"Joe" will be a real American hero with or without writers.  Variety says that the film is a go, with production officially starting on February 13.  Among the names being batted around for the leads, George Clooney's is the most famous.  IESB says producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has his eye on Clooney for the role of Duke.  (Eds: Flint was cooler. :P )  The site has also clarified an earlier rumor from this week about "three scribes" on the film:

"Stuart Beattie has completed the script and two writers [John Lee Hancock and Brian Koppelman and David Levien, because the last two count as one writer] have been brought in to polish certain scenes of the film before this week's WGA deadline, they are not writing different scripts."

The official Hasbro.

com site posted some clarifications about the script rumors floating around regarding the film:

Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Team wanted to take this opportunity to clarify some of the facts regarding the G.I. Joe live-action movie that we are developing with Paramount Pictures. 

First and foremost, we are not changing what the G.I. Joe brand is about.  The name “G.I. Joe” will always be synonymous with bravery and heroism. 

The G.I. Joe brand has enjoyed a successful 43-year history, spanning two key generations.  The first was the line of 12-inch “realistic military” figures that were popular with kids in the 1960s and 1970s.

The second generation, was created in 1982, and is based on a cast of fictional heroes and villains that make up the “G.I. Joe vs. Cobra” fantasy.  The premise of this fantasy is the story of the G.I. Joe team, led by Duke, and their “fight for freedom wherever there is trouble” against the evil Cobra Commander and his Cobra force.  This storyline was an instant hit with kids in the early 1980s, spawning a highly popular 3-3/4-inch action figure line, comic book collection and animated series.

This movie will be a modern telling of the “G.I. Joe vs. Cobra” storyline and its compelling characters that Hasbro created 25 years ago.  The G.I. Joe team will not be based in Brussels.  Instead, they will be based out of the “Pit” as they were throughout the 1980s comic book series.  And, in keeping with the G.I. Joe vs. Cobra fantasy, the movie will feature characters and locations from around the world.  Duke, the lead character and head of the G.I. Joe team, will embody the values of bravery and heroism that the first generation of G.I. Joe figures established.

G.I. Joe is a very important property to Hasbro and we thank all of our fans for their enthusiasm.  Without all of you, the brand would not be where it is today. 

Thank you.

Take that as you will.

Finally, the big rumor tonight is that Sam Worthington (James Cameron's "Avatar") is up for a major role in the film and that Paramount is so enamored of him that they're willing to work around his "Avatar" filming schedule to fit him into the movie.