Shane Black Wants To Make ‘The Predator’ An Event Film
By Jack Giroux/March 23, 2016 3:00 pm EST
The last few times we’ve seen these bloodthirsty aliens appear has mostly been in modestly budgeted action films. Predators and the Alien vs. Predator movies aren’t exactly “big,” at least by most tentpole releases’ standards. Black, as proven by Iron Man 3, knows how to make a big movie — and that’s what he’s planning to do with The Predator.
In an interview with Thrillist (part of which we’ve covered elsewhere), Black explained his reasoning for taking on the Predator film:
“They’re okay” is possibly the highest praise the Alien vs. Predator movies have ever gotten. They didn’t do much to help this franchise’s name or develop the series’ mythology. With The Predator, Black wants to dig deeper into this untapped world:
They called me and I was reluctant. I said, “Look. You guys at Fox, I mean, I enjoy these movies, but we’ve been churning out these AVP whatever, they each cost a certain amount of money, they’re okay, but there’s no effort to elevate them or make them any kind of an event.” They’re just sort of another Predator. “Oh, there’s another one that came out.” They said, “What if we said to you we want to reinvent this, and really treat it with as much of an event status, or as much hoopla as we would the Alien prequel, which is coming out also? We really want to make this something. The kind of movie that people line up for.” I said, “Really, you’ll spend a bunch of money?” They go, “Yep.” I go, “Make it really scale, spectacle?” “Yep.” “Shit, that sounds interesting.
I think the first one was great, and it was contained, and it was a perfect little gem for what it was. I think there’s an expansion that needs to take place, and also just a love for that era, that movie, and the mythology of the Predator. I think that they came to me knowing pretty much that… they said, basically, if I wanted to make Predator but treat it like it was Iron Man III instead of just another little movie. I said, “Let’s really do it right this time.
The Predator opens in theaters March 1st, 2018.
