Earlier this month we got our first look at The Predator with the release of a trailer for the Shane Black-directed reboot [watch it here], and now the filmmaker has been chatting to Collider about reinventing the sci-fi action franchise, whilst ensuring that he honours the legacy of the original movies.
“I think that there’s a basic premise that has to be honored every time you make a Predator film and that’s in some way, whatever the plot turns out to be, it has to, at some level, represent a hunt. But, beyond that, I think there’s infinite variability,” said Black. “So, we just tried to take the existing mythology and take it a step further. Ask some questions about why? Why do Predators do what they do? What would be the next step for them? How do we up the stakes so that there’s not just a single Predator hunting a group of soldiers? Who are the soldiers? How are they different? What’s the heroic quotient and how do you make it not just guys with tough talk and big arms?”
“There’s an element of intrigue and I think espionage/mystery, whatever,” he continued. “The government is involved in this and it takes it to the level of what happens when the Predator strikes, these incursions are not just an every-once-in-a-while phenomenon known to a few, but have come to the attention of an establishment that is actually set on preparing for and marshaling forces against these incoming Predator strikes. And, so it’s that sort of what the next step is, when they get noticed, that’s kind of what we start as our jumping off point for what’s different. And also, what happens when the Predators get a little more ambitious? Maybe it’s not just a weekend anymore. So, we’ve had some fun with that.”
From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home in Shane Black’s explosive reinvention of the Predator series. Now, the universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.
The Predator is set for release on September 14th 2018 and features a cast that includes Boyd Holbrook (Logan), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Thomas Jane (The Punisher), Augusto Aguilera (The Fifth Man), Jacob Tremblay (Room) Sterling K. Brown (This is Us, The People v. O.J. Simpson), Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele), Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse), Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck), Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) and Jake Busey (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series).
Originally published May 20, 2018. Updated May 21, 2018.
