Snake Eyes in action

Ray Park as Snake Eyes

I've long thought that GI Joe could be a classic action franchise, if Hollywood could adapt it properly. Then the infamous "Action Man" Joe script popped up on the web and threatened to ruin everything.

Then Stephen Sommers latched on as director, and I remained cautiously optimistic. He's the man behind the Brendan Fraser "Mummy" pictures, which I consider to be dumb-fun kind of movies, and the atrociously, offensively bad Hugh Jackman vehicle "Van Helsing."

But we've not got our first look at the film in the form of quite possibly the most badass character ever conceived, GI Joe's resident silent ninja, Snake Eyes, played in the film by Ray Park, who is best known as Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I and as Toad in the first X-Men movie.

I wasn't exactly blown away by the casting, though Park certainly has the martial arts credentials necessary for the role. It appears that they're going to remain true to the character and leave Snake Eyes' body-covering costume intact, so I feel better about Park behind the visor.

"GI Joe" also stars Dennis Quaid (General Hawk), Channing Tatum (Duke), Marlon Wayans (Ripcord), Rachel Nichols (Scarlett), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (whom USA Today claims plays Cobra Commander and "multiple roles"), Christopher Eccleston (Destro), Sienna Miller (The Baroness).

Ain't It Cool News and USA Today bring us the pictures.