Henry Golding’s first Hollywood role cast him as the lead role in the breakout smash, Crazy Rich Asians. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Golding is now in talks for the lead role as Snake Eyes from the GI Joe franchise.
The Snake Eyes character marquees the group of heroes called GI Joe. Snake stands out amongst everyone else because he dresses in solid black as a ninja, wears a complete mask that never comes off, and never speaks. So why cast such a hot and famous face in Henry Golding to a character whose face we never see and never speaks?
Who Is Snake Eyes?
Snake Eyes’ origin varies in minor details depending on the source, but overall remains closely the same. He either starts out a normal and loses his father, or he is part of a Ninja clan and his master is killed. With many heroes, death of his father figure becomes key in the character’s transformation. After the murder, Snake takes a vow of silence and dons the mask. He swears to avenge his fallen mentor/father. In most every incarnation, Snake’s arch enemy Storm Shadow murdered the person in Snake’s life.
With Golding cast as the lead, the story promises to serve as an origin story so as to avoid hiding him behind a voiceless, faceless mask the entire movie.
Is Golding Up For It?
What about the martial arts? It remains unknown if Henry Golding possesses any martial arts training. Snake Eyes does own the reputation as the deadliest Ninja after all, but this is where drawback becomes bonus. Many actors undergo rigorous training for fighting roles, but a character like Snake Eyes needs a master’s moves. The two previous versions of Snake Eyes were played by Ray Park, a well trained martial artist. The bonus being once the Snake Eyes mask goes on, the actor can easily be swapped out when needed.
Paramount has long been trying to launch the GI Joe franchise, but the first two installments failed to live up to expectations. There have also been talks that GI Joe might cross with Transformer at some point. Either way it looks as if Snake Eyes will lead the next chapter.
