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Paramount’s third attempt at turning G.I. Joe into a viable franchise looks to have ended in much the same way as the first two, with Snake Eyes failing to gain any traction at the box office. In fact, the prequel spinoff fared much worse than its two predecessors, and the pandemic is only partly to blame.
Stephen Sommers’ The Rise of Cobra and Jon M. Chu’s Retaliation both managed to earn at least $300 million at the box office, whereas Robert Schwentke’s third chapter is sitting on a dismal $37 million. According to reports, Snake Eyes needed to wind up somewhere in the $150 million range to even contemplate breaking even, so the $88 million actioner is well-placed to go down as 2021’s biggest flop by some distance.
It looks like it’s back to the drawing board, then, with veteran producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura admitting that he’d already had a sequel pitch rejected. In a new interview, stars Henry Golding and Samara Weaving revealed which franchises they’d love to see G.I. Joe cross over with, and the leading man named Fast & Furious.
“What would you say about a side-by-side Dom and Snake Eyes going to the moon in their vehicles? One on his motorbike, Toretto in his crazy Charger or whatever. Let’s do that. Let’s Fast and Furious times Snake Eyes.”
As for Weaving, she plumped for a more fantastical element by imagining the Joes being parachuted into The Lord of the Rings, which could hypothetically see her interact with uncle Hugo’s Elrond.
“What if we got something like Lord of the Rings with Snake Eyes? A Tolkien/Snake Eyes mix, where there’s magic and elves and hobbits but also crazy ninjas? That would be kind of cool, maybe.”
As far-fetched as those crossovers sound, at this stage they’re about as realistic as the prospect of a Snake Eyes sequel. Golding makes for a great action hero and Weaving is a fast-rising star in her own right, they just need better vehicles for their talents.