Slowly but surely, a sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is edging closer to becoming a reality, whether we want it or not. After Stephen Sommers quit the project earlier this year, it left the door open for someone else to come in and potentially do something different with the franchise. So Paramount went and hired Jon M. Chu, director of Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never to replace him. Normally I try not to judge a director without having seen any of his films, but let’s be honest, this does not sound like a resume well-suited to a G.I. Joe movie. Soon after, they also announced that only three characters would return from the first movie: Duke, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. Although I still think that Channing Tatum should have been the first one to get the axe, I could live with it if they surrounded him with some interesting new faces. Today it sounds like they’ve taken the first step to making that happen: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is reportedly in talks to play badass heavy machine gunner / chef Roadblock!

With Fast Five earlier this summer, it seems that The Rock has finally taken steps to becoming the gritty action star we all want him to be. He bulked up and went toe to toe with Vin Diesel, leaving memories of Tooth Fairy and The Game Plan far behind. Hopefully this is a sign that they will be casting more “manly men” for the Joe team this time around… at the very least, it’s a big improvement on Marlon Wayans.

The G.I. Joe sequel is apparently going under the title G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes, and although I didn’t initially have any interest at all, this first casting announcement has my curiosity piqued. The biggest question in my mind is, will The Rock speak in rhymes just like Roadblock from the ’80s cartoon? If so, I am definitely in. Are you excited to see The Rock star in G.I. Joe 2?