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We haven’t heard much about the G.I. Joe production since our friends at /Film broke the story about Ray Park playing Snake Eyes. Tonight, we learn that Scary Movie star Marlon Wayans has inked a deal to play Ripcord, leader of the military unit. We have also learned that The Lookout‘s Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in negotiations to join Paramount’s 2009 summer tentpole.

The report comes to us from Variety, who did not reveal what part Gordon-Levitt is in negotiations for, but we are actively trying to find out for you.

For the Stephen Sommers-helmed flick, we are not sure how this casting decision fits into the equation. Ripcord is a character originally from Columbus, Ohio (Go Buckeyes!), who is an airborne infantryman who specializes in demolition. In the comics, he led the “Joe” team with HALO (stands for “High Altitude Low Opening” — has no relation to the popular XBox game) jumps into enemy territory.

We can only speculate at this point that his role will be a serious one, with the potential for comedy here and there. Think about Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson in Michael Bay’s Transformers. The fact still remains though, that Wayans has not made any good movies — nor has he ever stuck out as anything other than silly. It will be interesting to see how his version of Ripcord translates from the script written by Stuart Beattie. Time will tell, we suppose.

As for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he has been nothing but sensational since emerging from the late-90s TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun and delivering great performances both The Lookout and Brick.

G.I. Joe starts shooting next month in L.A. and will hit theaters on August 7, 2009.