20th Century Fox CEO Stacy Snider has confirmed the somewhat unconventional setting for the studio’s forthcoming sequel The Predator. This new entry in the series will be directed by Shane Black, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside writing partner Fred Dekker; that’s right, Black and Dekker wrote The Predator.

Black is something of an icon in the action genre, having penned the scripts for Lethal Weapon, The Monster Squad and The Last Boy Scout. Black has moved into directing in recent years, and was behind the lens for The Nice Guys and Iron Man 3. He’s also the ideal choice to helm the film, as he previously played Hawkins in the 1987 original - a soldier who is the first on-screen victim of the sneaky alien hunter.

READ MORE: Shane Black's Predator Death Explained

Stacy Snider also sounds pleased with Black’s work on the film, praising his script in a new in-depth interview with Variety. While discussing how 20th Century Fox are building their franchises, she pointed to The Predator as something that will be surprising for audiences.

“We’ve got a Predator film coming out that is unexpected and utterly fresh. I just imagined that it would take 500 hours to read the script — that it would be interior jungle, exterior more jungle and then fighting happens, but Emma [Watts] went out and recruited Shane Black. From the first page, it didn’t read like a Predator film.”

The Predator Shane Black Photo Cast

The CEO also went on to confirm the long-rumored setting and premise behind The Predator.

“It’s set in suburbia. There’s a little boy and his dad at the center of the action.”

This news should be music to the ears of Predator fans, as the franchise has been in something of a rut for years. While the last entry - 2010’s Predators - was a fun action movie, it also felt like a shameless rehash of the original and added little in the way of freshness. Prior to that, both the Predator and Alien franchises hit their respective nadirs thanks to 2008’s critically reviled Alien Vs Predator: Requiem.

It sounds like The Predator – which stars Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn and Keegan-Michael Key – is aiming to give the series a real shot in the arm. Shane Black has spoken in the past of wanting to event-ise” the Predator again, and make a movie that excites viewers for the series. The film will also have links to past entries, with Jake Busey playing the son of Peter Keyes, who was played by Busey’s real-life father Gary in Predator 2. Sadly it appears Arnold Schwarzenegger won’t be making a return appearance in The Predator, as he turned down an offer to cameo because he wanted a “…more significant role.”

MORE: The Predator: Boyd Holbrook’s Character Has Seen A UFO

Source: Variety

Key Release Dates

  • The Predator 2018 poster
    Predator
    Release Date:
    2018-09-14