Whereas we should all know better than getting excited about a new follow-up to the 1987 original horror/actioner Predator, there’s something about the timing of Shane Black’s The Predator that would make us glow red on a hunter’s thermal vision. This is especially true now that we’re hearing that those much discussed reshoots have resulted in the addition of a few further callbacks to previous films in the beloved series – while also re-working the third act, too.
As if the original Predator wasn’t badass enough, when this new incarnation finds itself challenged by a group of mercenaries for hire in a small rural town, we discover that it’s been learning all along and absorbing knowledge and skills from every previous hunt. Of course, that spells trouble for anyone who gets in the way.
AVP Galaxy reports that in the movie, the government’s long been aware of the hunters’ existence and has been studying their habits and examining their weaponry for a while. As a result, reshoots for Black’s film have managed to shoe-horn in some grainy, secondhand footage from both Predator and Predator 2, whilst Lex’s handmade Xenomorph/Predator spear from Alien Vs. Predator will also make an appearance now.
Interestingly, this seems to now regard the much-maligned 2004 film as canon and part of the Alien and Predator universe, which was all but denied in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. So much so, that Project: Stargazer, the government initiative which studied and monitored the Predators, is getting its own prequel novel which details the capture of the very first Predator. Exciting times to be an ugly motherfucker, indeed.
Among the cast list for this one are Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key, Black Panther‘s Sterling K. Brown, Trevante Rhodes, Thomas Jane, Augusto Aguilera, Edward James Olmos, Alfie Allen of Game of Thrones fame and Yvonne Strahovski. Meanwhile, Jake Busey plays the son of Gary Busey’s character from Predator 2, proving Shane Black was still able to sprinkle some nostalgia over his R-rated reboot.