**UPDATED** We’ve just been given the first official image of Dennis Quaid as General Hawk in the "G.I. Joe" movie! For a high resolution version, just click on the image!!!

Also, at the bottom of the set report, we’ve got a few of the other new images that Paramount gave out today. They're great so make sure to take a look!

With filming about to wrap on “G.I. Joe” here in Los Angeles, Paramount Pictures and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura invited six online journalists to the Downey, California soundstages to see what they were filming and to report back to all of you our thoughts on the production. Since the cast and crew are about to leave for Prague to continue shooting, this was the last opportunity for the filmmakers and studio to let anyone see what was going on behind the scenes.

Since “G.I. Joe” means a lot to many of you…I’m sure the first thing you’re wondering is…what did I think?

I can definitely say the people bringing “G.I. Joe” to life are passionate about the property and they all seem to know about the characters and universe. And after speaking with the people on set yesterday and seeing what they showed us, I really think fans that have been waiting to see the Joe’s come to life are going to be very happy next summer. While I don’t know the tone of the film or exactly how the final film will look, based on the scene I saw filming and the vehicles and stages they let us see…it definitely will not be short on action or explosions. The sets were very impressive and I think the scope of the project will please the fans. I definitely think the film is bigger than people expect, and after seeing the vehicles up close, I cannot wait to see the action on the big screen in August of 2009. Yeah…it’s still a long way away.

And that’s the main reason why I have to be careful what I write.

While I know all of you want to hear about what The Pit looked like or the doctor’s lab, I’m sorry to say I can’t spill the beans. However, we were told we could write about what we saw and who we interviewed with no specifics…so here’s what we were shown on the various soundstages:

• The docking bay – where McCullen’s submarine comes in
• Control room for MARS headquarters – where the bad guys are
• MARS base – the legitimate part of the organization
• Saw the Mantis and Sharcs (vehicles)
• The Howler – a troop transport plane for the Joe’s
• The doctor’s lab
• G.I. JOE submarine (very cool)
• Lots of hallways – and lots of MARS logos
• And drum roll please…. we saw part of The Pit – if you are a fan of G.I. Joe you know how cool it would be to stand in The Pit!

And since I’m sure you want to know what interviews we got…we managed to talk with Mr. Snake Eyes himself…Ray Park. And after speaking with Ray, we had time with Sienna Miller (The Baroness) and Channing Tatum (Duke), and since we were shown around by producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, we have a huge amount of info from him on the making of the movie and what fans can look forward to. Trust me, when I can post these interviews you’ll love them.

Anyway, as you can hopefully tell, the six of us who visited the production of “G.I. Joe” got a great tour and a ton of info on the upcoming movie. As I said at the beginning, if you’re a fan of “G.I. Joe,” I really think you’re going to be happy next summer.

Look for my full set report as soon as Paramount let’s me run it. But I’m sorry to say…it’s probably not going to be till next year.

But if that upsets you…perhaps I can soften the blow.

About a week ago I interviewed Lorenzo di Bonaventura about “G.I. Joe” and it’s an interview that’s online now. While I didn’t get to ask certain questions as I hadn’t been onset yet…it’s still a very informative interview and one you should definitely read if you’re looking forward to the “G.I. Joe” movie. So if you missed it check it out here.

And before this article ends…let me say a big thank you to everyone at Paramount (thanks Tamar!) and anyone else who made this set visit happen. It was a great experience and one that got me way more excited for seeing Joe next year. Trust me, it’ll be a fun ride.

Latino Review has Storm Shadow

IESB has Destro

Dark Horizons has Breaker

Comingsoon has Heavy Duty

IGN has The Baroness

MTV has Duke