Channing Tatum is no Joe Schmoe. And when you've got the Sexiest Man Alive in your movie, you gotta overhaul your marketing plan, right?
The new trailer for G.I. Joe: Retaliation—the sequel to 2009's $302 million-grossing G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra—has hit the Web. And indeed, the newly minted pop beefcake gets ample screen time—certainly far more pretty-boy mileage than the last trailer, in which Tatum was virtually MIA.
The move is a curious one, given that the film's release date was notoriously delayed amid rumors that the movie was aggressively reshot beef up Tatum's role.
Smart move. Here are five things to keep an eye out for.
1. The End is Nigh: Although the new trailer is shorter (and fairly similar) to the previous one, we do get a better idea of the deadly weapon that the movie's impostor U.S. president (Jonathan Pryce) intends to use to blow us to kingdom come—"an advanced weapons system capable of destroying your countries 14 times over," he tells a group of officials. Duck!
2. London Bridge (and Everything Else!) Is Falling Down: We have impact! The trailer gives us quite the impression of just what kind of destruction the weapon in question can wreak. It's massive. A tip: Start snapping pics of Big Ben now while you still can.
3. Those 21 Jump Street Comedy Chops Sure Come in Handy! My, my—what do we have here? In a seemingly blatant riff on the subversive comic timing Tatum uncorked in 21 Jump Street, the trailer plays him up for yuks. "Drive it like you stole it!" he cracks at one point. We get it: The dude is ripe for his own catchphrase. They're taking auditions now.
4. Girls Can Play, Too: It's not just a boys club. In a canny attempt to fire up fanboys (or, perhaps, to tap female moviegoers who'd tag along with their boyfriends but secretly wanna go goo-goo over Tatum), the trailer provides ample shots of heroine Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki), including one of her whooping ass in a badass red getup. Yo, Joe, indeed.
5. Boys and Their Toys: Of course, what's a big tentpole action film without its snazzy vehicles and gadgets? G.I. Joe: Retaliation's got plenty, including this kickass tank that plows its way through the trailer's climax. No doubt, the film itself is hoping to plow through some box-office records when it opens on March 29.