The first G.I. Joe spinoff movie, Snake Eyes, has found its director and release date. Paramount and Allspark Pictures are moving forward with plans to create a cinematic universe of their own. Their desire is to crossover a variety of Hasbro products on the big screen, with Bumblebee potentially launching the universe.
Before such a crossover happens though, they’ll set up or reintroduce key IPs. G.I. Joe is one of the properties they hope to bring back to the big screen, after the last franchise lasted just two films. It was revealed earlier this year that instead of continuing to prioritize G.I. Joe 3, the studios instead turned their attention toward a Snake Eyes solo film. Evan Spiliotopoulos (Beauty and the Beast) was hired to write the script, and it appears the studios are happy with his work as Snake Eyes has received plenty of new, positive information.
The Wrap shared the updates regarding Snake Eyes, with the biggest being Robert Schwentke finalizing a deal to direct the solo movie. Schwentke most recently directed small film The Captain, but has experience in bigger budget films with Insurgent and Allegiant. In addition to Schwentke joining the project, Paramount and Allspark Pictures have given the spinoff a March 27, 2020 release date.
Interestingly, The Wrap’s report notes that this is the third film in the G.I. Joe franchise, but it’s unclear how close a spinoff it really is. Ray Park played Snake Eyes in the first two films, so if this is indeed a spinoff, it’s possible that he could reprise the role. What should make this unlikely - even if it’s in the same continuity as the first two films - are the story details The Wrap shared. They state the movie centers on Snake Eyes’ origins, making this a prequel, if it’s connected to the prior movies at all. Regardless, the origin story will show Snake Eyes trying to become a member of the Arashikage Clan, a shadowy group of highly skilled ninja assassins.
This is a major step forward for Snake Eyes, as it now becomes a project that fans of the silent, masked assassin may learn more about sooner than later. There’s no production schedule currently available for the movie, but the early 2020 release date indicates it may not be too far away from the start of filming. Paramount still needs to find who will play Snake Eyes in the movie and assemble a cast around him before that can happen. As a whole, Snake Eyes is coming together quickly, now that it has a director and release date set.
MORE: Bumblebee Theory: John Cena Is The Original G.I. Joe
Source: The Wrap
