As revealed by Predator 4 co-writer Fred Dekker on Facebook, the script for the next installment of the long-running sci-fi/action franchise is in. While 2010’s would-be reboot, Predators, produced by Robert Rodriguez and directed by Nimrod Antal, grossed over $120 million worldwide off a $40 million budget, and received not-terrible reviews from critics (a victory for this kind of film), the fan excitement just wasn’t there. Can the new film reverse course and finally give us a “Predator” movie to care about? Details are scant so far, but here are five things we know about the project that was first announced last summer:
- The movie is being written and directed by Shane Black, who wrote the “Lethal Weapon” films and directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3. He also played “Hawkins” in the original Predator.
- Fred Dekker’s creative relationship with Black goes all the way back to his cult 1987 horror film The Monster Squad, which Black co-wrote.
- Black has described the film as an “inventive sequel” rather than a reboot, telling Collider that he liked “the idea of expanding and exploring the existing Predator mythology, rather than hitting the restart button.”
- Producer John Davis promises a wholly unique twist on the franchise, telling Collider: “…the writing is so fresh, the perspective is so fresh. I’m telling you you’re going to get something you don’t expect and you’re going to say, ‘This is the most entertaining way to reinvent a franchise.’”
- None of the cast from 2010’s Predators (Adrien Brody, Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne, et al.) are involved at this time — nor is Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose starpower helped make the 1987 original a box-office hit. Rodriguez is also not involved.