Snake Eyes, the G.I. Joe origin tale, is reinventing the mysterious ninja warrior from Hasbro’s iconic soldier story. Henry Golding plays the haunted young man who finds himself joining forces with the Arashikage clan and developing a complicated dynamic with their future leader, Tommy (Andrew Koji). The film explores this classic dynamic and also introduces new characters and backstories.

Related: Snake Eyes' Name Explained: Original Meaning & Movie Retcon

Golding spoke to Screen Rant about the film, which is currently out in theaters, and what it was like to expand on the relationships and backstories in the G.I. Joe franchise.

I've always been fascinated by Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes, their relationship, and their brotherhood in different iterations of the franchise. You guys really dive deep into this film. Can you talk to me about Tommy and Snake Eyes' relationship in this film? 

Henry Golding: Yeah, thank you for saying that and enjoying the movie. It is one of the most iconic relationships moving through the comic books and moving through the previous movies. You need to understand why that friendship/brotherhood/nemesis exists, so you need to understand the genesis of where this all stems from. And this is the film where we wanted to explore that. 

Because moving forward, there are iterations where they are fighting against each other; they're fighting for a common goal, and suddenly they're back to being nemeses. But it all needs to go back to this point in the movie universe. So, it was really important to lay that foundation. But it's also a relationship that you needed to have [a] macro view on because it's so complex. It's not so straightforward as, "He went over there and stole their secrets, and now they're enemies." It's so much more layered than that and so much more human.

Both Snake Eyes and Tommy struggle with their duty to family or the clan versus their own personal needs. Can you talk to me about how that theme is important to both of those characters' fates?

Henry Golding: Yeah, you have the quintessential yin and yang. Snake Eyes growing up without family; Storm Shadow growing up in a family of expectation and honor and dedication. And so when those two worlds collide, one wants the other's freedom versus honor and stability. 

That's where we see the cross-section, and we see what it means to each other to explore the different emotionality behind all that. Then we see that brotherhood spark. But I think we definitely do it justice in not trying to over-explain it but allow the audience by the end of the movie to be like, "Give me more. How can I watch this next film?"

Snake Eyes

In most iterations, Snake Eyes has a relationship with Scarlett, at least on a personal level. How is that dynamic explored in this film, and where would you like to see it go next?

Henry Golding: Yeah, the beautiful and most amazing Samara Weaving plays our Scarlett, and she is fantastic in it. Of course, we didn't want to fill this first movie with too many relationships and too [much] exploration of the characters. We wanted the strength of the bond of Storm and Snake. 

But who knows where this leads? It really opens up the door to a point where the possibilities are absolutely endless. And it's about the response from the fans. If they want to see more,  we definitely want to make more of this.

Next: Why Snake Eyes Isn't Mute In His Origin Movie

Key Release Dates

  • Snake Eyes Poster 2
    Snake Eyes
    Release Date:
    2021-07-23