Paramount Pictures released the first official trailer of the much-awaited film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins. The minute-long trailer, which debuted during Sunday night's MTV Movie and TV Awards, offers fans a first look at Henry Golding in action as the G.I. Joe's katana-wielding fighter, who will be arriving on the big screen this summer.
After almost a decade, Paramount is bringing the G.I. Joe franchise back to life, but the focus is not on the entire team this time. Snake Eyes will take fans back to the origins of one of G.I. Joe's most popular and loved characters. The ninja warrior, with a mysterious backstory, will finally reveal his true self to fans of the franchise, with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirming in the past that the film will allow viewers to learn who Snake Eyes is and where he comes from.
The Snake Eyes trailer doesn’t offer much in terms of revealing the storyline, but it is packed with clips of action sequences. It begins with Golding fighting a bunch of goons atop a car-carrier trailer, which seems to set up fan expectations from the get-go about the amount of action this film will offer. The trailer includes a lot of swashbuckling action, a highway motorcycle chase, and a lot of gunfights. Snake Eyes is meant to kick off a new G.I. Joe franchise, beginning with a look into the character’s past. As such, the trailer also offers glimpses of the titular character's arrival in Japan to join the ninja clan called Arashikage and his journey of being trained by the group.
Apart from the trailer, another short video clip was also released that takes fans behind the scenes of the action-packed film. The video includes interviews with Golding and the producers of Snake Eyes as they talk about how the film has to offer more than just what is in the comics. The video also brings in Larry Hama, a comic-book writer who has worked on several editions of G.I. Joe, talking about the backstory of how Storm Shadow, played by Andrew Koji in the film, brings Snake Eyes into the world of the Arashikage.
Snake Eyes first appeared in the G.I. Joe comics created by Marvel in 1982. His identity has been shrouded in mystery since the character was first introduced. While he is known for being a silent ninja and his unbeatable skills with a sword, many are not aware of where one of the most popular G.I. Joe characters came from. All that is known is the fact that he served with the US Army during the Vietnam War and then went on to join the Arashikage. As Snake Eyes trains, he and Storm Shadow become sword brothers and their relationship over the course of the comics is the most complicated one. After the death of their teacher, the Hard Master, Snake Eyes goes to live in solitude in the High Sierras, which is where he is eventually recruited to join the G.I. Joe team. In the comics, he appears in a black bodysuit and uses a black balaclava to hide his face, which is said to have been heavily scarred in an accident. He is also mute, but the upcoming Snake Eyes movie focuses on his story before he goes silent.
Apart from Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, the upcoming film includes appearances from many other G.I Joe characters, including Samara Weaving’s Scarlett, Ursula Corbero’s The Baroness, and Peter Mensah’s Blind Master. The film is directed by Robert Schwentke, who brought films like The Captain and RED to life, and is written by Evan Spiliotopoulos, who has worked on several other adaptations in the past, including Beauty and the Beast.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is scheduled to release in theaters on July 23, 2021.
Source: Paramount Pictures/YouTube