Star Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) releases the first image from upcoming G.I. Joe spinoff Snake Eyes, featuring himself as the title character. The film is based off of the Snake Eyes character from the G.I. Joe comics and his origins. It was initially announced back in 2018, with an early 2020 release date. Robert Schwentke (RED) is directing, with Evan Spiliotopoulos (Beauty and the Beast) penning the script.
The character Snake Eyes is a key member of the G.I. Joe team, a skilled combat and weapons master with a tragic backstory. He appeared in both previous G.I. Joe films, 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Neither film was very critically well-received, though they did well at the box office. Shortly after Retaliation’s release, a third film was announced, but it’s been pushed back due to actors’ schedules. Snake Eyes was played in the past two films by actor and martial artist Ray Park. As the spinoff is intended to be a hard reset on the franchise, the character has been recast with Golding, fresh off his success in Last Christmas and The Gentlemen.
Golding posted the first look image on his Instagram, along with the caption “Because its my birthday today and I’m playing Snake Eyes…Here’s your first look.” The black and white image shows Golding as the title character, armed and walking up old stone steps. It only shows the back of his character, though it appears there are other people standing at the top of the steps. Check out Golding as Snake Eyes below:
There has been a huge amount of casting announced in the months leading up to filming. Scarlett, a role previously played by Rachel Nichols in G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, will be played by Samara Weaving (Ready or Not). The character is an extremely skilled counter intelligence agent, the first female member of the G.I. Joe squad, and someone closely associated with Snake Eyes. Iko Uwais (The Raid) will play Hard Master, while Andrew Koji (Warrior) will play key antagonist Storm Shadow and Úrsula Corberó (Money Heist) the Baroness. Filming began on Snake Eyes in Tokyo, Japan early last month.
Golding seemed confident when he gave an on-set interview about Snake Eyes, praising the choreography and “authenticity” of the film’s story and action. Despite there not being much to this first look photo, the mood and design feel different and more serious than the previous G.I. Joe films. The team behind Snake Eyes appears to be trying to make something unique and separate from their predecessors. With such a talented cast and a focus on the action, there is potential for this spinoff to be a successful and thrilling movie.
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Source: Henry Golding/Instagram
