We realize we haven't properly congratulated "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" director Jon Chu on landing the gig to helm "G.I. Joe 2." It's easily the biggest movie the director's ever been a part of, but in all the excitement we had missed some potentially troubling news about this sequel: Some of the major characters are either going to be recast or simply removed. Thankfully, one of the actresses from the first film has helpfully filled us all in on who's still around.

As reported by Slashfilm, Rachel Nichols, who played Scarlett in the first film, tweeted that Snake Eyes (Ray Park), Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun) and Duke (Channing Tatum) would all be coming back. As for Scarlett, Nichols isn't playing her, although it's unclear if that means there won't be a Scarlett at all or just not her as Scarlett. In addition, Sienna Miller isn't coming back -- she played Baroness -- and nobody knows for sure if Joseph Gordon-Levitt will return as Cobra Commander.

All of this would seem to fly in the face of most tentpole sequels, which add new characters while keeping the characters audiences remember from earlier installments. But if Slashfilm is right, this decision is based entirely on finances:

The massive cuts in the main cast could also be attributed to a more than likely drop in budget. It is no secret that the first GI Joe film did not make mega money -- the first film was made for an estimated $175 million, and grossed $300 million at the box office (a large percentage of which went to exhibitors).

Judging from the people who are confirmed for "G.I. Joe 2," it appears that this sequel will feature a lot of choreographed sword fights and Channing Tatum. Between the "Step Up" sequels and the Justin Bieber documentary, Chu has had to consistently make movies with relatively limited resources. His first tentpole sounds like it'll be exactly the same situation.