Hollywood Popular Artists

Jun 4th 2012, 20:26

One of the biggest surprises of the 2012 summer blockbuster season didn't come in the form of a movie doing exceptionally well or poorly, but rather the decision, only weeks before it was set to hit theaters, to push "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" back nine months.

Executives at Paramount said that this was to accommodate a conversion of the movie to 3-D, but many in the film business remained skeptical. Then a story was later released saying the move was actually made because the movie was tracking poorly and didn't have enough Channing Tatum in it.

MTV News caught up with Tatum on the 2012 MTV Movie Awards red carpet, and asked him if he had any updates on the status of "Retaliation."

"I don't know. Truly," Tatum said when asked if the rumors we'd see more of him in the revamped sequel are true. "I haven't seen the movie. I did my part and then all this stuff is going on, so they haven't come to talk to me about anything. They talk about a lot of stuff; who knows if it's the industry or the actual studio? You never know."

He added, "You have to have the exact right amount of Chan."

According to reports, a big concern studio execs had with the film was that Tatum's character dies early on in the script. And with Tatum's popularity continuing to climb, that plot point seems about as smart as shooting oneself in the foot. It's unclear whether the new version of "Retaliation" will keep Tatum alive for good or just for longer, but with a week of reshoots being called, it seems like there's a chance he could live to see a third "G.I. Joe" film.

"G.I. Joe: Retaliation" is scheduled to open March 29, 2013.

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Would you want "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" to focus more on Channing Tatum? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!