the Zombieland team of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick promise to give the story a little humor to go with the action spectacle. Reese and Wernick will replace the four writers it took to make The Rise of Cobra.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation is set for a blockbuster opening on June 29th, 2012.