Quaid, Tatum enlist in Par's 'G.I. Joe'

Actors join ensemble of Sommers' action film

By MICHAEL FLEMING

Dennis Quaid and Channing Tatum have been set as the leads in Paramount's actioner "G.I. Joe."

Quaid will play General Hawk, the grizzled team leader and Tatum will play Duke Hauser, the lead soldier in the Stephen Sommers-directed film, which is scheduled to shoot next month in L.A. Pic is set for release on Aug. 7, 2009.

Tatum's character works closely on missions with Ripcord, a team member that will be played by Marlon Wayans. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rachel Nichols, Sienna Miller, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Said Taghmaoui are also in the ensemble.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is coming off "Transformers," is producing with Brian Goldner. Latter is the point person for Hasbro's venerable action figure line. Sommers and partner Bob Ducsay are also involved in producing capacities. Stuart Beattie wrote the most recent script draft.

Tatum, who recently completed the Kimberly Peirce-directed drama "Stop Loss," will have a busy winter, as he just landed the role of notorious gangster Pretty Boy Floyd in the Michael Mann-directed "Public Enemies," the Universal crime drama that shoots in March.

Quaid recently completed the Gary Fleder-directed Universal pic "The Express," a biopic of college gridiron great Ernie Davis, and he will next be seen in the Noam Murro-directed "Smart People" and the Pete Travis-directed thriller "Vantage Point."

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