Snake Eyes kicks off SDCC: Henry Golding and cast unmask stealthy secrets behind G.I. Joe origin story

He may have remained stoically silent ever since sneaking on the scene in 1982 as the mysterious new ninja on the G.I. Joe block. But Snake Eyes has a movie all to himself heading our way this weekend, which means it’s time for him to start speaking up in a big way — and that’s just what star Henry Golding and the team behind Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins did today during a behind-the-scenes panel discussion at this year’s all-virtual San Diego Comic-Con@Home.

Getting an up-close look at the masked warrior who’s stayed quiet for so long amounts to major wish fulfillment for longtime G.I. Joe fans, and Golding said the movie is all about teasing out the origins not only of Snake Eyes himself, but also his longstanding antagonism with Storm Shadow (played by Andrew Koji).

“The relationship between Snake and Storm has alway been one of the most iconic,” said Golding. “One minute, they’re brothers; the next minute, they’re adversaries,” adding that Paramount’s deep dive into their shared backstory will finally answer a lot of questions creator Larry Hama never got to explore in the comics.

Hama himself has been involved in the movie as well, and Hama said the film will definitely answer a ton of fans’ long-held questions.

“This is an entire history of Snake Eyes that I never really delved into,” he explained. “It adds a whole dimensionality to the character that couldn’t exist when he was faceless and voiceless [in the comics].” Hama also said the production on the film has been top-notch, living up to the vision and the G.I. Joe story setting he's always had in mind. “I was just amazed at the detail,” he remarked of his first set visit. “Everywhere you looked, [there was] meticulously researched detail.”

Billed as an origin story that sets up a personal character arc for Snake Eyes before introducing wider elements of the G.I.Joe universe (and yes, that means Cobra!), Golding’s hero starts down the path toward becoming a deadly ninja warrior after saving the life of his future nemesis, Storm Shadow (Fast & Furious 6's Andrew Koji). Joining with the cloistered Japanese circle known as Arashikage, he begins to discover long-guarded secrets that challenge the limits of his world view — and could even end up testing the limits of his own honor.

Directed by Robert Schwentke (Flightplan, Red) from a screenplay by Evan Spiliotopoulos (Beauty and the Beast), Anna Waterhouse (Rebecca), and Joe Shrapnel (The Gray Man), Snake Eyes also stars Úrsula Corberó (Baroness), Samara Weaving (Scarlett), Haruka Abe (Akiko), Tahehiro Hira (Kenta), Andrew Koji (Storm Shadow), and Iko Uwais (Hard Master). 

Watch for Golding to break the long G.I. Joe silence at the box office this weekend when Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins premieres on July 23.

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