Paramount Pictures has released the first two photos of Ray Park as Snake Eyes in the Stephen Sommers-directed G.I. Joe, coming to theaters on August 7, 2009.

“He’s the world’s greatest ninja, but he’s also next-generation. He’s not afraid to use a sword one second, and a split-second later he’s pulling out his Glock,” Sommers told USA Today. “His chief nemesis is arguably the world’s other great ninja, Storm Shadow. The two grew up together, were blood brothers and now are mortal enemies.”

Sommers stressed that the movie is an origins story, so his challenge is to explain why the bad guy wears a metal mask, why Snake Eyes doesn’t talk and other strange things kids took for granted. “For people who know nothing about it, it’ll make sense,” Sommers said. “And to people who love this stuff, it’ll show where they all came from.”

Adapted by Stuart Beattie, the action-adventure also stars Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Said Taghmaoui, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Arnold Vosloo and Christopher Eccleston.