GI JOE 2 News Flash: The only characters to return in the JON CHU directed sequel will be SNAKE EYES, STORM SHADOW, and DUKE…

Snake Eyes was played by Ray Park, Byung-hun Lee was Storm Shadow, and Channing Tatum was Duke in the Stephen Sommers film. The original, made for about $175 million, earned $302.5 million worldwide in 2009.

Source: ComingSoon.net

And while “Alias: Season Six” never materialized, Rachel continued to catch the eye in a smattering of big screen adventures (“Star Trek,” “G.I. Joe” & the upcoming “Conan” reboot) before recently returning to the small screen. And a gun holster.

As team newbie Ashley Seaver, she lends “Criminal Minds” a fresh energy and brings a new skill set to The BAU. But it’s another upcoming team reunion that Rachel is particularly stoked about — especially since reuniting with her “G.I. Joe” crew affords her the opportunity to finally kick Sienna Miller’s ass!

PopWrap: Congrats on the “Criminal Minds” guest-star gig turning into a full time role!
Rachel Nichols: Thanks, they’re stuck with me now [laughs]. The last time I did a TV show was “Alias,” and that’s a huge family. I mean, they were the nicest people. You truly think that can’t happen twice – especially with the schedule of a one-hour drama, but after one episode I wanted to spend years with these people. Luckily they came back and asked me to join the BAU – it was the best Christmas gift ever. I was thrilled.

PW: What was about it Ashley that clicked for you?
Rachel: There are a lot of similarities with us. I mean, obviously my father is not a serial killer. At least not to my knowledge [laughs]. I also love playing women who have something extraordinary in their life.

PW: And it’s good to see a gun back in your hands!
Rachel: I would joke with everyone – I’ve played FBI, CIA, LAPD and it just feels right. I’m happy to be back fighting for freedom!

PW: Growing up, did you have any real law enforcement aspirations?
Rachel: No. I grew up in Maine and my dad always says that I was ready for college in kindergarten. So from a very young age I was very excited about school. I went to Columbia with visions of briefcase, powersuits and Wall Street. Like everybody else I had read the bible that is “Liar’s Poker” and being a banker sounded so cool, so flash. Obviously I’ve taken a very different path, but it was never going to be crime fighting. Even though one of my favorite movies of all time is “Silence of the Lambs.”

PW: Well there are shades of Clarice Starling in a lot of your roles.
Rachel: I think there’s some Clarice in me – “The Inside” was a lot like that, and I’m literally now realizing how much of her there is in my work [laughs].

PW: Plus being an actor lets you try all the professions.
Rachel: Exactly. I’ve never been a big fan of Halloween because I spend my days pretending to be other people as it is. So I don’t need that one day, I’m lucky enough to do it every day.

PW: You actually spawned a Halloween costume a few years ago with Scarlet in “G.I. Joe,” that had to feel epic.
Rachel: Yes, especially seeing pictures of people in it. That was also the first time I had an action figure. That was a game changer. And it was so much fun to make.

PW: Do you own the Scarlet action figure?
Rachel: Somewhere. My mother does a great job of collecting and preserving. Hasbro might not like me saying this, but I don’t think my action figure is very attractive. Sienna [Miller] and I actually fought over who’s rendition was uglier. She kind of wins because hers looks like a cross-eyed 80-year-old woman with an overbite, but I look like a man with a very large forehead and a unibrow, so…

PW: Well, I’m sure you can rectify that with the sequel.
Rachel: I would love to. They’ve been very tight-lipped about it — I haven’t even seen a script, but I would jump to do it in a second. Making the first one was a blast.

PW: Well at least you’ll be well-represented this summer blockbuster season with “Conan the Barbarian.” Do you consider if a reboot?
Rachel: I’m so excited about that. And yea, I think it’s a reboot, but more than that it’s a totally fun, flashy ride.

PW: Pictures of Jason Momoa as Conan make it look like he’s a wall.
Rachel: Yea, he’s a large individual. I’m just shy of 5’ 10” and I still felt dwarfed by him. My dad is 6’ 6” but Jason is massive – which was nice because you could go anywhere with him and no one would screw with you, which is helpful since we were filming in Bulgaria [laughs].

PW: And Rose McGowan plays your nemesis in it, right?
Rachel: Yes, she’s Marique — the bad girl to my good girl. We have a fight scene and she is after my blood. Let me tell you, her make-up is unreal. I mean, Rose is barely recognizable under all these prosthetics. It’s quite cool.

PW: Hmm, you’ve already committed one of the better girlfights to film with Sienna in the first “G.I. Joe,” how does this one stack up?
Rachel: [laughs] I should probably say the savvy thing — that “Conan” is better … but it’s not. I’m so sorry! Sienna and I had the dopest chick fight ever. Mine with Rose is much shorter. I mean, Baroness & Scarlet fought on elevators! I think that is going to be my favorite scene ever … until we make them give us a better one in “G.I. Joe 2!”

PW: It’s a pretty hard act to follow!
Rachel: Well, I need to win! I was complaining that the good girl gets her butt kicked, but the [producers] kept telling me – “in the sequel, you win!” I think it could just be “G.I. Joe 2: Scarlett vs. Baroness.” That’s all it’ll be, just the two of us fighting.

“Criminal Minds” airs Wednesdays at 10pm on CBS

Source: Pop Wrap

Warning: Spoilers for the original film follow

“Obviously, we know coming out of the first film that the president is an impostor,” Goldner said of the sequel’s plot, “You might begin with the knowledge of having your president as an impostor. What would that mean? From that, you can tell a very big story without only having to rely on the chronology of the first film.”

The sequel’s script is set to arrive from Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The first film’s director, Stephen Sommers, was last month, said to be out of the running for directing the sequel, though Goldner would not confirm. Sommers is currently attached to the Dean Koontz novelization, Odd Thomas.

Source: Coming Soon

Nichols edged out other contenders like Cloverfield’s Jessica Lucas and the L Word’s Sarah Shahi.

According to the leaked casting breakdown from last year…

Tamara is 18 to 24 years old, Caucasian or Middle Eastern, open to all ethnicities; beautiful, studious, correct, a novitiate of a Greek influenced monastery. A master of martial arts, she has been trained to be the Queen’s servant, bodyguard and best friend. She and many other female bodyguards to the queen have been in hiding most of their lives because of the curse of Acheron, which would take the queen’s life to bring almost immortal power to its king. When Khalar Singh, a powerful warlord with ambitions to become the king of Acheron, storms the monastery and captures all of the novitiates, she is separated from Ilira, the one she must protect. With all of her strength and will, Tamara is determined to find and rescue her. She finds herself in league with Conan because of a mutual need to find Khalar Singh. She is not in the least intimidated by Conan’s size or grim demeanor and their alliance eventually blossoms into something that surprises them both… LEAD

Source: Latino Review

Screencaps from G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra will be added later this coming week.