Were it not for the COVID-19 pandemic, the G.I. JOE franchise would (hopefully) have been resurrected last month with SNAKE EYES, a spin-off that focuses on the titular deadly ninja commando. Henry Golding (CRAZY RICH ASIANS) stars as Snake Eyes, and has previously expressed his enthusiasm for the film. "Holy hell. This is the exact opposite of the cookie cutter, super people movies," Golding tweeted after a test screening. "Wow. You guys are in for something insane, I can't wait for you all to get your [mitts] on this beast. Yowzers!!!! Literally grinning from ear to ear." While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Golding dropped a few teases about the upcoming film, including its samurai film influences.
[SNAKE EYES director Robert Schwentke] is a huge Japanese cinephile, everything from [Akira] Kurosawa to just the phenomenal Spaghetti Westerns of samurai movies. He is so hooked into that history and we see some of those scenes. With some of the fight scenes there are some chanbara sequences. A lot of attention to cultural detail was put into this movie. There are not a lot of movies that are allowed to film in Japan and we went to some amazing, amazing places. The authenticity is there.
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Henry Golding added that he thinks that the heart of SNAKE EYES is really centered on "who Snake is and his journey as a person, really. Understanding his motivations," Golding said. "I can't give away too much, but it really focuses on the one person instead of having 20 people on screen and understanding background. We start from the beginning. And, hopefully, this launches an amazing franchise." Speaking of launching a franchise, it was revealed earlier this year that Hasbro and Paramount have already been developing a follow-up with Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, best known for penning Kristen Stewart's SEBERG, set to pen the script. At the time, it was said that "the idea for the project is to build on Snake Eyes, making it not quite a sequel but rather an expansion to take audience goers deeper into the world of Joe."
SNAKE EYES will follow the titular character as he seeks revenge for the death of his father by joining a ninja clan and finding acceptance in the process. The film also stars Andre Koji (Warrior) as Storm Shadow, a fellow ninja is is both blood brother and archenemy to Snake Eyes, Iko Uwais (THE RAID) as Hard Master, a tough as nails teacher who instructs Snake Eyes and also happens to be a skilled swordmaster, Samara Weaving (READY OR NOT) as Scarlett, the red-haired counter-intelligence officer who has a unique bond with Snake Eyes, and Úrsula Corberó (Money Heist) as the evil agent known as the Baroness. SNAKE EYES is currently slated to hit theaters on October 22, 2021.
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