As I’ve said many times, while it’s always great to talk to actors, if you really want to find out why certain decisions were made on a film, you always want to talk to the director and the producers.  In the case of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the set of which I visited in 2011, the one who provided the most of the information about the sequel was Lorenzo di Bonaventura (who also produced the first G.I. Joe and a few other movies like the Transformers franchise, Red, Red 2, Salt, , The Last Stand, Side Effects , Jack Ryan, and many more).

During an extended group interview on set, di Bonaventura talked about the differences between Retaliation and the first film, the sequel’s tone, Cobra Commander’s mask, Destro, the action, new castmembers like Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis, director Jon M. Chu, the merchandising, the humor, and so much more.  If you’re a Joe fan, it’s a great read.  Hit the jump to check it out.

While some had issues with the first G.I. Joe movie, most would agree the casting of Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow and Ray Park as Snake Eyes was dead on.  So when Paramount decided to make the sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, while they brought in a lot of new actors, I was extremely happy they kept Lee and Park as Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes.

During a group interview on the set when Retaliation was filming in New Orleans, Lee talked about returning for the sequel, the training, how Storm Shadow has a bigger role in the sequel, the fight scenes, the difference between making movies in Hollywood and Korea, his action figure, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

When you think of G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow immediately come to mind for most people. After all, they’re two of the coolest characters in the “Joe” universe and they have a long history. If you’re one of those people that love the characters, you’re going to be happy to learn that G.I. Joe: Retaliation spends a lot of time with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.  We get to see their backstory, watch some great fights, and the film uses the silent interlude storyline from the comics for part of the film.  As I said, fans of the characters are going to love what director Jon M. Chu is planning.

When G.I. Joe: Retaliation was filming in New Orleans, I got to visit the set and participate in a group interview with Ray Park (Snake Eyes).  He talked about his new costume and weapons, the fight sequences with Storm Shadow, working with Elodie Yung (Jinx), and a lot more.  Hit the jump to read what he said.

While many wondered if Jon M. Chu was the right choice to direct G.I. Joe: Retaliation, after spending the day on set while the production was filming in New Orleans, I became extremely confident that he was going to deliver a kick-ass G.I. Joe movie.  I say this because not only did he say all the right things during a group interview, he did the most important thing: he showed us some of the movie!  The sizzle reel we watched demonstrated that he’s got a great handle on the material and I really believe this is the G.I. Joe movie fans have been waiting for.

During the interview Chu talked about how he got involved with the project, the silent fight sequence, the new cast, working with Hasbro, the tone, the soundtrack, what he’d like to see in future installments, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

If you saw the first G.I. Joe movie, you might have noticed Jinx in the background of two scenes (she was training in the P.I.T.T. and in the background of General Hawk’s speech).  However, in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, not only is Jinx being played by a new actress (Elodie Yung), her character has been given a lot more screentime including some major action sequences with Snake Eyes.  If you’re familiar with the G.I. Joe cartoons and comics, you’re definitely going to see a few things you recognize.

During a group interview with Elodie Yung on the New Orleans set, we talked about how she got cast, the action scenes, working with RZA as Blind Master and director Jon M. Chu, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what she had to say.

One of the new actors and characters making an appearance in G.I. Joe: Retaliation is D.J. Cotrona as Flint.  When the first Joe movie came out in 2009 (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), many fans were disappointed that Flint didn’t show up.  Clearly Hasbro/Paramount and the filmmakers heard the fans, as Flint is a huge part of the sequel.

During a group interview on the New Orleans set of Retaliaion, Cotrona talked about how he was cast, how Flint plays into the story, the action scenes, his relationship with Lady Jaye and Duke, his costume and the weapons,  whether he has scenes with Snake Eyes, what it was like to almost play Superman in George Miller’s Justice League movie, and a lot more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

We’re happy to debut three new images from director Jon M. Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation today.  The exclusive shots feature looks at Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, and D.J. Cotrona and in uniform, and one thing’s for certain after looking at these images: G.I. Joe is packed with some incredibly intimidating gentlemen.  The sequel’s story finds the Joes disbanded and outnumbered as they must square off against not only the Cobras, but also threats within their own government.  The trailers promise some incredibly theatrical fight sequences and ninja avalanches, so Retaliation should hopefully be quite the entertaining moviegoing experience.

Also starring Elodie Yung, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Stevenson, Walton Goggins, RZA and Adrianne Palicki, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 28th.  Hit the jump to view the new images.

Check out the latest clips from the following movies:

• Spring Breakers – Recently premiering at SXSW, this new clip from Harmony Korine’s film features the introduction of James Franco’s character, Alien.  There’s also some bonus behind-the-scenes footage.  Also starring Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine, Spring Breakers opens in limited release on March 15th and expands March 22nd.
• The Place Beyond the Pines – A new clip from Derek Cianfrance’s crime drama stars Ryan Gosling and Ben Mendelsohn planning a heist.  Also starring Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes, The Place Beyond the Pines opens in limited release March 29th.
• G.I. Joe: Retaliation – The new clip from Jon M. Chu’s sequel pits Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) against Snake Eyes (Ray Park).  Also starring Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Adrianne Palicki, Elodie Yung and D.J. Cotrona, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens March 28th.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.

Over the last few days, we’ve been treated to some character featurettes, recruitment videos and clips from director Jon M. Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  Today, three new character featurettes have been made available.  They focus on Channing Tatum’s Duke, Adrianne Palicki’s Lady Jaye and D.J. Cotrona’s Flint, and reveal a few new bits of footage. (Cotrona’s might be a bit spoilery as there is an odd appearance of another cast member, though it’s out of context.)

Also starring Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park and Elodie Yung, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens March 28th.  Hit the jump to watch the featurettes.

Two character featurettes for director Jon M. Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation are now available. One centers on the Joe’s namesake, Joe Colton (Bruce Willis) who re-enlists to join the team in their fight against Cobra.  While it’s fun to listen to Willis talk about playing with the titular toys as a kid, the really entertaining featurette centers on Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee).  We get to see a revisit of the origin story between Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes (Ray Park), plus commentary from Lee, Chu, Park and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Definitely worth a watch, especially since we get a previously-unheard bit of dialogue from RZA.

Also starring Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson and Adrianne Palicki, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens March 28th.  Hit the jump to watch the featurettes.

The last weekend of March promises to be an exciting one. Not only do we get the return of Game of Thrones , but the long-delayed G.I. Joe: Retaliation finally blasts its way into theaters. A new minute-long clip from the film debuted online earlier today, featuring none other than Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis.

The clip’s not so very different from what we’ve seen in the various trailers and TV spots, though this clip shows a little bit more of the scene in which Willis’ Joe Colton announces his decision to reenlist. Oh yeah, and he’s got a pretty sweet pair of wheels too. Directed by John Chu, the film also features Channing Tatum, Ray Stevenson, Walton Goggins, Ray Park, and, of course, a whole other host of ninjas.  Hit the jump to see the boys in all their badass glory. G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens in 3D on March 29th.

We’ve got a few new TV spots to share with you today from the following movies:

• G.I. Joe: Retaliation – The Joe sequel, directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee and Bruce Willis, opens March 29th.
• Olympus Has Fallen – The Presidential hostage thriller from Antoine Fuqua stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Angela Bassett, Rick Yune and Morgan Freeman, and opens March 22nd.

Hit the jump to check out three new TV spots.

Opening this week is Ric Roman Waugh’s new thriller Snitch, based on the true story of a man (played by Dwayne Johnson) whose son is wrongly accused of dealing drugs and is facing decades behind bars under the mandatory minimum sentencing laws.  Johnson strikes a deal—he will help lead to an arrest if his son can go free.  He soon finds himself caught up in a massive undercover mission that could lead to the arrest of a Mexican Cartel drug lord—but at a potentially deadly cost.  The film also stars Jon Bernthal, Barry Pepper, Benjamin Bratt, Rafi Gavron, and Michael K. Williams.

Recently I was able to speak to Mr. Johnson about the film Snitch in an exclusive interview.  As it turns out, he’s a big Collider fan, with a sweet spot for Steve!  He also told me about signing on to do the film and connecting with his character as a father who would also do anything for his kids.  I also got some details about Fast and Furious 6, and the scoop on upcoming films Pain and Gain, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and his passion project Hercules.  Click after the jump to see the whole interview.

Two new TV spots are now available for director Jon M. Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  The teasers feature Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson) explaining the concept of a fist and reminding the Joes to act like gentlemen, much to the enjoyment of Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki).

Also starring Bruce Willis, Ray Park, Lee Byung-hun, Channing Tatum, RZA, Elodie Yung, Walton Goggins and Ray Stevenson, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens March 29th.  Hit the jump to watch the new spots.

If you’re a toy collector, Toy Fair is a very big deal.  Every February in New York City, all the toy manufactures unveil all their upcoming toy lines and there are always a number of surprises.  This year, one of the big surprises involved Star Wars.  For those who are unaware, since 1977, Star Wars action figures have always come in two sizes: 3.75″ and 12″ inch.  But for the first time since the series launched, Hasbro is introducing a 6-inch scale version and they’re called it “The Black Series.”  Hasbro claims this new line features a higher level of articulation and they’ll be in store shelves this fall with a retail price of $19.99 each.   While you may wonder why make a change now, I think it’s an easy answer: money.   The fact is, Hasbro has already produced every character that’s ever been seen in any Star Wars movie.  By launching a new 6″ line, they can try and get collectors to buy every character again, but in a larger format and with a higher price point.   It’s a smart business move.

So if you’re curious what the new 6″ series looks like, hit the jump.  We’ve also got more pictures of other Star Wars toys plus G.I. Joe: Retaliation toys.