Summary

  • Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins was released in 2021 and was a major flop, grossing only $40 million worldwide and earning negative reviews from critics.
  • Andrew Koji, who played Storm Shadow, criticizes the movie for lacking integrity and originality.
  • The G.I. Joe crossover at the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts suggests that a much-needed fresh start for the former franchise is on the way, with a new cast and new creative talent.

As Transformers: Rise of the Beasts looks to reboot the world of G.I. Joe, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins star Andrew Koji looks back on his box office bomb and criticizes the film. Released in 2021, Snake Eyes is directed by Robert Schwentke and serves as the third live-action movie in the G.I. Joe franchise. The movie, which stars Henry Golding in the title role and Koji as Tommy, aka Storm Shadow, was a critical and commercial failure, earning just over $40 million worldwide.

Now, following the surprise G.I. Joe crossover at the end of director Steven Caple Jr.'s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Koji looks back at Snake Eyes in a recent interview with Inverse. The actor holds nothing back when discussing the film, blaming larger problems in Hollywood related to originality and the mining of IP. Check out Koji's full comment below:

“After this, it could just all be downhill for me. But at least for now [my experience on Warrior] makes me go, OK, I'd like to do stuff with integrity. And G.I. Joe really wasn't that, was it?

“Hollywood is just obsessed with telling the same old thing over and again. Firstly, remakes. Secondly, it's got to be based on IP. Third, it's so absurd because I'm just like, hold on. People want originality. Where is it? What is going on here?

“Snake Eyes didn't do too well, which I knew it wasn't going to. I think they're probably going to reboot from the ground up. I'm cool. I did like Storm Shadow Tommy. I found a way to love him and I think there would've been something to do … there would've been a really cool Storm Shadow film if they did it right.”

What's Next For The G.I. Joe Franchise

Michael Kelly as Agent Burke talking seriously in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

After Earth is saved from Unicron, the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ending sees Anthony Ramos' Noah show up for a job interview at a fairly nondescript building. It's soon revealed that the company is just a front for a larger operation, with Michael Kelly's Agent Burke unveiling a secret G.I. Joe headquarters and offering Noah a job.

While Noah doesn't explicitly accept his G.I. Joe job offer, it's fair to assume that he will since Burke says the organization will pay for Kris's (Dean Scott Vazquez) healthcare. Considering Snake Eyes' failure, Koji is likely correct about G.I. Joe's future. It seems likely that the slate will be wiped clean, with an entirely new cast of characters assembled for the impending crossover movie.

While the two initial live-action G.I. Joe movies were entertaining in their own way, they also had many shortcomings, with both films holding below 35% scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Introducing a new cast and featuring new creative talent behind the camera will allow for G.I. Joe to be given a much-needed fresh start, this time with some Transformers involved for higher stakes and even bigger action. While Koji's performance was one of the stronger aspects of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, it doesn't sound like the actor will be losing much sleep over not returning to the franchise.

Source: Inverse