Henry Golding Reveals Samurai Influences for Snake Eyes

Audiences may still have a year to wait for the arrival of Paramount and Hasbro’s prequel and potential soft reboot of the G.I. Joe film franchise, Snake Eyes, but star Henry Golding recently go the opportunity to see a cut of the film and has discussed new details including the film’s samurai influences.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly for the forthcoming US release of Hong Khaou’s drama Monsoon, the 33-year-old star expressed praise for director Robert Schwentke (RED) and his status as a “Japanese cinepehile,” noting his influences of “everything from [Akira] Kurosawa to just the phenomenal Spaghetti Westerns of samurai movies.”

“He is so hooked into that history and we see some of those scenes,” Golding said. “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.“

Snake Eyes is the ninja commando known for his deadly ability with a sword and trench knives. However, he is also a highly skilled martial artist who can be just as dangerous unarmed. Snake-Eyes was living in solitude in the High Sierras when he was recruited to join G.I. Joe. His real name and backstory have long been sources of mystery. As a result of being caught in a helicopter explosion, he is heavily scarred and mute. To hide his face, he usually appears in a black balaclava and matching bodysuit.

The film stars Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) as the titular ninja assassin, Andrew Koji (Warrior) as Storm Shadow, Iko Uwais (The Raid, Stuber) as Hard Master, Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) as Scarlett, Úrsula Corberó (Money Heist) as Baroness, Haruka Abe as Akiko, Takehiro Hira as Kenta and Steven Allerick (The Expanse) as the father of Snake Eyes.

The spinoff is directed by Schwentke (R.I.P.D.) from a screenplay written by Evan Spiliotopoulous (Bright 2, The Huntsman: Winter’s War) with Jeff Waxman, Erik Howsam, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger serving as executive producers. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner are also producers on the film, which is set to hit theaters on October 22, 2021.