Henry Golding has revealed that the highly anticipated Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins will reboot the G.I. Joe franchise. The upcoming spinoff of the G.I. Joe series was initially set to hit theaters in fall 2o20 but was recently pushed back to 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Golding, who launched onto the scene with the highly successful Crazy Rich Asians, was last seen in Guy Richie's The Gentlemen, which hit theaters domestically in January, grossing an impressive $115 million globally against a budget of just $22 million.
Snake Eyes will focus on the backstory of the beloved Hasbro character, showcasing how he became the deadly ninja commando that fans have come to know and love over the years, easily positioned as one of the most popular members of the G.I. Joe team. The last time audiences saw the character on the big screen was in both 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and its 2013 follow-up, G.I. Joe Retaliation, the former grossing $302 million and the latter pulling in $375 million respectively at the worldwide box office. It was announced in 2019 that Golding was set to star as Snake Eyes, and now that filming has concluded, the actor has revealed new information about the film.
In a recent interview with NME, Henry Golding divulged that the upcoming Snake Eyes film would reboot the G.I. Joe franchise. When asked about the highly-talked about project, Golding didn't play coy about how he felt about the film. He stated,
"They’ve recreated G.I. Joe into something very cool and a far throw from what we’ve seen thus far on the big screen. I think there’s room for many spin-offs, to be honest. This, I think, will be the launch of a brand-new franchise.”
While there hasn't been a litany of plot details uncovered - aside from exploring the character's origins - it was previously announced Robert Schwentke would be at the helm. Actor Andrew Koji portrays Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes' blood brother and rival, who ultimately ends up working for the nefarious organization known as COBRA. Golding also expressed that he thinks the film is "insane."
The last two attempts at live-action G.I. Joe films missed the mark considerably, failing to capture the fun and highly addictive quality of the beloved TV show. Both movies suffered from lackluster writing and performances that ultimately hindered both films from finding the success they aimed to achieve. The reveal that this solo film revolving around the Snake Eyes character will serve as a reboot for the series is encouraging, especially since the franchise needs a new creative direction. Hasbro and Paramount also seem confident enough in the film to be developing a new G.I. Joe movie that will serve as a follow-up. Hopefully, Snake Eyes will breathe new life into this dormant franchise and remind fans why they fell in love with these characters, to begin with.
Source: NME