D.J. Caruso in Talks to Helm G.I. Joe 3

After a terrible first outing in G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, the franchise was rescued by the one-two punch of director Jon M. Chu and star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who teamed up for the admittedly enjoyable G.I. Joe: Retaliation. While Chu departed the series to work on a reboot of Jem and the Holograms (yes, really), Johnson remains attached to a third film, and THR reports that Disturbia director D.J Caruso is in talks to go behind the camera.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce G.I. Joe 3 alongside Hasbro’s Brian Goldner, and Caruso is said to be the frontrunner after talks with Martin Campbell didn’t bear any fruit last fall. No word yet on which other stars might return for the film, but Johnson is apparently already signed on – and he may get the final word on whether or not Caruso lands the job.

Caruso is best known for directing the aforementioned Disturbia, as well as the action thriller Eagle Eye. Both flicks performed well at the box office – Shia LeBeouf notwithstanding – and after directing the disappointing YA sci-fi adaptation I Am Number Four, Caruso could certainly use a high-profile project. Plus, Johnson is a bigger star now than he was in 2013 when the last G.I. Joe film was released, which bodes well for the third installment’s success.

Story details are unknown at this point. Evan Daugherty (Snow White and the Huntsman, Divergent) wrote the first draft of G.I. Joe 3, with Jonathan Lemkin taking over for rewrites. It’s possible that Caruso might bring his own writer along once the deal is finalized, but at this point it’s anyone’s guess.

dj caruso dwayne “the rock” johnson gi joe 3 paramount

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