One of the unlikeliest movie news I’ve read in quite a long time is the announcement that uber talented English actor Christopher Eccleston has signed on to appear in the new GI Joe movie being developed. Eccleston is one of the most talented actors of our generation and although he has appeared in more or less “commercial” endeavors like Dr. Who (where he played the titular character for one season) and Heroes, he is best known for his impeccable performances in such films as Jude The Obscure, Elizabeth and my favorite, Shallow Graves.
Eccleston is set to play the role of the evil villain Destro and it looks like Eccleston’s participation is turning the movie into a nice collection of actors, what with Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller and Dennis Quaid already involved. The GI Joe movie will be directed by Stephen Sommers with the script from Stuart Beattie. The tentative release date for the movie is August 2009.