Jonathan Lemkin is set to write “G.I. Joe 3.” Lemkin is known for his work on The Devil's Advocate (1997), Shooter (2007) and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

Most of the cast, including Dwayne Johnson and Adrianne Palicki, are expected to return with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and David Ellison producing. It was initially thought that Jon Chu would return to direct, but as of now he’s not attached to the pic.

Plot details are vague right now but sources say this installment is expected to revolve around Johnson’s character Roadblock, who was introduced in the last installment and soon became a fan favorite.

Rumor has it that Martin Campbell (GoldenEye, Casino Royale, Green Lantern) is Paramount's "top choice" to direct G.I. Joe 3.

"No serious negotiations as of yet, only that Paramount and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura want him to helm the pic," according to Schmoes Know. "Basically saying, it’s Campbell’s gig if he wants it."

The GI Joe series was pretty well reinvented for the second movie. Retaliation still had some obvious problems but the introduction of Dwayne Johnson‘s cookin’ charisma as Roadblock paid dividends, as did the noticeably harder-edged approach.

When the third film went into development, Retaliation‘s Jon M. Chu was expected to return and direct again. He promised, predictably enough, a mix of old and new characters, and while DJ Caruso has since taken over the hot seat, that essential plan remains the same.

Indeed, we now know a little about who the new characters will be. And like the man says, over and over and over again, knowing is half the battle.

We understand that the villains this time will be Tomax and Xamot, mainstays of the Sunbow cartoon series and the Marvel comics. This pair are, according to their original backstories, Corsican twins who worked as mercenaries before becoming merchant bankers.

Through their company, Extensive Enterprises, the twins act as the acceptable face of Cobra. They manage the terrorist organization’s business affairs as well as lead their elite Crimson Guard force. It seems like they’d be able to fill in nicely for the second film’s imprisoned Destro.

They’re also empathically bonded, which means they can feel each other’s pain, communicate silently and finish one another’s sentences. Plus, just to really drive home the whole twins thing, they part their hair on opposite sides and their uniforms are reflections of one other.

Tomax and Xamot are tailor made for the GI Joe movies, hitting that same balance of modern techno-thriller plausibility and flat-out goofy. The filmmakers are looking to cast one actor in both roles, and whoever gets lucky will have the chance to really cut loose. Sam Rockwell seems to have just the experience to pull off all sides of both parts, if he could be tempted.

There’s another new character on the cards too, and one that might change the series significantly.

According to the studio’s current plans, Matt Trakker will be stepping up onto the big screen. he was the lead character of MASK, or Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand, a Kenner toy line and cartoon from the ‘80s.

MASK earned its title with a couple of gimmicks. There were vehicles that either contained or transformed into other vehicles, and the characters wore cybernetic masks that gave them various new abilities. It was basically a science fiction version of Mission:Impossible, often injected with the kind of tricked-up muscle car stunts we’re looking forward to from Fast and Furious 7.

I still have happy memories of the toys, particularly Rhino, a big rig that turned into a dune buggy; the mobile command centre; and an honest-to-God missile silo.

Trakker joining GI Joe suggests that MASK will be introduced either in this film, set up for a sequel, or possibly be established for their own spin-off. It’s easy to see why Hasbro and Paramount would like this idea.

The crossover was established in the toy lines too. When Hasbro purchased Kenner they folded the series together and a new Trakker action figure was released, reinventing him in the guise of a GI Joe mission specialist.

There might even be mileage to be had in pursuing the original concept of MASK as private contractors. After all, the Marvel movies have proved how much success can be mined from stories about billionaire philanthropists trying to clean up their own messes.

Production on GI Joe 3 is set to kick off in the coming months. It won’t be too long before more details come around and, if you’ll excuse me, we get to see “what’s really lying behind the masquerade.”

I couldn’t just type that, I had to sing it too. Expect to see the Joes back in action in 2016.

The GI Joe series was pretty well reinvented for the second movie. Retaliation still had some obvious problems but the introduction of Dwayne Johnson‘s cookin’ charisma as Roadblock paid dividends, as did the noticeably harder-edged approach.