A brand new Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins image shows its star, Henry Golding, preparing for a fight. After a pair of generic and rather disappointing G.I. Joe films in 2009 (The Rise of the Cobra) and 2013 (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), respectively, the franchise will now follow in the footsteps of Hasbro and Paramount’s other property, Transformers, and be rebooted with an origin story. Golding will star as the titular Snake Eyes in a project that not only looks to launch a G.I. Joe universe (again) but also reveal how the character becomes the silent ninja G.I. Joe fans know and love.
Snake Eyes will explore Golding’s character training with the Arashikage clan, his love/hate relationship with Storm Shadow (Andrew Koji) and will also introduce Snake Eyes’ relationship with Scarlett (Samara Weaving). After a few delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the film will now hit theaters on July 23, and a new action-packed trailer recently dropped, showcasing a very important element of the film: the action. Considering Golding himself called Snake Eyes a martial arts film and that Snake Eyes is known is for his actions, not his words, showing off the intense and impressive action sequences to the fans was necessary. Now, a new image shows Golding’s Snake Eyes prepping for battle.
In Fandango’s “The 2021 Summer Movie Preview,” the site spotlights the upcoming summer releases, such as Black Widow, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and Hasbro’s Snake Eyes. Along with a brief description of the plot, the preview slide for Snake Eyes shows an image of Golding dressed in black in a martial arts stance as he prepares himself for a fight. For those who have seen both the trailer and featurette of Snake Eyes, the image looks to be from a moment that is highlighted in both promotional videos, where the character positions himself in almost the exact same pose. The full image can be seen below:
The image is a great promotional shot, as it highlights the action-centric story fans are likely expecting. Also, considering Golding and the team identify Larry Hama’s Silent Interlude as a big inspiration for this film, it's apropos that they use an image to really convey the spirit of the film and its character through one intense image. Last year, Snake Eyes’ leading man described the film as “insane” and the opposite of “cookie cutter, super people movies.” Although an effective story with more depth than previous G.I. Joe films will aid in it not being “cookie cutter,” the action will undoubtedly play a part in making the film feel more gritty, while also providing the necessary spectacle.
As seen in Fandango’s preview, Snake Eyes will face some tough competition as it comes two weeks after Marvel’s Black Widow and a week after Space Jam: A New Legacy. However, if the film is able to gain the sort of appreciation from critics and audiences that’s alluded past G.I. Joe installments, then the film may be able to find an audience during its theatrical run. Also, considering more G.I. Joe projects like the Lady Jaye Amazon series are in the works, it’s clear there is a lot riding on Golding’s Snake Eyes. Time will tell if Snake Eyes can successfully launch a G.I. Joe universe, but it’s clear from the trailer and this new image, Golding will bring the fight as Snake Eyes.
Source: Fandango
