G.I. Joe: Retaliation The Movie in Budapest,

• Info
• Cast & Crew

• Genre: Action,Adventure
  
  Synopsis:
  The G.I. Joe team (D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki) faces threats both from COBRA and from within the U.S. government.
  
  Release Date: 03/29/2013
  http://www.gijoemovie.com/
  
• Cast:
  Flint: D.J. Cotrona,Storm Shadow: Byung-hun Lee,Lady Jaye: Adrianne Palicki,Snake Eyes: Ray Park,President: Jonathan Pryce,Firefly: Ray Stevenson,Duke: Channing Tatum,Joe Colton: Bruce Willis,Roadblock: Dwayne Johnson,RZA ,Jinx: Elodie Yung
  
  Crew:
  Director: Jon Chu M.,Screenwriter: Rhett Reese,Screenwriter: Paul Wernick,Producer: Lorenzo di Bonaventura,Producer: Brian Goldner,Executive Producer: Stephen Sommers,Executive Producer: Herbert W. Gains,Executive Producer: Erik Howsam,Cinematographer: Stephen Windon,Production Design: Andrew Menzies,Film Editor: Roger Barton,Film Editor: Jim May,Costume Designer: Louise Mingenbach
  
  Distributors:
  Paramount Pictures
  
  Notes:
  Production Notes - Notes provided by Paramount Pictures - G.I. JOE: RETALIATION A follow-up to the 2009 release of G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, which grossed over $300 million worldwide, Paramount Pictures, MGM and Skydance Productions present, in association with HASBRO, a di Bonaventura Pictures production: G.I. JOE: RETALIATION. In this sequel, the G.I. JOE team is not only fighting their mortal enemy COBRA; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. The film stars D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Stevenson, Channing Tatum with Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson. G.I. JOE: RETALIATION is directed by Jon M. Chu; produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner and written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick, based on Hasbro's G.I. JOE(R) characters. The executive producers are Stephen Sommers, Herbert W. Gains and Erik Howsam. The director of photography is Stephen Windon. The production designer is Andrew Menzies and the editors are Roger Barton and Jim May. The costume designer is Louise Mingenbach. ABOUT THE FILM Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who has had a hand in some of the most successful film franchises to date, including the billion dollar franchise TRANSFORMERS, felt that the first film's conclusion left the door open to explore more within the G.I. JOE world. ``I thought that ending the first film with the suggestion that there was an imposter in the oval office was something that was completely unique and would be an interesting thing to examine... It was important to find a director who would really own it completely and be able to take all the multi-layered characters and treat them with gravity, says di Bonaventura. When considering directors to helm the sequel, Adam Goodman, President of Paramount's Film Group, surprised di Bonaventura by suggesting director on-the-rise Jon M. Chu, who had just come off of the hugely-successful Justin Bieber movie NEVER SAY NEVER. ``Jon and I had a funny first meeting because his experiences are pretty far away from mine and vice versa, but I discovered that he grew up with the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA mythology and understood the internal aesthetics of what G.I. JOE is and that is something that's invaluable, recalls di Bonaventura. ``After talking, we found out that we were both trying to make the same movie and it's been a great partnership. In Chu, producers saw a fresh set of eyes with genuine enthusiasm and love for the brand. ``He has a shorthand with these characters and he brings a great sense of experimentation to his films, says executive producer Erik Howsam. Recalls Chu, ``I grew up with G.I. JOE and was familiar back before the cartoon and comic books, and felt that that we could tie in the brand to various generations. My version would be what any fan boy would want to see. The G.I. JOE mythology runs deep and has a pantheon of characters to draw from, each with their own back-story, nuances and characteristics. When approaching the sequel, the filmmakers wanted to build on the best elements and storylines from the first film and carry those through to the second installment while simultaneously creating a new identity and feel. This offered the opportunity to introduce new characters from the mythology to the franchise. ABOUT THE CHARACTERS & CAST Returning from the first installment is DUKE, the young all-American soldier who leads his team with confidence, precision and a great deal of pride. DUKE, dedicated and loyal, will do anything to protect the soldiers under his care and strives to bring out the best in each one of them. Reprising the role is actor Channing Tatum, who brings ease to a character who appeals to a varied audience. ``Channing is an everyman and we can relate to DUKE much more because he is straight-up and has an amazing ability to feel familiar with the audience, says Chu. ``It's been so fun to be back playing the biggest make-believe game of all time, says Channing. With DUKE as the head of the elite unit, the spine and backbone of the group is ROADBLOCK, his second in command. ROADBLOCK is a mountain of a man who helps lead the team with experience, honor and an unbreakable dedication to his unit and country. ``He is one of the most loved characters in the G.I. JOE world and we knew we wanted ROADBLOCK to be a part of the movie, explained Chu. When casting a character known for his extreme physical dominance and legendary size, filmmakers were put to the task of finding an actor who could match the character's physicality while embodying his internal strength and fortitude. ``There is only one person I can think of in the entire world who could ever embody this character and Dwayne Johnson was that guy, says Chu. ``Beyond the obvious fact of his physicality, Dwayne understands what it means to be a soldier and a leader. He brought an honor and grounded humanity to the role. Chu continues. ``Dwayne is essentially a G.I. JOE and that's something you can't act or script out. It's just in his DNA. When you think of anyone who is almost a living action figure, Dwayne comes to mind. ``Dwayne is an actual action figure, says Tatum. ``Every time I look at him on set I think 'That's The Rock!' His arm is literally as big as my waist. Like many, Dwayne Johnson had his own cherished memories of playing with G.I. JOE toys as a child. ``As a kid, I loved playing with the G.I. JOE action figures. When I got involved with the project I began to understand the mythology and was impressed by how layered it is and how deep it goes, says Johnson. ``ROADBLOCK is considered the glue that holds the G.I. JOE team together and I really appreciated his reluctance to being in the front or in the limelight, says Johnson. ``He does it for the love of country and service and I find it very admirable when a man is in that space. The relationship between ROADBLOCK and DUKE is that of a partnership steeped in mutual respect and experience. ``DUKE is the head of the G.I. JOE team and ROADBLOCK is the spine and they work really well together, explains Chu. ``While DUKE gives the commands and serves as the quarterback, he relies on ROADBLOCK's experience and strengths to back him up. Their relationship is very close. Another beloved character of the G.I. JOE mythology introduced to the film franchise is FLINT, a solid and strong-willed soldier who has a bit of a rebellious streak. ``FLINT is the guy who is really good at what he does, but is a bit of a renegade, explains di Bonaventura. ``He doesn't want to follow party lines, which doesn't always go down particularly well in an organization like the G.I. JOE team. Casting the role meant finding an actor who could hold his own, fighting side by side with co-stars Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum, and exude enough confidence to not want to always follow the path laid out. Filmmakers found their FLINT in newcomer D.J. Cotrona, who had the right combination of strength, charm and slight cockiness. ``D.J. has a quiet intensity and is a good contrast to Dwayne and Channing. Channing has a real affability and Dwayne has a lot of strength and D.J. goes along, but he has a very firm backbone of his own, says di Bonaventura. Having a personal connection to the mythology, Cotrona was excited about the opportunity to live out his childhood fantasies. ``I grew up playing with G.I. JOE action figures, so I've been preparing for this role since I was six years old, he says. ``G.I. JOE was my first toy obsession, so this holds a very special place in my heart. In the unit, each G.I. JOE team member has unique and special areas of expertise and FLINT is no exception. His special skill is Parkour, a very athletic and dangerous method of using movement and flexibility to maneuver the body to point A to point B. To train for the role, Cotrona worked with Parkour specialists at Tempest studio in Los Angeles for months. ``I'm not going to even pretend that I have a knack for it, laughs Cotrona. ``I went in cold and worried, but the guys at Tempest were able to break each sequence down piece-by-piece that made it a lot less intimidating. As one of the newer members of the elite team, FLINT struggles to find the balance between being a hero in his own right and a supportive member of the unit. ``FLINT has a lot of natural ability, but has a very short trigger and thinks that his way is the best way, Cotrona continues. Another new character introduced in the film is LADY JAYE, the only female in the squad and never one to back down or be intimidated. An expert marksman who also handles intelligence, LADY JAYE is an integral part of the unit who fights alongside her male counterparts with equal passion and strength. The search for an actress to embody a character with both beauty and muscle was not an easy one nor taken lightly. The filmmakers found their LADY JAYE in actress Adrianne Palicki whose previous credits include RED DAWN and the television series ``Friday Night Lights. She had also been cast as the lead for the ``Wonder Woman series. ``We needed a strong woman who could hold her own and Adrianne is whip smart, beautiful and extremely physically competent, which helps audiences really experience her as one of the G.I. JOE team members, says di Bonaventura. Palicki was enthusiastic about tackling a character as strong as LADY JAYE. ``She has a bit of sass to her and a strength in having to constantly prove herself, says Palicki. ``She's a gun specialist and the intelligence of the group and has multiple qualities that they need. ``Adrianne is a tough chick, she's no one's pushover, says Dwayne Johnson. ``She comes from a long lineage of military families and can tell a dirty joke and that makes her A-Number one on my list. Although she went through training with military and fitness advisors for the extensive demands of the role, Palicki came with a familiarity from her previous work in the action realm. ``Thankfully, I'd already done RED DAWN and had just come from doing ``Wonder Woman. Because of those experiences, I was able to focus on the fine-tuned details like how to holster a gun and pull it out correctly so that guys who have been doing this for years won't watch it and think we're full of it, laughs Palicki. ``Adrianne was wide open and wanted to know the very basics of gun handling and tactical movement and the result was that I didn't have to coach her at all on set, says technical advisor Harry Humphries. Also returning to the franchise is SNAKE EYES, a fan-favorite and one of the most iconic G.I. JOE characters in the mythology. ``We knew we had to bring back SNAKE EYES, says Chu. ``Throughout the film, he discovers a lot about himself and the truth of his past. Reprising his role for a second time around, actor and martial artist Ray Park suits up again as the deadly ninja. A dynamic physical performer who has found great fanfare from his work as Darth Maul in STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE and X-MEN, Park has a reputation for his ability to breathe life into characters with little or no dialogue. ``Ray is able to communicate a lot with a nod or look and really brings SNAKE EYES to life without a single line of dialogue, comments di Bonaventura. ``Ray's movement has its own language, whether it's a shift of the shoulders, the tilting of his head or just his chin lifting up, adds Chu. ``It's amazing how everyone has a very specific idea of the personality of SNAKE EYES and that all goes to Ray Park. After their initial meeting to discuss Chu's vision and his thoughts on what would be explored with the character, Park knew he was in good hands. ``We really hit it off and Jon knew a lot about the characters. He knew how important it was to stay true to the characters and he had a strong vision for this movie. One advantage of having an accomplished martial artist such as Park for the role meant the filmmakers were able to push the limits of the fight sequences without having to cheat with cut-aways and traditional movie magic. ``Because Ray is so good at what he does, we're able to have fights without pulling any punches, says di Bonaventura. A major storyline in G.I. JOE: RETALIATION focuses on the relationship between SNAKE EYES and his arch-enemy STORM SHADOW, who was presumed dead at the end of G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA. When we first meet SNAKE EYES again, he is on a search for peace within himself after retreating to the Arashikage to train with the BLIND MASTER. It is there that SNAKE EYES learns that STORM SHADOW is still alive. ``SNAKE EYES is set to the task of finding STORM SHADOW and bringing him to the Blind Master to face judgment and accountability for his actions, explains Park. Director Jon M. Chu wanted to delve deep into the emotional storyline of the ninjas and the depth of the animosity between the two men who trained side-by-side as brothers. ``We really wanted to explore where the human and ninja collide, where the anger and jealousy start to take over and that's where we find both these characters. Korean superstar Byung-hun Lee, who reprises his role of STORM SHADOW, was excited by the possibility to explore the more internal side of the character. ``I am really glad to be back in the role and was excited to show more of STORM SHADOW and his different sides, says Byung-hun Lee. Fully prepared to dive into the emotional inter-workings of the character, Lee brought a great deal of passion and physical commitment to the role and his approach. ``Byung-hun came with strong ideas on who this character is and he spills it all on the screen, says Chu. ``Byung-hun has an amazing presence, says di Bonaventura. ``He's doing all these fights himself, but also has an internal strength of character that gives STORM SHADOW great dignity. Also an incredibly powerful martial artist and athlete in his own right, Lee did extensive training to reprise the role and was excited to approach the action sequences from a more practical standpoint. ``Jon said that he wanted the movie to be more real, so I trained a lot to make my body bigger and more cut. ``Because we had actors who could really fight, I wanted to show the brutality of their fights and steer away from the uptight ninjas we've all seen before, recalls Chu. ``When STORM SHADOW gets hit in the face, I wanted to see the blood seeping through his white mask. A new component of the martial arts sequences that is sure to excite audiences is the introduction to the use of sais, the deadly sharp-bladed weapons often seen in the G.I. JOE comics. ``I was excited about using the sais as an extension of their punches, like brutal brass knuckles with an extremely sharp edge, says Chu. ``We put them in close quarters where audiences can really experience just how dangerous this is. Introduced to the film franchise, but a well-known character within the world of G.I. JOE is JINX, a female ninja and cousin of STORM SHADOW. ``JINX is one of the characters I've always wanted to see on film, recalls Chu. ``She is sort of the princess of the Arashikage world, but doesn't want the title. She hates it and wants to fight and do what SNAKE EYES does, but has always felt put in the corner. For the role of JINX, filmmakers found their first female ninja warrior in actress Elodie Yung who appeared in the French parkour film DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM and most recently in the David Fincher-directed THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. ``Elodie made a huge impression and we just knew she would be perfect for JINX, recalls Chu. ``When she came in, she exuded such a strong presence that made it pretty clear that JINX was already alive in Elodie. The classic saying that big things come in small packages certainly applies to Yung, who attacked the role with extreme focus and passion. ``Elodie is deceiving because she is a small woman and very elegant, but can kick your butt, says di Bonaventura. ``At first glance, you may worry about her, but you quickly realize that she's a killer, which is fun because it brings both sides of the equation. Although already a black belt in karate, Yung went through rigorous physical training for the role. ``We worked for about a month before shooting and focused on my cardio because of how demanding it all was, recalls Yung. A large part of that preparation was training in the Chinese Martial Art Wushu, which entails extensive use of sword fighting. ``I've done other action films before, so I was a bit familiar, but when I arrived here I quickly realized that fighting with two swords is completely different, laughs Yung. ``I've never seen anyone make such a huge leap from knowing nothing about swords to whipping around hitting her marks. It was amazing. You feel her grow as a warrior beyond just her character and I think the audience is really going to enjoy that journey, says Chu. A major point of the film involves the fate of the United States Presidency and the highjacking of the Oval Office. Fans of the first installment will recall the President suspiciously whistling ZARTAN's signature tune at the end of G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA. This installment confirms that evil forces have taken over the White House and have somehow gotten inside the Presidency. Literally. Acclaimed actor Jonathan Pryce reprises his role as the American President and was set with the extraordinary task of playing two different characters on opposite sides of the spectrum of good (the real American President) versus evil (the villain posing as the American President). Pryce approached the opportunity to play opposite sides of one character with great enthusiasm and loved the challenge. ``People always ask if it's more interesting to play the good guy or the bad guy in this one. It was fun to play both someone who is the oppressor and the victim at the same time, says Pryce. The role, however, did not come without its challenges. The duality of the character required extraordinary focus to maintain consistency throughout the shoot and Pryce never missed a beat. In addition, Pryce had to manage the technical mechanics required to shoot scenes essentially against himself. ``I wasn't quite prepared for how difficult, technically, it was going to be to talk to myself, laughs Pryce. ``Talking to a piece of green paper on a stick was certainly interesting, but the amazing thing was that we were able to see almost immediate playback and how they could match the two images of me together. I thought it was an extraordinary thing to be able to do. Happy to be working with Pryce again, di Bonaventura says, ``The movie doesn't work without Jonathan Pryce. We're thrilled to have him back because we needed his humor and his sense of gravitas to hold the two sides of the movie together. He has such a presence and great sense of timing. He is able to capture the right balance of the character that is very tricky. Sure to be a new fan favorite is the explosive new villain FIREFLY, who is enlisted by COBRA to help break COBRA COMMANDER out of prison and take the stage on their quest for world domination. One of the more evil characters found in the G.I. JOE mythology, is committed to creating chaos and considers the act of destruction as artistic expression. In short, and in his own words, FIREFLY loves to make things go ``boom. ``Firefly sees beauty in the redistribution of energy, so while explosions may seem like destruction to us, he believes he is creating something, argues Chu. ``This almost artistic philosophy made FIREFLY really interesting to me and it went way beyond being merely a cold-hearted killer. ``FIREFLY only had about six lines when we first read the script, but we quickly realized just how cool the character is, recalls di Bonaventura. ``There is something fundamentally badass about him. To flesh out the role of the eccentric madman, filmmakers enlisted the talents of British actor Ray Stevenson, who recently wowed audiences in the films THOR and THE BOOK OF ELI. Stevenson approached the role with intensity and flair that went well beyond expectations. ``Ray is such a consummate actor and brought such depth to FIREFLY in such a sinister and sadistic way, says di Bonaventura. ``He brings a certain gravity to the role that really grounds this crazy psychotic character. ``Ray really built this character from the ground up and gave him this southern swagger and lingo all his own. He was interested in all the details from the type of skin on his leather jacket and the COBRA ring that he wears, to his facial scarring. He had a huge amount of input on who FIREFLY became, says Chu. Not an easy feat by any stretch, the filmmakers took into consideration the importance of casting an actor who would be a believable threat to Dwayne Johnson's ROADBLOCK. ``When it came to finding a nemesis for my character, it was important to find an opponent who could conceivably beat me and that's not an easy thing to do, laughs Johnson. ``We purposely designed the fights in a way that you could feel that FIREFLY had a real chance to beat ROADBLOCK and actually does in certain parts of the movie, says di Bonaventura. ``These are two big guys facing off and there's a healthy competition between those two. Both actors put forth great effort and commitment to preparing for the brutal combat scenes which at times left them both bruised and bloody. ``Pitting these two is great and the fights have been so intense that you felt the walls shake when they hit each other, recalls Stevenson. ``One thing about fighting with Dwayne is that when he blocks a punch it's like hitting an iron bar. The man is literally made of rock. You don't walk away from that unscathed and I certainly had my fair share of cuts and bruises. In an exciting turn that is sure to thrill G.I. JOE enthusiasts, the filmmakers sought to pay homage to the heart and soul of the G.I. JOE brand by introducing the original Joe Colton to the film franchise. ``We wanted to connect all those different incarnations by bringing it back to where it all started with the original 12 action figure Joe, explains Jon M. Chu. ``Joe Colton coming back into the picture was something we thought was really exciting. International box-office superstar Bruce Willis makes an appearance in the film as none other than the original G.I. JOE himself, Joe Colton. Producer di Bonaventura felt that there is no other actor better suited for the role. ``The original G.I. JOE was an iconic concept and Bruce is an icon in his own right, so putting them together is exciting for those in my generation and those older than me. Bruce was a huge fan of G.I. JOE growing up and played with the action figures, so it couldn't have made more sense. ``Who else could embody the soul and spirit of the original G.I. JOE but Bruce Willis? asks Chu. ``Joe Colton is a mysterious character who's been talked about in some of the comic books but not fully realized. So when Bruce Willis comes here and fills in all the gaps, it became very clear that Joe Colton is a huge presence in the soul of G.I. JOE. Equally as excited about Bruce Willis fleshing out the role of the original G.I. JOE was Dwayne Johnson. ``Bruce Willis is the ultimate man's man. He couldn't have been more perfect for the role. Lovers of film or certainly fans of the action genre will be excited about two-seasoned action icons fighting side-by-side. Director Jon M. Chu found himself taken aback when witnessing the two powerful actors in a scene together. ``There were only a few moments in the movie where I just stopped and thought 'I can't believe this is happening right now' and when you're in a room with Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis and there's SNAKE EYES, I was speechless. Johnson was grateful for the opportunity to finally work together with Willis with whom he's shared a friendship over the years. ``Bruce and I have been buddies for a long time and I was over the moon when I found out he was going to be involved, recalls Johnson. ``As a fan of action myself, it's pretty cool to see Bruce and I on the screen kickin' all kinds of butt. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION With a storyline that travels from the deserts of Islamabad, skyscrapers in Tokyo, the mountain peaks of the Himalayas, a sub-terranean prison in Germany to the streets of D.C., the filmmakers had the extraordinary task of finding a location that could accommodate most of the various elements needed. Unlike many films of this size and scope who rely on CGI-based technology to create their visual worlds, the filmmakers wanted to utilize practical locations as much as possible to stay in-line with the effort and mandate to make the film more reality-based and grounded. After a meticulous search of various locations with the knowledge that certain key exteriors could be captured with a reduced unit outside of the main unit, the producers found most of the elements needed in New Orleans, Louisiana. ``We realized that we couldn't do this in all the actual places in the script and looked at a reduced second unit approach and try to base the movie in one place, explains Executive Producer Herb Gains. ``After touring the various potential locations with Lorenzo and Jon, we all agreed on New Orleans and it worked extremely well for us. Taking advantage of some of the southern aesthetics, the attractions of New Orleans and the surrounding areas, the filmmakers decided to make a few alterations to the script. Once such adjustment was setting the final sequence of the film at Fort Sumter, a bunker just outside of New Orleans where the first shot of the Civil War was fired. ``With some clever screenwriting and without any real loss in terms of storytelling, we found the right location in Louisiana that could serve us well and offer some historical value to elevate the final act of the film, explains Gains. The 72-day shoot began outside of Baton Rouge in a massive man-made sandpit that served as the deserts of Pakistan. With the summer heat and humidity reaching well above 100 degrees and virtually no-shade for shelter, the experience brought the cast and crew together in an invaluable way. ``Starting off the movie in the sand pit put everyone into a war mentality right off the bat, we were under siege, recounts di Bonventura. ``The temperature and humidity were extreme and it made a common misery and there's a certain amount of fun that comes from that. We survived the desert together and that bonded the group in a really interesting way. For director Jon M. Chu, it was a great way to jump into the fire. ``It was the most intense heat I've ever experienced and we were all just getting to know each other. On top of that, it's my first action movie and we were starting with an extensive sequence with huge explosions...it definitely felt like our own boot camp of sorts. The unforgiving weather was particularly challenging for the cast, who were outfitted in their full military gear and weaponry and had to trudge up and down the massive sand hills repeatedly over a week and a half. Recalls Johnson, ``You're in the sand and it's hot, sweaty and muggy and it's easy to get tired and pissed off, but at the end of the day we were all in it together for the betterment of the team and, ultimately, the movie. One of the challenges of filming outside of production-heavy cities like Los Angeles, Vancouver, Sydney or London is the lack of infrastructure needed to support a film of this scope. A huge component to making this film a reality in New Orleans was the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility, which was utilized as the film's makeshift production facility and housed most of the grandiose sets. The dismantling of the Space Shuttle program allowed the facility to open its doors for the first time to a film production and allowed the creative team to create the various environments and large-scale sets needed for the project. In addition to the extraordinary amount of acreage available, the massive warehouses offered 250-foot ceiling height built to accommodate assembly of the massive pieces of the Space Shuttle and their fuel boosters. This gave the creative team the ability to construct multiple sets of significant size simultaneously. Throughout production sets were in a constant state of transformation; either being assembled, used or being struck in preparation for the next round of construction. ``One of the many things that NASA gave us was space and the ability to expand and contract, explains Executive Producer Herb Gains. ``There were times we had two units filming here simultaneously, sets going up and coming down and probably had up to 700 employees working here at once. Never once did we trip over each other, there was that much space. Producers surrounded the director with an accomplished group of behind-the-scenes talent to support his vision that included cinematographer Stephen Windon, who had recently lensed one of 2011's biggest films, THE FAST & THE FURIOUS 5, costume designer Louise Mingenbach, production designer Andrew Menzies, stunt coordinator Steve Ritzi, fight coordinator Thomas Dupont and second unit director George Ruge. ``One of Jon's greatest strengths is that he has a very strong ego, but doesn't have to deny other people's ideas. As a result, he is a great collaborator and has brought out the best in everybody, says di Bonaventura. ``He's taken their best ideas and combined with his own and that's resulted in the best that we could have hoped for. When it came to the visual look and scope of the film, the filmmakers enlisted the innovative input of production designer Andrew Menzies, who had served as art director on such films as MUNICH and SYRIANA. Menzies was excited about taking the film out of the CGI world into the real world and how that would translate to the overall look of the film. ``When I read the script I got very excited about the possibility of bringing some real grit to it similar to other military films like BLACK HAWK DOWN, recalls Menzies. Upon hearing Menzies initial ideas about the look, tone and textures of the film, Chu trusted that Menzies was just the designer to bring the far-reaching worlds of G.I. JOE into the real world. ``From the beginning we knew we wanted the movie to have real texture to it, to have a lot of layers and thickness to it and we knew that Andrew had the ability to make his sets feel lived-in and not fake. Having massive spaces to work with gave Menzies and his team the ability to create the various worlds of G.I. JOE with unprecedented restriction. ``I was on the first scouts of NASA with Lorenzo and Jon and Herb and I think it was a done deal once we saw the size of the VAB. It was such a unique environment for a film to shoot. It was almost too big, but it was too juicy a morsel to pass up, laughs Menzies. ``Andrew did a phenomenal job. It was a big challenge and he just killed it, says di Bonaventura. ``We have an extraordinary number of looks in the film and they are all incredibly rich. We jump all over the map and visual diversity offers a real 'wow' factor. Whether it be the sub-terranean prison, the modern urban Zen sophistication of the Tokyo skyscraper dojo or the rustic monastery on a Himalayan mountaintop, Menzies was put to the task of creating each space to fit within the framework of one film. One of the most engaging sets for the designer was the Arashikage set where SNAKE EYES and JINX train with the BLIND MASTER. The dojo is a perfect combination of modern and rustic incorporating both organic and industrial materials into the contradiction of a Zen dojo on top of a Tokyo skyscraper. This environment exemplified the idea of two-worlds colliding. ``When you put a dojo on the top of the tallest skyscraper in Tokyo, it speaks to the fusion of our movie, which