Crazy Rich Asiansstar Henry Golding has been chosen to star in the upcomingSnake Eyesmovie. TheG.I. Joespin-off will be an origin story, which is why fans won’t be seeing Ray Park back in the role. Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura revealed late last year that Park would not be returning because they needed someone younger to tell the story of the formation of the hero known asSnake Eyes. Now that casting is underway, it’s only a matter of time before production begins on the long awaited spin-off.
Henry Goldingwill play the mysterious ninja in theSnake Eyesmovie, which “is said to center on Snake Eyes seeking revenge for his father’s death by joining a ninja clan, and in the process finding acceptance.” Evan Spiliotopoulos wrote the screenplay for the movie and Robert Schwentke is all set to direct. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner are producing theG.I. Joespin-off. Ray Park played the character in the previous big screen installments,G.I. Joe: Rise of CobraandRetaliation, while never speaking and never revealing his face.
Since we’re going to see an origin story, we’re going to have to see the face ofSnake Eyes. Henry Golding seems to be a good choice as his star is on the rise, thanks toCrazy Rich AsiansandA Simple Favor. He also has astarring role in the upcoming Last ChristmasoppositeGame of Thronesstar Emilia Clarke. Now, the actor might be going down the franchise rabbit hole withSnake Eyes, should everything go according to plan. Paramount has a lot of projects in development surrounding the Hasbro toy line and Golding could end up getting another huge career boost in the process.
Reactions to the previousG.I. Joemovies have been mixed at best, so theSnake Eyesspin-off is going to have to really do something different to set itself apart from the rest of the franchise. Paramount has a goal of starting a Hasbro cinematic universe, following in the footsteps of Marvel Studios, which is a pretty lofty goal, to say the least. With a release date set for next fall, cameras will have to begin rolling very soon onSnake Eyesin order to make the deadline. However, the studio might end up pushing the movie back further.
Snake Eyeshas the potential to change the game for theG.I. Joefranchise and theHasbro Cinematic Universe. It might be wise to take a few notes from the recentTransformersspin-offBumblebeein terms of taking withering franchise and injecting some hope into continuing on in a new direction. With that being said,Snake Eyesis a fan-favorite character who might be able to cross over to people who are unaware of the original comics and cartoon series.The Hollywood Reporterwas the first to announce Henry Golding’s involvement in theSnake Eyesmovie.
