Stephen Sommers Dismisses G.I. Joe Firing Rumors as 'Complete Lies'; Sienna Miller Admits It Isn't the 'Best Acting Work We've Ever Done'

Any movie based on a line of boys' attack-Barbies, directed by the man who brought you Van Helsing, and starring Marlon Wayans and Joseph Gordon-Levitt without the least bit of irony has turkey written all over it, and nothing in the trailer for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra suggests otherwise. Indeed, the signs were there early on, after a number of stunt mishaps narrowly averted serious disaster -- though resulted in at least one cleavage-singeing for star Sienna Miller. She confirmed as much to Australian press at a stop on the movie's worldwide promotional tour, saying, "Luckily it wasn't my breasts, it was the bit in-between. It got a bit burnt when an explosion got a bit close."

But it would take more than some barbecued boobies to get Paramount to eject the man behind it all from the production. Denying widespread rumors that he'd been dismissed by the studio after some disastrous test screenings, director Stephen Sommers said:

'It's complete lies. I have always had final cut of the film. People just make stuff up. You have to really screw up to get fired from a movie. The stigma of that would kill it. This is not the case.'

Meanwhile, newly married star Channing Tatum explained how his position as an opinionless patriot nearly prevented his involvement -- until he read the script, and realized that what Sommers and Paramount were trying to do was create a military strike-force movie, without the military:

'When I was first approached about the role I thought, 'Aww man, how are you going to make a movie about G.I. Joe in a time of war?'

'Then I read the script and it was nothing to do with the military at all. 'I'm a big supporter of the soldiers and the military and I don't have a view on the war at all, I'm not a political person.

In the end, the film's stars seem to want to keep expectations realistic:

Actor Channing, 29, said: 'I hope it does OK', while a less tactful Sienna added: 'You know, GI Joe, it's not going to be the best acting work we've ever done.'

· Sienna Miller: 'I nearly burnt my breasts making GI Joe' [Daily Mail]