“Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origin” opens this Friday, July 23, and Paramount Pictures is making a final push for seeing the movie in theaters with a final trailer. Directed by Robert Schwentke, “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origin” is a reboot of Paramount’s “G.I. Joe” universe that began with “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” in 2009 and ‘Retaliation‘ in 2013. Neither film did very well, a third film languished in development, and Paramount eventually decided to start over.
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Instead of starting with the entire “G.I. Joe” team, their do-over centers on the silent assassin Snake Eyes played by “Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding. This would be tantamount to Marvel re-starting the X-Men world with a “Wolverine” film before introducing the rest of the team, and hey, anything’s possible when you’re trying to re-introduce audiences to a familiar brand, but trying to do it in a new way. That said, plenty of the G.I. Joe players are in this film. Also starring in the picture is Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, Úrsula Corberó as Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Haruka Abe as Akiko, Tahehiro Hira as Kenta, and Iko Uwais as Hard Master.
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It’s also an origin story. Snake Eyes was famously a character that never spoke in the comics, but here he can, and some of the movie is the lead-up and build-up to how he lost his voicebox. Exciting stuff, right?
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Here’s the official synopsis:
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Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins stars Henry Golding as Snake Eyes, a tenacious loner who is welcomed into an ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage after saving the life of their heir apparent. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teaches Snake Eyes the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing something he’s been longing for: a home. But, when secrets from his past are revealed, Snake Eyes’ honor and allegiance will be tested – even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him. Based on the iconic G.I. Joe character, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins also stars Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, Úrsula Corberó as Baroness, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Haruka Abe as Akiko, Tahehiro Hira as Kenta, and Iko Uwais as Hard Master.
Written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and Anna Waterhouse & Joe Shrapnel, “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins” opens Friday, July 25 only in theaters. Watch the final trailer below.
Follow along with our full coverage from the 2021 Cannes Film Festival here.