This fall’s The Predator was not the great return to form for the franchise that fans were hoping for, with director Shane Black’s movie turning out to be a bit of a mess, at least partly due to studio meddling. One way that it felt manufactured instead of being a well-made film was the bolted-on ending scene which introduced a Predator Killer suit, in a clear bid to set up a sequel – a sequel that probably won’t happen now.
It was previously revealed that an alternate ending scene would have revealed that the pod didn’t contain the suit but rather a person wearing a facehugger-style breathing mask – a mask made by Weyland-Utani from the Alien franchise, no less. And as it turns out, this aborted sequence could’ve been even cooler, as the person under the apparatus was going to be none other than Ellen Ripley.
Effects artist Yuri Everson shared a shot from the scene on his Instagram account recently, revealing that three ending sequences were filmed in total and this one would’ve featured stunt performer Breanna Watkins stepping into Sigourney Weaver’s iconic role under the breathing mask. Everson didn’t explain the thinking behind the sequence, but it seems clear that it would’ve set up another Alien/Predator crossover in a future film.
On the surface, this would’ve been an awesome surprise and a real treat for fans. Once you think about it, though, the logic kind of falls apart. The Predator is set in 2018, whereas the Alien franchise kicks off in the year 2122. I mean, Terminator is often connected to the Alien/Predator universe by fans, so time travel could possibly be an explanation here, but it still seems a bit contrived.
Of course, there was some talk that Weaver could have returned in sequels to Alien: Covenant, using cutting edge de-aging technology to play a younger Ripley. That doesn’t seem to be happening anymore, though, so it looks like both potential avenues for the character’s return have now been cut off. But maybe that’s for the best?
