Arnold Schwarzenegger Blames Bad PREDATOR Sequels on Greed, But He Didn't Appear in PREDATOR 2 Because He Was Greedy
One of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most iconic movie roles is Dutch in the original 1987 sci-fi action film Predator. This is a film franchise that should have been a lot more successful than it has been. Most of the sequels have been pretty lackluster with more recent films like Predators and The Predator trying to re-capture the spirit of the original movie. Then came the movie Prey, which did something completely new and different with the franchise, and it turned out to be great!
But, before that movie came out, Schwarzenegger was frustrated with the sequels that the studios were pumping out and he made it clear that he doesn’t like any of them. And he believes the reason is because of studio greed.
During a 2015 Q&A session after a Terminator Genisys preview screening (via THR) Schwarzenegger said:
"The sad story is that sometimes studios do a great job with creating sequels, and sometimes they really screw it up bad, and it all has to do with greed. You know, they sometimes want to do it really cheap and make as much money as possible, so they don't hire the right cast or not the right director. ... It's stupid moves to make."
Schwarzenegger went on to say that "So far, no 'Predator,' no matter which one they did after the first one has come out, has been satisfactory to the audience." Years later Prey was released and a lot of fans embraced it saying its the best Predator movie since the original.
Now, at one point the action star was looking to star in Predator 2. Schwarzenegger was originally supposed to return to the franchise, but he and the studios never reached a deal, and that was because of Schwarzenegger’s own greed. During a previous interview with Collider, producer John Davis revealed that the deal wasn’t made over $250,000. He explained:
“The sequel to the first one rebooted it. We should’ve had Arnold in the movie. The deal broke down over $250,000, which is a shame. But it was moved from the jungle to the city.”
Danny Glover ended up being cast in Predator 2, and you know what? That was actually a decent sequel. I enjoyed it! But, it probably would’ve done better at the box office had Schwarzenegger returned, as there’s no doubt the fans would have liked to see him back in action after the events of the first movie.
In the end, the franchise has had an interesting journey, one that could’ve had much better films if better creative decisions had been made over the years. But, here we are, and now fans are just waiting for the Prey sequel to come.