While much has been said about the titular, grotesque extra-terrestrial – who could be in line for an upgrade in time for 2018 – not much has been shared regarding the human element of Shane Black’s upcoming Predator reboot.
We know that Arnold Schwarzenegger has been eyeing a return to the iconic sci-fi series, though while appearing at an Empire event in London, Black revealed the identity of the character set to headline the “inventive sequel” – and no, it’s not Dutch.
At least for now, the filmmaker has settled on Quinn McKenna as “the hero of the film,” one who will likely be locking horns with the Predator in two years’ time. Unsurprisingly, Black stopped short of divulging too many character details at such an early stage, and instead offered up an inkling of his approach to John McTiernan’s classic 80s actioner and, specifically, how to bring it to the action audience of 21st century.
For him, the 2018 reboot is “an attempt to ‘event-ise’ the Predator again. [An attempt to] make it more mysterious. The Predator has been so overdone. Every couple of years, there’s a knock-off churned out. Very low budget with a guaranteed return.”
Additionally, Black is gunning to instil in his audience the same sense of awe brought about by the sci-fi classics of yesteryear, revealing that he’s aiming to evoke “the same sense of wonderment and newness that Close Encounters had when that came out. That’s what we want. It’s very impossible. But we’re gonna try.”
Officially titled The Predator, Shane Black’s overhaul is tentatively pegged for release on March 2, 2018.
