Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins Movie Debuts October 2020!

The Cast of Snake Eyes

Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow

Snake Eye’s nemesis Storm Shadow must be an important feature for this film to work. Koji says he’s never played a Japanese character before in his 12-year acting career (he’s British-born and half Japanese), and says he’s using the role to embrace and learn more about the other half of his heritage and culture. We’ve seen his moves in Warrior, so we know he’s got the skills. Let’s hope they are put to use against Snake Eyes… a lot.

Samara Weaving as Scarlett

Scarlett is almost as sacred as Snake Eyes in G.I. Joe lore. In my humble opinion, Rachel Nichols did not get enough screen time to develop anything substantial in the first film about her. Scarlett is a strong female leader and needs a strong actress to play her. Weaving showed she can handle drama and action in Ready or Not. Let’s hope she can handle being Scarlett.

Ursula Corbrero as The Baroness

We’re unsure the role she’ll play unless there are flash-forwards from Snake’s origins to present time. Cobra is not around when Snake-Eyes is young. Baroness would be operating on her own or starting her own nefarious network in the early days. She does have some early dealings with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, but her arc will depend on how close they stick to source material continuity.

A Kid’s Memories of Snake Eyes and G.I. Joe

I was a G.I. Joe freak 80’s kid. Before Amazon and E-Bay, kids actually had to go to department and toy stores and hope they hit it on the day the shelves were restocked. That was the only shot at finding the rare ones. I remember specifically my excitement the day I found my Snake Eyes action figure on the toy rack at Belk-Lindsey Department Store. It was always hit-or-miss, as they mostly had the commons. But if you caught the right day, you walked in after a restock. That’s where gold was found!

Snake Eyes was a hard one to find, but even harder was his nemesis, Storm Shadow. There he was… on the shelf mixed in with Grunt, Gung-Ho and Duke at Montgomery Ward. I snatched him down and took it to the counter, begging the clerk to hold it until I came back with my $3 to buy it. I pedaled my bike as fast as I could home and broke two change jars for the pennies I’d need to pay the tax. Ah, the golden age of toy collecting!

Will Snake Eyes be a hit?

The screenplay is under tight wraps. The rumor is we’ll see a younger Snake Eyes travel to Japan and go toe-to-toe with his rival Storm Shadow for the heart of Akita and his place in the Arashikage Clan. Fans say in multiple forums that if the studio does this movie, follow the source material from the comics. Snake Eyes doesn’t speak and you never see his face (well, except in this one comic…), but as this is an origin story, we should expect to see him before any disfigurement or vocal cord damage. This means he’ll likely have speaking and unmasked parts.

How Scarlett fits in is a mystery as well, since in continuity, he doesn’t meet her until after becoming a Joe. To be a success, this movie needs lots of martial arts interaction between Snake and Storm. The love triangle aspect is good, too, but can’t overshadow the martial arts aspect if they plan to make it a hit. G.I. Joe is not a love story. It also should cover his introduction to the G.I. Joe network. That means another Joe will need to be around, Stalker. If this film performs, we may see this become a franchise reboot, opening the possibility of a Transformers crossover. For that, 80’s kids will certainly rejoice! Hey, a fan can dream, right?

How about you, fans? Excited to see Snake Eyes happening? Stick with That Hashtag Show for all your geek pop culture news!

Sourced from: Comic Book.com