USA Weekend, the pop-entertainment-y arm of USA Today has an interview today with director Jon M. Chu. Never heard of him? Don't worry, that's only because you have hair "down there." He's the guy who directed the Justin Bieber documentary that just came out, but he's also on the short list to take over GI Joe 2. He was asked about it during the interview, and had this to say:
You're officially on the shortlist to helm the G.I. Joe movie sequel, along with F. Gary Gray. Do you enjoy becoming one of the directors who's become part of the big-budget rumor mill?
[Laughs] It’s nice that people care enough to report anything about me, because there’s nothing really interesting. I love the idea that the filmmaker can be a part of the story now. When I showed movies growing up to my friends and family, them knowing me always affected the way you watched my stories. Now with Twitter, Jon Favreau and John August and all these people who are online and interacting with their audience, the narrative of your story begins way before the movie actually begins and ends. And it never actually ends. The journey is always. For my movies, I love that idea that stories can blend into who the filmmaker is and what we intend to do. Whether that’s to my advantage or not, I don’t know, but I like that storytelling is changing because of it.Let's say you get the next G.I. Joe film. Are you going to work some Bieber into it?
[Laughs] If I get G.I. Joe, I will fly to Hawaii and have a really big party. Wow. I’d be the luckiest son of a [gun] out here right now, to go from a Justin Bieber movie to G.I. Joe. That's pretty awesome.Did you grow up with G.I. Joe - the toys, the cartoon, the comics, etc.?
Yeah, of course. I grew up with Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe. That afternoon after school was my favorite time ever. I was sort of in a transition when G.I. Joe changed their theme song - I was right on the cusp there. It's always been a part of my life. I collected them, and I'm the youngest of five kids, so my brothers had them, I had them, and it was always a part of our life. We need the Joe movie that we've always wanted, and I'm not sure we've gotten it yet.
It certainly sounds like he would respect the property. But man oh man, how totally effing stupid was that second question? Who would even ask that? You know who thinks this guy would put Bieber in a GI Joe movie? Idiots. The same whiny fanboys who are all going to start screaming about how "terrible" it is that the guy who directed a Justin Bieber movie might direct GI Joe.
Brian Truitt (the interviewer) isn't an idiot. He's a card-carrying geek, just like the rest of us. That really had to be a question he was fed by an editor or something, because it's not something any sane person would ask.
