Hey folks, Harry here - I heard today that tomorrow afternoon a press release will be going out to the trades and various outlets that a certain young actor had been cast as DUKE - leader of our beloved G.I. JOE crew. Now - I'm not entirely sure about this actor - mainly because he hasn't really been given this sort of exposure - and this sort of character responsibility before - at least in a movie we've seen yet.

DUKE will be played by Channing Tatum, a 27 year old actor from Alabama. He was an uncredited "Boy in church scene" in Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS - you might remember him from SHE'S THE MAN or STEP UP. His best work to date was in A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS.

Coming up - I've heard really strong word on his performance in Kimberly Peirce's STOP LOSS, coming up this March 28th. He's also headling a film with Terrence Howard and Luis Guzman for ROGUE PICTURES called FIGHTING. He's a young actor that is on the rise. Now I figure the biggest complaint that's coming is that he's just 27 - and that Duke should be played by a more battle-tested aged badass.

Well, we'll see him get battle-tested in STOP LOSS - but whether you love it or hate it - he's going to be DUKE for Stephen Sommer's G.I.JOE!!!