‘The Predator’ Director Shane Black To ‘Re-Infuse It With A Sense Of Mystery’

Shane Black has just revealed that he’s moving forward to the much-anticipated reboot of The Predator, though one has to feel a bit uncomfortable labeling The Predator as a sequel, particularly when Black himself is unsure of how the film will fit into the franchise. Dubbing The Predator a “much lauded prequel/sequel,” the only thing Shane really seems certain of in that regard is his ambition to make the new film as groundbreaking as John McTiernan’s original 1987 Predator.

The Predator‘s Shane Black Wants To Bring Suspense Back To The Franchise

In speaking of his upcoming film, The Predator, Black acknowledges that the previously released sequels to McTiernan’s original film were all modest successes, enjoyed enough by fans to allow for the continuation of the franchise, yet lacking something that might make them competitive enough to draw in new fans. Shane’s hope for The Predator is that it will be as highly anticipated as McTiernan’s first film, or even more so. Shane wants fans standing in line and ordering pre-sale tickets, as opposed to going to see it for a lack of anything better to do.

Shane Black refers to John McTiernan’s masterpiece, a film in which he also played a part as an actor, as a guide to create something invigorating and something that will enrapture audiences, as it revitalizes the sense of mystery McTiernan first established in 1987’s Predator.

“I keep going back to Ridley Scott, the way he captured the alien in that first [Alien] movie. The sense of mystery and portent,” says The Predator director. “If we could just cut into a little piece of that — that sort of vibe — and then I think there’s humor to be had too. And tonal shifting.”

Shane adds that he finds it absolutely unbelievable that he would be working on a sequel of his own 30 years later, three decades after designing and redesigning the look of that first Predator and worrying that its tentacles looked too much like dreadlocks.

The Predator Will Fit Into The Present Day

Black says that The Predator will be set in the year 2018, the same year in which the film is set to be released, and, as such, will take place as a prequel to the 1990 film, Predator 2, so Predators will exist in the context of the film, but not so much that they will be common knowledge to the characters of the film.

“It’s in the midst of the mythology. It’s a movie that’s set in our present-day,” Shane says of The Predator‘s setting. “Or maybe the day after tomorrow.”

Mr. Black’s own ambitious enthusiasm is contagious, as he raves about his plans for drawing in a great cast and creating an amazing story for those actors to play out in the new film. He says he’s working closely with The Predator writing team with plans to write and write and rewrite, until he feels he has a script that parallels what he envisions for the sequel.

While nothing is certain and even negotiations are still in the early stages, Shane says he’s going to be meeting with actor Dwayne Johnson, though Black is cagey about revealing exactly what discussions will take place at that meeting.

“Oh! Um, well look, I’m meeting with him in a couple of weeks,” says Shane in response to being questioned about Johnson’s involvement with The Predator. “Who knows?”

It may not be planned to bring Dwayne Johnson in on The Predator at this early date, but Black is still unquestionably enigmatic on the subject either way. He seems to allow for the possibility without trying to speak out of turn.

“OK – anything can happen in this crazy genre world.”

The Predator is scheduled for a February 9, 2018, theatrical release.

[Image by Twentieth Century Fox]