When the news of the new GI JOE movie hit, my main concern wasn't the costumes (even though so many people seem to think they're the be-all and end-all, it was how the villains would be portrayed.

While we can now rest easy with DESTRO being safely in the hands of one of the most under-rated actors of our time, Christopher Eccleston, COBRA COMMANDER was left with Joseph Gordon-Levitt - and as such, who knew what to expect?

MTV Movies recently caught up with GI JOE: RISE OF COBRA producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to ask the exact same question - and I think Jo fans will be pleased to read his answer:

"As we see it, he’s a very twisted character," producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura exclaimed to MTV News, telling us the key to Cobra Commander lies in his gritty past…and that we’ll see every grimy piece of it. "As the backstory evolves, you discover why his personality (is like that)."

While stopping short of drawing parallels between Gordon-Levitt’s PG-13 villain and that of Heath Ledger’s terrifying Joker, di Bonaventura does find one noteworthy comparison. "I thought what was great in 'The Dark Knight' was that Heath kept telling you different stories [about his past] so you never knew what it was, and they were all spooky and crazy. [In our film] you get to see it, and you get to understand what’s happened to this guy."

And while the movie draws from the comics for inspiration, there is one aspect of the 80's show that they've carried over into film - Cobra Commanders voice. While it won’t exactly match the classic high-pitched whine from the show, the producer says Gordon-Levitt will leave his own vocal mark on Cobra Commander:

"He has an interesting voice. He definitely has a take-off on that. I actually found the voice a little weak in the show…I’m sure I’ll get killed for saying that. I don’t know, it always seemed kind of silly. Hopefully we’re going to be a little more menacing."

Another aspect that has taken a lot of consideration - yup, you guessed it - the mask:

"We’ll see Cobra Commander in the Cobra mask [but] it will not be like the show," said di Bonaventura, who also promised they aren’t going to the comics for that one either. "I found some of the [mask] aspects a little KKK for me," he said, "so we tried to steer away from that image. We thought that might be a little much."

Hopefully they won't mess with the mask TOO much, but that aside - how excited are you JO fans about the upcoming movie? Care to share?

Source: MTV Movies