For the most part, the entirety of the Predator franchise has followed the same template, albeit with a few minor deviations. John McTiernan’s classic original, Robert Rodriguez and Nimrod Antal’s sorely underrated Predators and Shane Black’s most recent effort The Predator all saw a ragtag bunch of military personnel thrown together in an attempt to defeat the monstrous trophy hunter that’s been taking them out one by one, with plenty of the action set against a forest backdrop.
Predator 2 tried to put a fresh spin on the formula by relocating to the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, but by the third act it had resorted to the standard chase movie that culminated in a showdown between man and alien. Alien vs. Predator, meanwhile, threw a bunch of one-dimensional cannon fodder scientists into an ancient pyramid and sequel Requiem is largely set in a small town, but they both hit plenty of familiar beats.
That’s what makes 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg’s upcoming reboot such an intriguing and exciting prospect, because it sounds completely different to anything we’ve seen from the long running series before. The first reported plot details made their way online a couple of days ago, and some new information has now been leaked, which you can read below.
“The story will follow Kee, a Comanche woman who goes against gender norms and traditions to become a warrior. Many years ago, in a time before any Europeans had ever encroached on their lands, the Comanche people had a well-defined society and gender norms. Kee is very close to her younger brother, Taabe, who is being groomed as a leader.
As capable as any young man in the tribe, Kee has always been a teacher and source of inspiration for Taabe. In the Comanche way, she is Patsi, the elder sister that has helped to shape him. Kee is a truth-teller and has insight that others do not. A tomboy, she wants to prove herself in the masculine world of the Comanche. When danger threatens them all, Kee sets out to prove that she is as capable as any young warrior.”
Take a little bit of Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, a dash of Last of the Mohicans and a sprinkle of McTiernan’s Predator and it appears as if we’re halfway to figuring out what Trachtenberg’s movie could end up looking like, and it sounds pretty good. The franchise was in dire need of a serious rejuvenation after the law of diminishing returns repeatedly set in, and a complete overhaul might just be the way to do it.
