Animation writer Henry Gilroy spoke with Slash Film to explain why G.I. Joe: Renegades received the ill fate it did not deserve.
“We had a second season where literally Cobra Commander was Osama bin Laden, who’s basically on the run full on […] They were terrorists…Then the Joes were brought back to be special agents for the government who were hunting down Cobra terrorists so, it was going to be really fun. We had … really fun stories for it, but this, c’est la vie.”
The issue was that the 2009 live-action film “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” had a similar plot and a corresponding toy line. Gilroy tells /Film that they did ask Hasbro about it. He says, “We were like, ‘Wait a second. You guys can’t do that. That’s what…’ And they’re like going, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.'” Combining that with the Hasbro rule that said you couldn’t have that many different toy lines around the same time meant that the animated series was canceled in favor of the film, which didn’t exactly set the box office on fire with a worldwide take of $302 million.
Even more of a slap in the face was that this was all happening right before the release of “The Avengers,” which led one executive to ask Gilroy, “Can you make all of the Joes into Avengers?” The executive also asked if Snake Eyes could be more like Wolverine or if Roadblock could be more like the Hulk. Gilroy says:
“And I think they were thinking, like, ‘Oh, right, we’re going to give Duke a bow, so he’ll be like Iron Man and Hawkeye.’ All those weird things, where the toys come first and then you write your story after.”
News Post: Henry Gilroy Explains Why G.I. Joe: Renegades Was Cancelled
Executives being executives.
A GI Joe animated series can still work today with the right folks in charge.
The right folks were not in charge of the Snake Eyes movie. Obviously.
Clueless execs stupidity never ceases to amaze
Sounds less bin laden and more like On Her Majesty's Secret Service in term of the main terrorist's organization in shambles and he's running from a government agent(s) after his plan backfired.
It's an interesting perspective that shows how GI Joe was let down as a franchise while something similar is now one of the top grossing film companies in the world.
Interesting = depressing AF.
Ugh... For the love of Duke.
Combining that with the Hasbro rule that said you couldn't have that many different toy lines around the same time meant that the animated series was canceled in favor of the film
Fuck does this even mean? I'm finding this statement to be like calculus, hard as fuck to understand. I need one of you guys to put this into context because right now in 2023 there's seven action figures lines. Does the rule mean that there couldn't be two lines in the same brand, (ala Origins and Masterverse?) I need clarity on this.
Renegades was a brilliant concept. The A Team conceit seems a bit generic, but it was a terrific way to introduce the characters and team by starting with a tight group and building.
The real genius though was Cobra itself as a corporation hiding a global fascist movement in plain sight. That's the realest GI Joe has ever gotten and incredibly appropriate for modern times. It would be ridiculously easy for such a thing to happen in America today.
Think about it: infiltrate all levels of society with commerce/consumerism and marketing/propaganda, hide a military under the guise of a private security subsidiary, infiltrate nation-states by providing "private security services" and forces, and with the way we turn a blind eye to corporate shenanigans and greed these days, you can take over the world without the status quo noticing. We're only a step away from such a thing occurring right now.
Keep reading: Henry Gilroy Explains Why G.I. Joe: Renegades Was Cancelled - Page 2
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