If Shane Black’s fast-talking noir thriller The Nice Guys took its sweet time getting off the ground, spare a thought for the director’s reimagining/revival/remix of The Predator.
Having originally starred in John McTiernan’s classic 80s actioner, Black has remained attached to the planned overhaul for the longest time, though it was only when a finished script and a teaser image surfaced earlier this year that we began to see some tangible movement.
Now, with an Arnie cameo reportedly in the cards, the prolific writer-director has touched base regarding the alien beastie itself, including why it could be in for a costume upgrade by the time the reboot rolls around in 2018. Careful to dance around any major plot details, here’s what Black told Coming Soon:
“It’s not to ‘improve,’ it’s make it fun, make it different, make it organically different. So what’s the extension of it that makes sense, that’s exciting? There have been a lot of changes to Stan’s design over the years. These different Predator movies have done different things. Ultimately it’s not about design to me, it’s about the story you want to tell. There are people who are always going to agonize over Iron Man, what color his suit is. Maybe this weapon does a new thing, but if the story is not good I don’t give a sh*t what color the suit is. In ‘The Predator’ we’re doing a lot of upgrades to what you would consider to be the traditional Predator technology and look, but hopefully the story is what’s going to drag people in, not just the attention to the minutiae.”
As one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time, Black knows all too well that the lethal extra-terrestrial brings with it a set of ingrained expectations. Nevertheless, given that Fox’s reimagining is slated to arrive a full three decades after the original, a few minor armor upgrades – possibly to take advantage of enhanced CGI tech – ought to be welcomed with open arms.
Shane Black’s reboot of The Predator is eyeing a release on March 2, 2018, with production expected to get underway in either September or October of this year.