THE PREDATOR: 17 Huge New Details You Need To Know About Shane Black's R-Rated Reboot
A handful of journalists were recently given the opportunity to visit the set of The Predator and we've now combed through them to bring you plenty of huge new spoilery details about the upcoming reboot...
There are a lot of great movies on the way this year but one of the most intriguing is Shane Black's The Predator. The first trailer for the reboot pointed to it paying homage to the past while also taking things down a different route and now some new details have been revealed about what to expect.
Some journalists were recently given the opportunity to visit the set of the movie and we've combed through their reports to bring you all the biggest new details about what's coming on September 18th.
From the return of Hellhounds to just how R-Rated the movie will be, what sort of setting we should expect, how the characters link up to each other, and the fact it will take a closer look at the mythology of the Predators, there's a lot of great intel here and you can see it all by hitting the "View List" button!
It's Not Set In The Suburbs
Despite rumours that the vast majority of The Predator will be set in the suburbs (an admittedly unique setting for a sci-fi movie such as this one), Shane Black is quick to point out that only a few scenes are actually set there. "To the extent that this happens in a small town, it’s a small part of the movie," the filmmaker explains. "I mean, there’s scenes that happen that are set in suburban streets, but the idea that it’s some Mahjong club fighting a Predator, that isn’t how it’s gonna happen."
It Brings Together Three Separate Storylines
We caught a glimpse of a lot of different characters in the first trailer for The Predator but it seems as if we should expect to spend time with most of these groups individually before the movie brings them together. "It starts with two different stories in the beginning," explains Olivia Munn. "There’s [the] soldiers and their encounter with the Predator. And then on the other side, this other storyline’s going on. My character has been on a list from the CIA because she is an evolutionary biologist."
As hard as it is to believe, Munn is playing a scientist who is helping the government investigate the Predator attacks and her story ultimately ties into a young boy's too who, as the trailer made clear, comes into the possession of some Predator tech and inadvertently ends up in their crosshairs.
It's Not One Genre
Shane Black says that he set out to make a Predator movie that is an old-school thriller but still reminds him of the nerdy culture he grew up in. As a result, it's said that the movie is something of a mishmash and the director says it has, "spies, romance, mystery– just stuff as much genre into one pack as we can, so you can literally unpack different facets of the movie. If you bought a comic book that just said, ‘Genre Shit’ and started reading it, it could well be this movie." So, yeah, sounds...unique?
It's Going To Expand The Franchise's Mythology
"We just tried to take the existing mythology and take it a step further," Black says when asked about expanding the mythology of the Predators. "Ask some questions about why. Why Predators do what they do? What would be the next step for them? How do we up the stakes so that there’s not just a single Predator hunting a group of soldiers? Who are the soldiers? How are they different? What’s the heroic quotient and how do you make it not just guys with tough talk and big arms?"
Shane Black Also Wants To Explore Their "Mythical Wonder"
"It’s about the myth of alien incursion," the filmmaker says about his different approach to the iconic aliens. "It’s about watching the skies and basically just, guys who doubt themselves, who have skills, but don’t believe they’re truly capable of facing what they’ve been pitted against, and it’s the thrill of the hunt." That definitely sounds like the right approach and a pretty intelligent one to boot.
The Movie Will Take A Closer Look At What An Invasion Means
Your typical Predator movie just deals with some unlucky humans trying to fight off the invading aliens but Black is hoping to go a little more in-depth with his take. While there's an element of "intrigue" and "espionage mystery" which brings the government into the story, there's more to it than that.
"The Predator explores what happens when the Predator strikes, these incursions, are not just an every-once-in-a-while phenomenon known to a few, but have come to the attention of an establishment that is actually set on preparing for and marshaling forces against these incoming Predator strikes," the filmmaker says, promising to expand their attack here in a significant way.
The Predators May Have Big Plans For Earth
Previous movies have teased the plans the Predators may have for Earth but for the most part, they just want to kill people and blow sh*t up. However, it sounds like this reboot will feature them taking aim at our planet with a plan in mind. "What happens when the Predators get a little more ambitious?" Black asked hinting at a larger game plan. "Maybe it’s not just a weekend anymore."
No, The Predator Won't Be Set At Christmas
As you no doubt already know, Shane Black's movies tend to be set during the Christmas period but the filmmaker has now confirmed that The Predator won't follow in the footsteps of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3, and Lethal Weapon. "As soon as people noticed it, I said f*** it."
It Will, However, Be Set 30 Years After The Original
So, while the movie won't be set during Christmas, it has been confirmed that it takes place 30 years after the original and that it will be primarily set in a Georgia neighbourhood. Sounds about right, eh?
The Movie Will Mix Practical And Digital Effects
In order to bring the Predators to life, a mixture of digital and practical effects will be used. "I’m very open to digital techniques that look real. But, I also know the eye can’t be easily fooled," Black explains. "And the eye knows when it’s being fooled, so if it’s gonna be a digital shot, it just has to feel real, you have to know there was a camera. So, using that technique of half is digital, half is sculpted… And, we use a lot of sculpture." That sounds like an ideal mixture fans will appreciate.
Expect To See Hellhounds
Much to the delight of fans of this franchise, it's been confirmed that the movie will feature Predator Dogs, a.k.a. Hellhounds. However, they're being redesigned here in order to shake things up.
"We try to keep it where at least we have some familiar aspects to the dogs that you can bring back to the Predators," VFX supervisor Jonathan Rothbart explains. "Such as, they have some level of dreads to them. And their mouths are not the same as a Predator mouth, but they do have that kind of distended jaw a little bit. It doesn’t open sideways like that, but it still has some similarities, just to keep it in the same realm. The skin tones have some similarities as well." Intriguing!
The Predators Have Upped Their Game
With 30 years having passed since the events of the first movie, you'd best believe that the Predators have upped their game and come up with some new techniques for causing chaos when they return to Earth later this year. "They’ve had 30 years to kind of up their game, and they have," star Boyd Holbrook teases. "We’re doing a lot of interesting takes on this – surprising things, I think."
The Aliens Are Getting Physical
Going back to practical effects, it sounds like we should expect to see the aliens get a little more physical than previous iterations as parkour-trained stuntman Brian Prince has been hired to help out.
"What’s funny is the guys who are playing the Predators are really talented and they can do parkour, but when you put a huge suit on, it slows you down. Especially the big head," Rothbart laughs.
There's Going To Be Another Creature...
The trailers hinted at an evolved Predator of some sort and while Rothbart wouldn't reveal which additional creature the VFX team is working on, he would only refer to it as "other creatures to be named later." So, more than one? That remains to be seen but it makes sense that Black would put his own stamp on the franchise by creating something new which hasn't been seen on screen before.
Expect Plenty Of Blood And Guts
Thankfully, The Predator is going to be an R-Rated affair and Rothbart promises that this instalment of the franchise will live up to the originals in that respect by delivering plenty of violent and brutal deaths. "We’re R-rated. Whenever there’s blood and gore, we see it. It hits our shores. [We] do a mix of actually going out and shooting blood elements, so we have real stuff as well as certain ones that, because of the interactivity with something that’s going on, we also have to use CG."
Don't Expect To Visit Outer Space
Apparently, The Predator is going to be set primarily on Earth so the VFX team didn't have to work on any alien worlds. However, there was still some green screen work and while the team built an interior of a spaceship practically, the exterior of it was mostly VFX. "We have pieces of it. But the ship as a whole is too big for us to ever build," Rothbart explains, hinting at something truly epic for the movie.
What Attracted Shane Black To The Movie
So, what led Shane Black to decide to focus on this iconic franchise after Iron Man 3? "I just thought that it was a great, iconic alien. And, what separated it from other alien invasion movies wasn’t just a space plot, it was an actual space creature with a mythos and a sense of honor, in some respect. A mission. And, a sense of humor, oddly. The idea of the game it plays. It’s rare that the Predator shows humor, but there are moments where you see it almost look at someone like, ‘really?’"
So far, so good! Also below are some new official images from the movie, so be sure to check them out and then let us know your thoughts on all these latest details in the comments section down below.
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