These days in Hollywood, what’s old is new again. Studios are keen on reviving classic franchises, green lighting new entries in famous series to capitalize on nostalgia and bring in a new generation of fans. One such project that’s on the horizon is The Predator, from writer/director Shane Black. Described as an “inventive sequel” that will look to “reinvent” the property (as opposed to a hard reboot), Fox has pegged a March 2018 release date for the film.
With just about two years until its premiere, not much is known about The Predator at this time. However, Black is already beginning the hype train, sharing a teaser image with the tagline, “You’ll never see him coming.” He’s also moving on to casting for his latest endeavor, eyeing none other than original Predator star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
During the annual Arnold Sports Festival in Ohio, the action icon broke the news, revealing to The Arnold Fans that he’s going to have a meeting with Black soon about the new film:
“I haven’t talked with him (Shane Black) yet but I’m going to meet with him for lunch sometime soon. Just as soon as I’m finished with this (Arnold’s Sports Festival) and The Apprentice and all this stuff. But I will get together with him. If there is any news, we’ll of course let you know right away. There’s also a meeting coming up soon about Conan, about the project moving forward.”
Given that Black’s primary objective is to explore the existing Predator mythology, it’s safe to assume that Schwarzenegger would be reprising his role as the soldier Dutch, the only member from the team that survived the first film. Many of these “soft” relaunches typically bring back a veteran cast member or two to help pass the torch to a younger generation (see: Harrison Ford in Star Wars 7 and Sylvester Stallone in Creed). From that perspective, it would make sense to have Schwarzenegger return. Seeing Arnold go toe-to-toe with a Predator again would be appealing for longtime fans, and it would help establish strong connective tissue between the 1987 classic and Black’s new film - which ideally would start a fresh series of stories.
At the same token, Schwarzenegger is not the same kind of draw as he was during his prime. His last handful of films have underwhelmed critically and/or commercially. This includes a trip back to the Terminator well in last year’s under-performing Terminator: Genisys. That shows that it’ll take more than returning to a famous role to draw audiences in. Schwarzenegger in an action film hasn’t been a box office lock for years; viewers need the final product to justify the trip to the theater.
Luckily, with Black at the helm, The Predator could prove to be worthwhile. The filmmaker is a talent behind-the-camera, writing well-received hits like Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. In addition, his The Nice Guys is one of the most anticipated films of the summer. He’s also knowledgable about the Predator franchise, having co-starred with Schwarzenegger in the original film as Hawkins. If Predator is to make a comeback, there aren’t many better than Black to handle it.
The Predator will be in theaters March 2, 2018.
Source: The Arnold Fans
