The premiere of "Cast Cobra" was held in Japan on July 27, 2009. Stephen Sommers made a feature film in the action movie genre based on comic books based on the series of toys "Joe Soldier: A Real American Hero." The slogan of the film is “When the rest give up, they go all the way.”
Getting started on the movie
The film began filming in February 2008 on the set of Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles.
For almost a month, the crew worked on the film "Cobra Throw-1". Actors visited the Old Town in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The other half of the group filmed in Tokyo, Paris, Egypt, including underwater.
In Norway, with its harsh climate, scenes were shot at the North Pole, and Texas Fort Worth served as military installations.
Paris, of course, was a necessary setting, but the chase scenes in this city were filmed in Prague, as it turned out to be much easier!
Most scenes are done using computer graphics. For example, landing scenes were mounted on the platform of the AI-Joe base, spectacular computer processing was used to create ice caves on the basis of the “Cobra”, as well as all frames of the final underwater battle.
The choice of director of the picture
In order to depict a story on the screen that combines vibrant action and diverse mythology, they turned to director Steve Sommers, who was able to embody the canons of both genres. His stunning display of many elements in the blockbusters “The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns” (interesting battle scenes, various adventures, many scenes with humor, the creation of colorful images and the romance of adventure on the verge of life and death) helped these two films become box office champions .
The release of toy soldiers from the GI JOE category began in 1964. A series of toys has been popular since the US war in Vietnam. Until now, the popularity of this series of toys has remained unchanged. Only now these soldiers have turned into a detachment, uniting fighters from various countries, each of which had their own qualifications and their own type of weapon.
Main characters
To create the movie "Cobra Throw", the actors were selected for such characters as:
- Ripcord is a great sniper and weapon expert.
- Snake Aes - besides being a ninja, he was armed with a Glock pistol and, of course, a katana.
- Scarlett is a beautiful martial artist.
- A breaker is a computer genius and an experienced decoder.
- Heavy duty is an experienced weapon expert.
- General Hawk - squad leader.
- Craiger is the assistant general and intelligence officer.
- Duke is a battle-hardened squad leader.
The plot of the film is fantastic, but the director Stephen Sommers believes that all the technologies that are shown in the movie "Cobra Throw", the actors and heroes fully mastered. And he believes that they will be realized after 10-20 years. He is 100% sure of this. The director was able to gain such confidence by studying books and magazines on the development of weapons.
The director made the film, resulting in a very intense action movie. To create the film "Cast Cobra", the actors were selected as an international team of recognized masters and rising stars. Sommers tried to embody the patriotic American myth on the screen by moving action into the near future.
Script work
An elite special squad called GI JOE moves through the mountains of Central Asia in the deserts of Egypt, along the cheerful streets of Paris to the icy North Pole. The soldiers are equipped with the latest weapons and advanced intelligence equipment. The task facing the detachment is not simple: not to allow the seller of weapons Destro and the mysterious organization "Cobra" to violate world peace.
To attract the viewer, it was necessary not only to transfer toys to the screen and replace them with people. Di Bonaventure involved scriptwriter Michael B. Gordon, who wrote the main story with Stephen Sommers. Later, David Eliot and Paul Caught, and then Stuart Beatty, joined them. And for the film “Cobra Toss,” the actors and roles were selected based on this joint scenario.
The scriptwriters took as a basis the basic plot that fans of the game loved: GI JOE was instructed to transport samples of the new secret weapon and they should not fall into the hands of bad guys.
Sommers and Di Bonaventure did not depart from the comics. A multinational team was assembled for the film, and although the actors speak different languages, a real partnership remains between them and it is felt by the audience.
The movie "Cobra Throw": actors and roles
Over the years, the creators of the GI JOE series of toys have inspired fans that this is the bravest and most reliable American soldier. In the film, this image is embodied by Duke. He is devoted to friends and is ready to sacrifice his life for them and for his country. He is the basis of the team, and the audience in the film sees through his eyes.
In order to play such a "classic American", the actors did not select the creators of the film "Cobra Throw" for a long time. This role was offered to such a famous moviegoer as Channing Tatum. The choice was influenced by his attractive appearance and good physical shape. This allowed him to create the image of a soldier from GI JOE.
The actor himself, in his youth was fond of GI JOE soldiers, says that this is "the role of his whole life." And during the filming, he himself performs his tricks.
Duke is accompanied by his special forces friend, sharp-tongued Ripcord. This is one of the main characters, he plays a big role in the final part of the picture - the clash of GI JOE and "Cobra". To create such a pair on the screen in the movie "Cobra Throw" the actors and characters must look as one.
The image of Ripcord was created by Marlon Waynes. This is an actor who can both laugh and be reliable. As Di Bonaventure notes, Marlon is naturally a funny and good actor.
With no less impatience, fans of GI JOE were waiting for Snake Isa to appear on the screen. The image of the mysterious ninja is a cult character in this game.
For this role, they picked up the same cult actor, a martial arts expert, like Ray Park. When they had just announced the creation of the film based on GI JOE, Park himself was already eager to take part in creating this image in the film. To do this, he even bought a Snake Wise costume and was present at the screenings in it. When the producers saw him in this image, all the other candidatures of the actors immediately disappeared!
Ray Park did his best to make the image of silent Snake get as lively as possible. To play the role of a hero who does not say a word was a real challenge for Park as an actor.
The duties of counterintelligence in the GI JOE squad are performed by Scarlett, she is strong, agile, well versed in weapons and shoots perfectly. Scarlett is an intellectual, she was able to graduate from college at the age of 12. In addition to all these qualities, she is insanely beautiful.
The search for the actress led the producers to Rachel Nichols. Since movie projects of this kind are usually kept secret, Nichols read replicas from Van Helsing at the audition. And it so happened that at the qualifying stage, the actress could not read the script.
The role of Breaker, a communications expert, was chosen by French actor Said Tagmaui. He did not have to act in the action genre before. And therefore, he took the process of preparing for this role very seriously.
Heavy duty, a powerful and impressive expert on heavy weapons, was played by the British actor, a Nigerian by birth, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaj.
The actor himself was attracted by the scale of the action - underwater battles, the battle underground, in the desert, the battle on the streets of Paris. In addition, he had at his disposal all types of small arms, from the lightest to transported on special equipment.
Selection of an actor for the role of commander
The military detachment is led by the rank of general, Hawk. Like all generals, he is a tough commander, not prone to sentiment and requiring unquestioning submission. His motto is: “Defeat the bad guys and save the squad!”
The film producer, when he watched the film "Express: The History of Legends ...", actor Denis Quaid was selected for the role of squad leader . The role of Quaid - the football coach was so impressed with him that he decided to give the role of general only to him.
The English performer Jonathan Price was selected for the role of US president.
Negative characters in the movie "Throw Cobra." Actors and roles
As in absolutely all mythologies of this kind, any of the antagonists has their own chronicle behind them, able to capture old and interest new fans as the flywheel of the story unfolds.
They also have their own story, attracting old and new fans, shown throughout the film. And the cast of Cobra cast tried to create such negative images.
The role of the cunning and treacherous McCullen, the head of the syndicate for research in the field of army equipment, was played by the actor from foggy Albion, Christopher Eccleston.
Blonde Sienna Miller played in the film the most beautiful participant in "Cobra" - Baroness.
From the side of antiheroes, there is also a ninja master - Storm Shadow. He does a great job with two swords. Storm and Sneak Is studied together the martial art from the same master, but children's rivalry divorced them on opposite sides of Good and Evil. For this role, the star of Korean cinema Byung Hong Lee was chosen.
Be that as it may, not only the members of the GI JOE division are all as one bright personality: in the movie "Throwing the Cobra" the villain actors are no less attractive.
In the picture there is another main villain - the famous scientist Doctor, who helps McCullen's insidious designs.
Joseph Gordon-Leviticus was selected for this role. The actor had to spend four hours every morning in the makeup chair so that they could create the disfigured face of the Doctor.
Film work
The filming schedule was extremely limited. Although films of this kind usually have a preparatory period of up to 30 weeks, the screenwriters and actors of the movie "Throw Cobra" met within 12 weeks. And so the producers started shooting right after the screenwriters' strike in February 2008 ended.
Requisites and costumes also had to be done in a very short time. Using a computer, each actor was taken measurements and unique costumes were made.
The “Stakhanov method” is impressive when shooting a picture. It was completed two days before the planned date.
During the shooting, more scenery was built than for ordinary films. For genre paintings usually build 12 - 14 sets of scenery. A total of 168 were built here.
Secret technology
As Goldner himself admits, the technologies depicted in the film are “these are things that we know that the military is developing them, only we have not seen them in action.”
The film was based on nanotechnology used in secret weapons, which both GI JOE and the "villains" are trying to master.
When the military looked at the sketches of some military suits, they admitted that they were working on the creation of special equipment that would help soldiers run faster and protect them from direct impact of the projectile.
Design ideas were promoted by the same team that created the costumes for the movie Iron Man.
GI Joe: "Throw Cobra-2"
In 2013, the producer of Lorenzo Di Bonaventure released a sequel to the film. It receives the rental name “GI Joe: Throw Cobra-2” (GI Joe: Retaliation).
To participate in the filming of the movie "Throw Cobra-2" the actors were invited and those who worked to create the first part, and new ones.
In it, the secret unit continues to fight the most dangerous criminal groups in the world. After a successful operation, the GI Joe fighters were attacked, in which some elite fighters die. Those who survived begin their investigation of this tragedy. Traces lead to the White House, in which under the guise of the US president lies the commander of the Cobra group, who ordered the liquidation of GI Joe.
Based on the plot of the film "Throw Cobra-2", the actors in the film were updated.
- Roadblock - Dwayne Johnson.
- Jaye - Adrianne Paliki.
- General Joe Colton - Bruce Willis.
- Snake Eyes - Ray Park.
- Storm Shadow - Lee Byung Hong.
- Doctor - Douglas M. Griffin.
Many actors in the movie "Cobra Toss-2" remained to act in the sequel to GI Joe.
A new way of "Cobra-3 throw"
Paramount Pictures Studio chose Aaron Berg as the final screenwriter for the third Cobra Cast.
It’s still known that the actors (part 3) have not yet been selected for the film “Throwing the Cobra,” but it’s clear that there is no doubt that Johnson will return. It is still difficult to say what thoughts and ideas the continuation of the film will bring the new group. The main thing is to get a cool movie!