Shane Black is hard at work on a Predator movie that while originally was set to be a reboot of the property, is now apparently going to be an “inventive sequel.” We haven’t heard too much about it just yet, but at the Television Critics Association, Collider caught up with producer John Davis and asked him what the status on the project is, to which he replied:
“Shane shot a movie and he’s doing a pilot now, but I’ve read a lot of his script and I think it’s genius. I think it’s genius and I think it’s entertaining, and what it did is recreate a famous franchise in a different, interesting way; looking at it from a different light. He’s just an amazing writer-director. He’s got a way of looking at this that makes you excited again. I love this franchise. It was the first movie I ever did. I remember in being in the jungle with Arnold[Schwarzenegger] as a 28-year-old and going, ‘This is a fun business!’…Shane’s amazing. He’s an amazing storyteller.”
“Shane’s got a writing partner, Fred Dekker. They’ve been doing it together and Fred’s great. The two of them together, they’ve been in the business for a long time, but the writing is so fresh, the perspective is so fresh. I’m telling you you’re going to get something you don’t expect and you’re going to say, ‘This is the most entertaining way to reinvent a franchise.’ I mean he’s the guy who wrote Iron Man 3.”
Unfortunately, Davis wasn’t sure when Black will actually get around to making the film, as he’s got a lot on his place right now. He’s currently finishing up The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, and also has adventure pic Doc Savage to get to, among a few other things. So, it may be some time before we see his “genius” vision for the Predator franchise.
Still, with such a promising filmmaker attached, and someone like Davis singing his praises, it’s hard not to be excited about this one. The 2010 Predator reboot fell a bit flat, and fans of been waiting for a proper revival of the franchise for some time now. If there’s anyone that can deliver that, it’s Shane Black. He’s a brilliant writer and with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3 has proven himself to be quite the adept director, too. We’re certainly excited to see what he’s cooked up for the Predator sequel, and will be sure to keep you posted as more news emerges.
