Henry Golding Shares First Look At G.I. Joe’s Snake Eyes

By Drew Taylor

·February 6, 2020

G.I. Joe is being reintroduced to the big screen slowly, starting with the new Snake Eyes movie starring Henry Golding.

The film appears to be an entry point to relaunch the G.I. Joe franchise. It will detail the origin of one of the most popular Joes ever, the silent ninja/soldier hybrid himself, Snake Eyes.

At a press conference in Japan, Golding described the film saying, “It’s unlike anything that people would have seen. We are really starting a new timeline, a new franchise with the G.I. JOE universe.”

He added, “To kick it off with such a distinct and stylized film, I think it really sets the precedence for follow-up movies.”

Golding continued eluding that this would be a very different Snake Eyes, one that we’ll see unmasked for a time, “We throw it back right to the beginning, and see how he progresses in to this most amazing character.”

“For us to never really see what is beneath the mask, it always missed something. Snake Eyes was always seen as a weapon, as almost an inanimate object,” said Golding. “But when you get to see someone’s eyes you get to see that past, their future, the personality behind that.”

On February 4th, Golding posted a set photo on his Instagram page. It shows an unmasked Snake Eyes walking up the steps approaching an ancient Japanese temple.

Long time G.I. Joe fans know that painstaking care has been taken to ensure that Snake Eyes usually remains behind the mask.

G.I. JOE Writer Chuck Dixon Responds to Henry Golding’s Comments On Snake Eyes

G.I. Joe writer Chuck Dixon explained why this was so, “Larry Hama understood the very simple principle that mystery enhances and engages the reader. The less you know, the more you want to know. And he made Snake Eyes a mystery and by making him a mystery he made him cooler.”

He added:

“The other thing that Larry understands and I learned over time writing comics is that kids, who are supposed to be our primary audience, kids love to project themselves on their heroes. And who better to project yourself on then Snake Eyes, we don’t know what he looks like and he doesn’t talk. So any kid could imagine that they are Snake Eyes.”

While Snake Eyes typically doesn’t show his face, Larry Hama did reveal his face back in G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #93 in 1995. Hama explained why he decided to depict Snake Eyes as a white man and reveal his face.

“Some people are saying that casting Golding “fixes” the character of Snake-Eyes, but I disagree. I had wanted to keep him ambiguous until HASBRO introduced Storm-shadow as the only Asian character and made him a bad guy. I decided to “fix” that by delving into his background and gradually turning him into a good guy. This is why Snake-Eyes is a white guy.”

The question is, will this new film respect the mystery that goes with the Snake Eyes character, or abandon it with a full reveal?

With so many questionable franchise reboots these days, plenty of fans are skeptical.

Snake Eyes opens in theaters on October 23, 2020. The film is directed by Robert Schwentke.

The cast also includes Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, Iko Uwais as Hard Master, Ursula Corbero as Baroness, and Samara Weaving as Scarlett.

What are your expectations for the relaunch of the G.I. Joe franchise on the big screen?

Share your thoughts with us below, and check out Bounding Into Comics for any breaking details on this or other movies.