You’d be forgiven for forgetting that the G.I. Joe franchise even existed despite it being around for over a decade, with the series having little in the way of forward momentum following 2013 sequel Retaliation. Both installments suffered from tepid reviews and underwhelming box office totals, not even coming close to matching the numbers posted by Transformers, Hasbro’s marquee property when it comes to making blockbuster movies.
That being said, any brand with even the slightest hint of name recognition isn’t going to go to waste in modern day Hollywood, and a spinoff for fan-favorite character Snake Eyes was officially announced in May 2018, with Red and R.I.P.D. director Robert Schwentke behind the camera and Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding cast in the title role.
Golding took to social media today to celebrate the end of shooting on the awkwardly-titled Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, which will no doubt invite comparisons to Wolverine’s ill-fated first solo outing, and promised that the movie will “blow everyone’s socks off.”
Despite being announced almost two years ago, Snake Eyes is in the midst of an incredibly quick turnaround, with shooting only kicking off last month and a late October release date already locked in. As an origin story for the masked martial artist, it likely won’t require the amount of CGI found in the previous G.I. Joe movies, but getting from filming to release in just tenth months is nonetheless an impressive feat.
While it remains to be seen if audiences even have any appetite for the franchise anymore, Snake Eyes has assembled a solid cast in an effort to try and rejuvenate interest in the brand. Golding has proven that he’s got charisma to spare, and the 33 year-old is set to receive solid support from Warrior’s Andrew Koji, rising star and horror veteran Samara Weaving and action icon Iko Uwais. Here’s hoping it finds more success than the series’ mainline installments.
