Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins Movie Is About Brotherhood With Storm Shadow

The next G.I. Joe movie, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, will be a character-centric story focusing on Snake Eyes' relationship with fellow ninja Storm Shadow. That's according to star Henry Golding and seminal G.I. Joe comics writer Larry Hama. Both participated in the Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins panel at this weekend's virtual Comic Con Experience event. Golding plays the title character in the new spinoff movie, which is an origin story for Snake Eyes. Andrew Koji plays Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes' blood brother frequently torn between those loyalties and whomever his current employer may be.

"G.I. Joe is all about redemption, kindness, and loyalty," Hama added. Golding then specified that the movie would focus on the two ninjas. "You see Snake Eyes' weaknesses, his faults. He tries to make amends for what he has done."

Hama also said that the movie would focus more on the characters more than the past films, which captured the larger scale of G.I. Joe's conflict with Cobra. With Golding and Koji, the film stars Iko Uwais as Hard Master, Úrsula Corberó as Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, and Peter Mensah as Blind Master, as well as Haruka Abe, Takehiro Hira, and Steven Allerick. Robert Schwentke directed the film from a script by Evan Spiliotopoulos.

In September, Golding confirmed that the movie robots the G.I. Joe film franchise. "Snake Eyes has just blown me away," he told NME. "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 spinoffs, to be honest. This, I think, will be the launch of a brand-new franchise.

"To be honest, it was painful. It's definitely much more of a martial arts film than a superhero movie. It's very, very physical. I fucking hated it in the beginning because I couldn't even squat down and go to the bathroom. The first week was literal hell. I think I cried on the phone to my manager. I was like: 'I don't know what I'm doing!'"

Snake Eyes began filming in October 2019 in Vancouver. After wrapping that shoot in December, the film moved to Japan in January and wrapped production in February. The film was to release in 2020, but Paramount Pictures delayed it due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins opens in theaters on October 22, 2021.

(h/t HISSTANK)