GI Joe: Snake Eyes Star Henry Golding Hopeful it "Launches an Amazing Franchise"

Even though the upcoming film has been delayed by a year, the star and producers of the upcoming Snake Eyes solo movie have high hopes for its potential. Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding suits up as the titular GI Joe character in the film and ignited the hype fires for the movie earlier this year after he tweeted about watching a cut of the film. "Just saw (Snake emoji)..." he wrote on Twitter. "Holy hell. This is the exact opposite of the cookie cutter, super people movies. Wow. You guys are in for something insane, I can't wait for you all to get your mits on this beast. Yowzers!!!! Literally grinning from ear to ear." Now he's back with more fuel for the fire, teasing the franchise that they're hoping to start with the film.

"I think the heart of the story really is who Snake is and his journey as a person, really. Understanding his motivations," Golding told Entertainment Weekly in a new interview. "I can't give away too much, but it really focuses on the one person instead of having 20 people on screen and understanding background. We start from the beginning. And, hopefully, this launches an amazing franchise."

The new movie will act as a prequel for the character, showing how he became the strong and silent warrior we all know and love, while also wiping the slate clean and starting over fresh as a franchise.

Directed by Robert Schwentke (The Divergent Series) the film will also feature plenty of other familiar faces from the lore of GI Joe that fans know and love, no doubt setting the stage for its franchise future. Among those set to appear include Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) as Scarlett, Ursula Corbero (La casa de papel) as The Baroness, Iko Uwais (The Raid) as Hard Master, with Andrew Koji (Warrior) as Storm Shadow, and Steve Allerick as Snake Eyes' father. Haruka Abe (Emerald City) has been cast as well in a currently-unknown role.

Earlier this summer the Paramount Pictures began development on a follow-up film, which won't be a proper Snake Eyes sequel movie but is being billed as an "expansion" of the GI Joe world on the big screen. Screenwriters Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, who previously penned Race, Seberg, and a draft of the Edge of Tomorrow sequel, have been tapped to write the script. Franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura will once again produce the project along with Hasbro's Allspark Pictures.

Snake Eyes on the other hand is scheduled to be released on October 22, 2021, a full year after its originally scheduled debut.