I've been a little taken aback by the hefty demand for any tidbit of information on Shane Black's forthcoming Predator installment, particularly given that many fans consider the 1987 original the only worthy entry in the series (though a case could be made that 2010's Predators was far better than its reviews and box office would suggest). In any event, here's a welcome bit of news for diehards: in a new interview with Thrillist (via Collider), Black just promised the biggest Predator yet.
“They called me and I was reluctant [to take on the new movie],” said Black. “I said, 'Look. You guys at Fox, I mean, I enjoy these movies, but we've been churning out these AVP whatever, they each cost a certain amount of money, they're okay, but there's no effort to elevate them or make them any kind of an event.' They're just sort of another Predator. 'Oh, there's another one that came out.' They said, 'What if we said to you we want to reinvent this, and really treat it with as much of an event status, or as much hoopla as we would the Alien prequel, which is coming out also? We really want to make this something. The kind of movie that people line up for.' I said, 'Really, you'll spend a bunch of money?' They go, 'Yep.' I go, 'Make it really scale, spectacle?' 'Yep.' 'Shit, that sounds interesting.'”
I like the idea of expanding the scope here; while Predators was certainly better than its lukewarm reputations suggests, it didn't feel like a massive jump, scale-wise, from the original movie (despite featuring multiple alien hunters). As Roth Cornet and I mentioned during our recent discussion of the reboot/sequel, it would be nice to — for example — get a glimpse of the Predators' home planet. I personally don't care whether Arnold Schwarzenegger returns (“Still in talks,” Black told Thrillist), but bestowing the new movie with a bigger budget is an exciting prospect for longtime fans. And if what Black said is any indication, this one could get very, very big indeed:
“They said, basically, if I wanted to make Predator but treat it like it was Iron Man III instead of just another little movie,” Black continued. “I said, 'Let's really do it right this time.'”
The Predator is slated for release on March 2, 2018.