After 31 years of making us humans look like a pretty pathetic and unevolved bunch, the titular hunters of Shane Black’s The Predator may be finally crossing paths with a (non-Xenomorph) creature that makes even them a little nervous. Naturally, it’s a more advanced Predator.
The so-called “Ultimate Predator” strikes an imposing figure over the regular antagonists of the series in the recent trailers for the upcoming film, and that striking poster from a few weeks back further reinforces how this big, menacing extra-terrestrial killer isn’t just on the hunt for human blood.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Black gave a little context on this formidable-looking individual, saying:
“If the [ultimate] predator was to be an amalgam of, not just an ordinary predator, but also a collection of traits garnered from the various most powerful species that they’ve hunted, then you basically would have one that is stronger, faster, and smarter. We finally got an image that we liked, which captures this very canny, very cunning, and effortlessly powerful, savage predator.”
The writer-director also went on to explain how this new design will have a more light-footed presence than some of the previous versions of the Predator.
“One of the only quibbles that I’ve had with some of the past predators is that, if you’re not careful, it can look like a guy in a football suit; big, bulky guy just stomping around. I wanted a certain more graceful, more light, more athletic quality, literally like a predator. If you watch a cheetah, it’s not clunky.”
While you can expect this nimble creature to lay the smackdown on its less evolved, human-hunting associates, it’s also a safe bet that us Earthlings will have plenty of reasons to regard this towering creation as a threat to our species, especially given Black’s stated intention to strike fear in his audience. I guess we’ll see how many humans have time to bleed when The Predator hits theaters on September 14th.
