Dwayne Johnson And Ray Stevenson Recall Their Battles On The Set Of G.I. JOE: RETALIATION
With G.I. Joe: Retaliation now out in the US, what better way to get psyched for the movie than reading all about the epic fight scenes which took place between Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Roadblock) and Ray Stevenson (Firefly)? Hit the jump to check it out!
Source: Paramount Pictures UK
Perhaps one of the most anticipated aspects of G.I. Joe: Retaliation is the big screen debut of fan favourite villain Firefly. Enlisted by Cobra to break Cobra Commander out of jail, he plays a pivotal role in the sequel, and director John M. Chu had this to say about why he wanted to include character. "Firefly sees beauty in the redistribution of energy, so while explosions may seem like destruction to us, he believes he is creating something. This almost artistic philosophy made Firefly really interesting to me and it went way beyond being merely a cold-hearted killer." According to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Firefly "only had about six lines when we first read the script," but they soon realised that they had to give him a much larger role in the movie. Who better to play him than Dexter and Thor star Ray Stevenson?
"Ray really built this character from the ground up and gave him this southern swagger and lingo all his own," adds Chu. " 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." While he may have got all of the characteristics right, the biggest challenge for the British actor was posing 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," laughed Johnson. Stevenson adds, "Pitting these two is great and the fights have been so intense that you felt the walls shake when they hit each other. 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."
Check out photos and video from the G.I. Joe: Retaliation London press conference HERE.
In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are 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. Directed Jon M. Chu, and produced by Lorenzo di Bonventura and Brian Goldner, from screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick based on Hasbro’s G.I Joe characters.
STARRING:
Channing Tatum as Duke
Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock
Bruce Willis as General Joseph Colton
Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye
Ray Park as Snake Eyes
Lee Byung-hun as Storm Shadow
Ray Stevenson as Firefly
RZA as Blind Master
Arnold Vosloo as Zartan
D.J. Cotrona as Flint
Elodie Yung as Jinx
Stephen Martines as Cross-Country
Eddie Hargitay as Tunnel Rat
Joseph Mazzello as Mouse
RELEASE DATE: March 27th, 2013.