With JLA close to finally announcing a cast, the next movie likely to start beating you down with an endless supply of incorrect casting rumors is the Paramount movie adaptation of GI Joe. The latest bit of casting gossip on the film involves a name so big, it’s almost stupid to believe its true.

IESB claims that George Clooney has been offered the role of Duke in GI Joe. Originally word was that the production’s producers wanted Mark Wahlberg for the part. But, as a way of applying logic to this situation, they’re throwing out the idea that after a string of bad box office performers like Michael Clayton, Clooney walked away from Joe Carnahan’s White Jazz in order to latch onto a guaranteed Hollywood blockbuster and GI Joe could be it.

I don’t buy it. With all due respect to the great guys at IESB, their record on GI Joe casting rumors isn’t exactly spotless. They’re responsible for circulating that old Jason Statham for Action Man rumor which Statham recently blew to pieces by saying he had no connection of any kind to the project. And by the way, this is George Clooney we’re talking about here. I really doubt if the guy cares about how much money his movies are making. For the past few years he’s been pretty content to focus on doing work that he believes in rather than movies which will make tons of money. Clooney’s made it fairly clear that he has his wad of cash and now he’s making his way through Hollywood doing quality work. If he did want to do a blockbuster, he’d have his pick, and he’d be more likely to pick something that… oh I don’t know… isn’t based on a cartoon which was invented primarily as a platform for selling war toys to 8-year-old boys.