Hasbro showed a 10 minute "behind the scenes" look at the movie production, including some animatics (non final computer generated animation) some concept art, and interviews with the people involved in the movie's production. The piece involved lots of fast-moving pictures, it was tough to make out lots of the details.

One sequence involved a pair of operatives in "Nano-tech suits" that enable them to move very fast. The animatic shows them zipping through the streets while being chased by rocket-firing vehicles. There is lots of impressive acrobatics (flipping through moving vehicles, dodging rocket fire, etc...) and aspects that seem like they will look VERY cool in live action form.

As an advance warning: the film looks like it will be a lot more future-tech science fiction based than super real-life military action. I know this will bother a lot of people, but I think it could be cool. I mean, let's face it, G.I. Joe has always had a very strong science fiction element from the very start, so I think certain aspects of this make sense. The vehicle concepts are VERY cool (a nice Night Raven-esque Blackbird type of fighter jet).

There are going to be jetpacks, floating weapon-platforms, glider jets, submarines, and all sorts of pretty neat looking future weapons. Straight up, this will disappoint some of the military purists, but I think to the general public who's looking for a new and exciting effects-laden action flick, it will satisfy. It was all very early stuff, but also looked pretty cool, too.

We got quick looks at a couple of what looked to be COBRA Troopers in animatic form, and they were wearing a nice armored, blue uniform that looked fairly COBRA-like (from what I could tell with the quick flash).

I have just confirmed that Star Wars Episode 1 star Ray Park has been cast as Snake Eyes in Stephen Sommer's big screen live-action adaptation of G.I. Joe.

Snake Eyes is one of the original members of the G.I. Joe series. Hasbro has released over 30 figures of the character since his debut in 1982. Not much is known about the ninja master's real identity, as it has remained classified throughout the series. The U.S. Army Sergeant First Class (E-7) is known for his stealth like movements and extensive knowledge of multiple forms of martial arts. Snake-Eyes is romantically involved with fellow G.I. Joe member Master Sergeant Shana M. O'Hara, a.k.a. Scarlett.

Fans of the toyline, animated series and comic books have been worried about this live-action adaptation since story information began to leak. Hasbro had to publicly reassure fans. And things got worse when the first casting announcement revealed Sienna Miller (Stardust, Factory Girl) as (possibly) the Baroness, the exotic and evil sidekick of Destro. But I think everyone will agree that Ray Park is perfect for the role of Snake Eyes. Ray Park has been the fan favorite to take on the role, featured as a top placement on many fans dream cast listings. Park is best known for playing Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace. Park also played Toad in the original X-Men film. This bit of casting gives me a lot more faith in this project.

Here is the official plot synopsis:

"From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite co-ed GI JOE team, based from it’s headquarters The Pit, deploys the latest in next-gen spy and military equipment to fight crooked arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious COBRA organization from plunging the world into chaos."

G.I. Joe will hit theaters on August 7, 2009. "Now You Know, and Knowing is Half The Battle."