MTV Movies Blog › Stephen Sommers

As a “G.I. Joe” nut, I was intrigued by the long-simmering rumors that Brendan Fraser was going to pop up for a cameo in the “Rise of Cobra” film as macho Marine Gung-Ho. Sure enough, the movie comes along, but the “Mummy” star instead seemed to be some generic drill sergeant who trained the other Joes in hand-to-hand combat. So I couldn’t help but wonder: Who is he supposed to be?

The interesting thing is this: Fraser has no idea, either.

“I want to say that I know the answer to that,” the star said with a laugh when we caught up with him recently. “Who exactly was I? I did not know until I saw the credit crawl when I saw the movie!” Read more...

Tags brendan fraser, Extraordinary Measures, gi joe, Stephen Sommers, The Mummy, The Rise of Cobra, Video, zombieland

I'm fairly certain I never once saw Cobra Commander, Destro or even that upstart Zartan wearing sneakers. Not that that's stopped Nike from pairing up with Hasbro to license a pair of new, limited edition sneaks pegged to the recent release of "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." They come in two flavors, with horribly confusing and lengthy names for each one: "Nike X Hasbro Hyperize Supreme Destro GI Joe Pack" and "Nike X Hasbro Zoom Sharkalaid Storm Shadow GI Joe Pack."

Now don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It's my favorite Stephen Sommers flick since "The Mummy," and I suspect it will top even that one once the Blu-ray arrives in my home. I'm not digging these sneaks though. It's hard to be anything but blunt about it: they're ugly. I might buy a pair though, not to wear but for the classic-styled G.I. Joe vehicle box they come packaged in. The only thing missing is a little window off to the side containing your bonus action figure. Hit the jump for a look at the kickass packaging. Read more...

Tags G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Stephen Sommers

One thing that longtime fans might be disappointed to learn about "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is that it is essentially a modern-day reboot. The Joes are now a willfully multi-national organization, fighting wherever there's trouble to defend freedom and liberty throughout the world. As for Cobra... they're kinda not even born yet when the movie opens. That's all I'll say, for fear of unleashing too many spoilers. Just know that you should take the "Rise of Cobra" subtitle very literally.

My point here is that a sequel is pretty much a requirement. "Rise of Cobra" lays some good groundwork, but it is not a proper G.I. Joe vs. Cobra outing. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura agrees. "In this movie, you don't get to see the full glory of Cobra," he told MTV in an interview last week. "I think that's going to be a lot of fun to explore [in future outings]." Read more...

Tags G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, lorenzo di bonaventura, Stephen Sommers

This is a cool eBay Prop-Watch item if I ever saw one, and not outlandishly expensive. Yet. With two days left on the auction, that number may skyrocket. It's worth noting however that there aren't any bids in.

I'm not sure why, but it might have something to do with the not-so-great reception that "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" received from critics this past weekend. I've already shared my thoughts on "Joe" and why some of the louder critical voices may be somewhat off the mark, so I won't belabor the point. Suffice to say, I enjoyed the movie as a longtime fan of the cartoon series. It won't spark any new golden age for cinema, but it is a solid, action-driven blockbuster and director Stephen Sommers' best work since "The Mummy."

Now, on to today's prop... Read more...

Tags G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Stephen Sommers

There's been a lot of chatter in the past few months about "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." More than is usual for a highly anticipated summer blockbuster, that is. First there were some negative early reviews. A dash of controversy too, over a rumor -- untrue, and quickly debunked -- that director Stephen Sommers had been fired. Those bad vibes were followed by a general unease over some of the stuff revealed in trailers and clips, particularly the much-talked-about Accelerator Suits.

Then, all of a sudden, the clouds broke a couple weeks ago. Test screening reviews emerged that put a much more positive spin on things. It was only a momentary respite, as complaints arose last week over the studio's decision to skip advance screenings for critics. And now, the weekend reviews bring with them a flood of negativity. Perhaps a few critics felt slighted by the absence of advance screenings? No one can say. All I can tell you is this: I saw "Rise of Cobra" two weekends ago, and as a longtime fan of the cartoon series I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Read more...

Tags G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Stephen Sommers

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Sort of. Twitter-Wood and Around the Blogosphere will not be seen today; Warmoth is out and I'm too bummed about the late John Hughes to start digging through a Blogosphere's worth of remembrances. Normally I'd try to fill Warmoth's giant Twitter-Wood shoes, but the outpouring of grief today is pretty impressive. Then again, it's not everyday a living legend passes from our midst.

Something incredible happened with this week's Box Office Poll. Not only did the clear blockbuster favorite for the week not take the top prize, it was pretty much crushed by the second place winner. I don't get it either. Did the controversy really deter so many people? Enough vagaries! More to come after the break. Read more...

Tags a perfect getaway, charlyne yi, Cold Souls, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, i sell the dead, Julie and Julia, paper heart, Stephen Sommers

"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is out today. Whatever the situation has been with reviews, critics' screenings, buzz, rumors, controversy, alien abductions or whathaveyou, Stephen Sommers' latest summer blockbuster will now finally receive its final judgment in the court of public opinion.

However your verdict comes down, the "Rise of Cobra" cast looks very happy in these images from the red carpet at the premiere in Las Angeles last night. Click the photo below to check out the complete image gallery over at MTV.com!

Tags G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Photo, Stephen Sommers

Stephen Sommers' "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" is just a couple weeks away from release! I treasure my dusty, old memories of the toys, the 80s cartoon show, even the odd comic book (remember the one where Snakes Eyes' face was revealed?!). It is with no small amount of excitement that I anticipate "The Rise of Cobra"'s release. The gang may not be in costume in the photo gallery linked below, but seeing them all together like that makes me want to shout "Yo Joe!" at the heavens.

Tags G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Photo, Stephen Sommers

Late yesterday, a rumor hit the wires that "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" director Stephen Sommers had been fired. The word originated with a user on the Don Murphy message boards, who claimed that the firing came as a result of abysmal test screenings. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has since spoken with Latino Review, adamantly stating that the rumor is completely untrue.

Now you know the backstory. Today, MTV's Josh Horowitz had a chat with "G.I. Joe"'s Cobra Commander, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and asked him to comment. "I just heard about it. I've been shooting," Gordon-Levitt said. "What can you say? People like to do that [gossip]."

He capped off his comments with some good advice for fans: "'G.I. Joe' is like playing with toys. It's very simple and its really fun and that’s all." Read more...

Tags G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, joseph gordon-levitt, Stephen Sommers

When the “G.I. Joe” live-action movie finally got a greenlight after more than a decade in development, fans of the series seemed to have two main concerns: That they’d mess up the look of the beloved characters, and that Marlon Wayans would be cracking too many jokes. And while I haven’t got much evidence to shoot down that first fear, I can tell you when we recently caught up with Marlon, he insisted that “The Rise of Cobra” kept his “Little Man” hijinks in check.

“The movie is serious, action and some comedy - but not all comedy,” insisted the star, who will bring an extremely different look to the High Altitude Low Opening jumper in the August 7th flick. “You pull off the reigns; I did what was appropriate for the role and for the character.” Read more...

Tags channing tatum, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, marlon wayans, Stephen Sommers, wanted