Paramount releases pics of Snake Eyes in upcoming G.I. Joe movie

Loyal fans of the ’80s classic G.I. Joe nearly had a fit when, in 2007, it seemed that the beloved franchise was going to take a disastrous turn for the worse. Paramount Pictures said that the film wouldn’t feature any of the Joes beyond Duke, nor would it focus on any of the themes that made the series so popular in the first place. Worse still, the film’s producers were fearful of offending any potential international viewers by making G.I. Joe too patriotic.

Geeks everywhere voiced their outrage and the now the G.I. Joe movie looks like it will defiantly please those fans who nearly killed the movie before a single shot had been filmed. To help wet the appetite of devoted fans, Paramount Pictures has released the first images of the most beloved Joe, Snake Eyes.

Played by martial arts superstar Ray Parks, best known for his roles of Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace and Toad in the first X-Men movie, dons the black armor of the Joes’ resident ninja/bad ass. So far, he is looking faithful to the cartoon and toy roots.

G.I. Joe, which is based on the Hasbro toy line, is being directed by Stephen Sommers who is best known for his Mummy movies. Sommers has lined up a cast of established and relatively unknown actors to fill the ranks of the international cast of characters that will be featured in the film.

The film will be set ten years in the future, so not to offend international audiences from the current United States political situation around the world. It will tell the exploits of the Joe team, which is now an acronym for “Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity”, as they track down the growing emergence of a new global terrorist organization dubbed, Cobra. The film is said to be taking a more realistic approach to both the Joes and Cobra, as Cobra is meant to be a very serious threat to international security over just an origination with wild schemes of global conquest.

Currently filming, G.I. Joe is due to be released in theaters on August 7, 2009.

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