I’ve got high hopes for Paramount Pictures’ G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes. I’ve been a G.I. Joe fan since I was a kid and I’ve been waiting for a great live-action G.I. Joe movie to get made. Maybe this will be it because the first two were quite disappointing.
With this next film focusing on Snakes Eyes, I think they have a good shot at pulling this off. The film’s star, Henry Golding, recently discussed some new details regarding the movie and in the process revealed the film’s samurai influences.
While talking to Entertainment Weekly, Golding praised the director of the film Robert Schwentke (RED) calling him a “Japanese cinepehile,” and noted his influences of “everything from [Akira] Kurosawa to just the phenomenal Spaghetti Westerns of samurai movies.” He went on to say:
“He is so hooked into that history and we see some of those scenes. With some of the fight scenes there are some chimbara sequences. A lot of attention to cultural detail was put into this movie. There are not a lot of movies that are allowed to film in Japan and we went to some amazing, amazing places. The authenticity is there. It’s always odd coming off of big productions. I was on Snake Eyes for like six months. We were in Vancouver previous to Japan. My wife [Liv Lo] comes out and she spends a long time with us wherever I am. Going from 100 miles an hour to a complete still, dead stop, it is pretty jarring. But we’ve actually really been enjoying exploring California. All the producers at Paramount really listened to my opinion, the opinion of others, and I think that’s why it’s going to be so special. It’s definitely been a challenge in creating something fresh and new, but I think we definitely achieved it.”
Well, damn! That’s exciting! I can’t wait to see what this film is going to look like visually, especially with the film being shot in Japan.
The cast for the film also includes Samara Weaving as Scarlett, Ursula Corbero as The Baroness, and Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow. The movie also stars Iko Uwais, who is playing Hard Master, “Snake Eyes’ tough as nails teacher who is also a skilled swordmaster.” Then there’s The Expanse actor Steven Allerick, who will take on the role of the father of the iconic G.I. Joe ninja commando.
The G.I. Joe spinoff follows Snake Eyes, “who while on the hunt for the man who murdered his father, travels to Japan and trains with the ancient Arashikage ninja clan.” The Arashikage “worked as shadowy assassins for generations, using deception to earn their keep as ninjas, as well as developing a reputation for being able to perform impossible tasks.”
The movie is set to hit theaters on October 22, 2021.