After the action sequel G.I. Joe Retaliation took in over $375 million worldwide earlier this year, we reported in June that Jon M. Chu is coming back to direct G.I. Joe 3, with writer Evan Daugherty (Divergent, Snow White and the Huntsman) signing on to write the script in September. While no cast members have officially been attached yet, Jon M. Chu was asked about the possibility of Channing Tatum returning as Duke, despite his character's death at the hands of Cobra in G.I. Joe Retaliation.

Here's what the director had to say in a cryptic statement.

"You never know. Storm Shadow died in the first one and came back in the second one, and then other characters have died and never come back. The G.I. Joe world, the best thing about it is you never know who's coming back and who's not."

It should be mentioned that one of the reasons G.I. Joe Retaliation was delayed in May 2012 was to add more scenes with Channing Tatum, along with the post-production 3D conversion. In the time between 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and G.I. Joe Retaliation, the actor blossomed into a huge star, and the studio wanted to capitalize on his popularity by putting him in more scenes. Also, it was never specifically mentioned how Storm Shadow mysteriously came back from the dead in G.I. Joe Retaliation, so anything is possible for G.I. Joe 3.

Jon M. Chu also hinted that the sequel will feature a mix of returning and new characters, along with "lots of fun surprises," although he didn't specify which roles will be added to the franchise.

"(The new roles are) exciting ones that I know the fans will love, and people that I've always wanted to work with. It's gonna be a really fun movie. We're taking it in a whole new direction."

It isn't clear when production may begin on G.I. Joe 3, which is being targeted for a 2016 release by Paramount Pictures.