New PREDATOR Movie Has a Fresh Perspective and Will Reinvent the Franchise
Last year we learned that Iron Man 3 director Shane Black would be developing a new Predator film for 20th Century Fox. In a recent interview with Collider, producer John Davis gave an update on the progress that has been made and said that the version they are working on has a fresh perspective and will reinvent the franchise.
“Shane shot a movie and he’s doing a pilot now, but I’ve read a lot of his script and I think it’s genius. I think it’s genius and I think it’s entertaining, and what it did is recreate a famous franchise in a different, interesting way; looking at it from a different light. He’s just an amazing writer-director. He’s got a way of looking at this that makes you excited again. I love this franchise. It was the first movie I ever did. I remember in being in the jungle with Arnold [Schwarzenegger] as a 28-year-old and going, ‘This is a fun business!’…Shane’s amazing. He’s an amazing storyteller.”
Black is set to direct the new film and the story he's writing will tie into the continuity of the franchise. He is working on the script with Fred Dekker, Black's co-writer on the classic film Monster Squad. Davis went on to say:
“Shane’s got a writing partner, Fred Dekker. They’ve been doing it together and Fred’s great. The two of them together, they’ve been in the business for a long time, but 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.’ I mean he’s the guy who wrote ‘Iron Man 3.'”
I'm not sure if Iron Man 3 is the best example to use. A lot of Marvel fans didn't like how that movie turned out. But, he did work on other films like the Lethal Weapon franchise, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and of course Monster Squad. I'm looking forward to seeing what he is planning for Predator.
I'm a huge fan of the original 1987 John McTiernan-directed film with Arnold Schwarzenegger, but none of the Predator films since then have been as good. Do you think Black is the guy who will finally give us a Predator movie that will live up to its potential?