Ray Park - star of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and X-Men - has been cast as Snake Eyes in director the upcoming G.I. Joe movie, hitting theaters on August 7, 2009.
Master ninja Snake Eyes, of course, is one of the original members and a key character in the G.I. Joe series.
Park joins Sienna Miller in the live-action film based on the Hasbro toys, comic book and TV show.
Can you pictured Sienna Miller a real American hero?
You'll have to try now, as the British actress has become the the first to join the big-budget G.I. Joe movie, according to Variety.
The 25-year-old ex of Jude Law will play the film's female lead, described as a raven-haired baroness and sexy femme fatale skilled in espionage.
The Stephen Sommers-directed film will be live-action and is based on the Hasbro toys, comicbook and TV series.
The story is set at Brussels-based GIJOE, an acronym for the Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, and revolves around an international co-ed force of operatives who use high-tech equipment to battle Cobra, an evil org headed by a Scottish arms dealer.
G.I. Joe: The Movie is scheduled for an Aug. 7, 2009, release.
Hasbro has released the following message to fans, regarding Paramount Pictures' live-action G.I. Joe adaptation:
Hasbro's G.I. Joe Team wanted to take this opportunity to clarify some of the facts regarding the G.I. Joe live-action movie that we are developing with Paramount Pictures.
First and foremost, we are not changing what the G.I. Joe brand is about. The name "G.I. Joe" will always be synonymous with bravery and heroism.
The G.I. Joe brand has enjoyed a successful 43-year history, spanning two key generations. The first was the line of 12-inch "realistic military" figures that were popular with kids in the 1960s and 1970s.
The second generation, was created in 1982, and is based on a cast of fictional heroes and villains that make up the "G.I. Joe vs. Cobra" fantasy. The premise of this fantasy is the story of the G.I. Joe team, led by Duke, and their "fight for freedom wherever there is trouble" against the evil Cobra Commander and his Cobra force. This storyline was an instant hit with kids in the early 1980s, spawning a highly popular 3-3/4-inch action figure line, comic book collection and animated series.
Various rumors have linked Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney as the lead for the hugely-hyped big screen adaption of G.I. Joe.
But reports are now coming in that Sam Worthington has actually landed the role.
This actor may not be well-known right now, but everyone will get to know him much better after he stars in the upcoming James Cameron movie, Avatar.
Stephen Sommers is directing the G.I. Joe flick, based on a script by Stuart Beattie, with Paramount looking at a summer 2009 release date.