Bruce Willis In Talks To Join 'G.I. Joe 2' Cast

Bruce Willis is in talks to put the "Joe" back in "G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation," if the latest casting rumors are to be believed. The veteran action hero is just the latest actor to circle the upcoming "G.I. Joe" sequel, which is set to begin filming in New Orleans later this month. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Willis may join the cast of the recently retitled "G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation" (formerly "G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes"), playing General Joe Colton, the man responsible for starting the G.I. Joe strike team in the 1980s comic books. The sequel already has some big names attached to it, including leading man Channing Tatum and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as heavy machine-gunner Roadblock (the character sidelined as a cook in the "Joe" comics). When MTV News caught up with Tatum at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, he said he had yet to meet Johnson but was looking forward to it. "I'm so excited to meet him. I hear he's literally one of the nicest people on the entire planet. I'm just excited to hear that he's that huge and that nice," Tatum said with a laugh. "G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation" will also feature many new faces: RZA, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, Joe Mazzello, D.J. Cotrona and Elodie Yung are all new to the sequel. They'll join previous "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" castmembers Tatum, Ray Park and Lee Byung-hun. In addition, "Retaliation" replaces "Rise of Cobra" director Stephen Sommers with "Step Up 3D" director Jon M. Chu. "It's all going to be new," Tatum told us, "New director, new writers, new actors, so it's going to be fun." It's also going to feature plenty of ninjas, so "G.I. Joe" fans can look forward to seeing their favorite American heroes facing off against some pretty nasty villains. "G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation" will hit theaters on July 29, 2012. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Bruce Willis Photo: Bruce Glikas/ FilmMagic