Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins star, Andrew Koji, would like to see his character don his classic Cobra outfit in a sequel. A full reboot of the G.I. Joe franchise, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, will follow the story of the ninja martial artist, Snake Eyes (Henry Golding), and his friend turned eventual arch rival, Thomas Arashikage, a.k.a. Storm Shadow. The film will also introduce the villainous organization, Cobra. It will also reveal how Snake Eyes comes to oppose them and why Storm Shadow joins them.
Introduced as part of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toy line in 1984, the character has been one of the most prolific in the franchise's history. He has served both Cobra and G.I. Joe at various times and has been featured in a number of adaptations including the '80s animated series and the previous live-action films starring Lee Byung-hun. One of the most defining aspects of the character is his white ninja outfit, to contrast with Snake Eyes' all-black outfit, which has been a fan-favorite since he was first introduced.
In an interview with Polygon, Koji spoke about what he wants to see from Storm Shadow in a sequel. One of the big elements of the character he wants to explore is the traditional Storm Shadow costume, which features a white mask and a giant red Cobra logo on the outfit. The costume is sleeveless and features a bow and arrow alongside his two katanas. Read what Koji said below:
I’d love to see Storm Shadow with his bow and arrow, I’d love to see him in his old cobra uniform with the hooded look. That and the sleeveless outfit as well, some adaptation of that. I know I’d like to maintain the quality of his visuals and the quality of his character arc.
The promotional posters for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins features Koji wearing a white outfit, but it appears to be a stage 1 version of the character's classic appearance. The toys of Storm Shadow also feature a bow and arrow and the classic mask, but there is a chance those are only added for the toy line and not in the actual film. No mask has been featured in any promotional material, so that could be an addition to the outfit the character receives at the end of the film. This is similar to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which featured Joseph Gordon Levitt's character become the villainous Cobra Commander at the end of the film, yet his final outfit was very different from the classic costume that was changed for the sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is intended to restart the G.I. Joe franchise, and it sounds like the filmmakers are leaving a lot to be explored in a sequel. What the sequels form remains to be seen. It's unclear if it will be a direct sequel to Snake Eyes or follow another character in the franchise like Cobra Commander, Duke, or Lady Jaye. The film could even be a more traditional straightforward G.I. Joe film that has an already established character audiences know, like Snake Eyes, to draw audiences in. There is also a discussion of G.I. Joe crossing over with the Transformers, which also recently rebooted itself with Bumblebee and the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Hopefully, Koji will be able to be a more recognizable version of Storm Shadow after Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.
Source: Polygon
