Shane Black’s ‘Predator’ Is Badly Needed

A while back it was announced that Lethal Weapon scribe Shane Black was cooking up a new Predator movie.  The project was prematurely called a reboot, a word thrown around too willy nilly these days when a lot of people hear of an update to a dormant franchise.  Shane Black took the unusual step of coming out to correct that internet rumour and insist that it would be a sequel.  He said he would be writing the script but wasn’t sure yet if he’d direct.

Either way, that’s some damned good news.

“El cazador trofeo de los W.S. Anderson.  It means the demon who make trophies of manly franchises”

We need this movie and badly.  The Predator franchise has been botched in almost every way imaginable for decades now.  It started with the release of Predator 2 – an amazing sequel, being thrown into the Christmas schedule carelessly and poorly promoted, leaving it adrift at sea so to speak and performing worse than it should have at the box office.  That was enough to spook Fox for over ten years.  Then, the worst thing that could happen to any franchise happened, Paul W.S. Anderson.

Fat Predators hunting Xenomorphs in the Arctic.  That was followed by arguably an even worse sequel (although the Wolf Predator was totally the real deal), then Rodriguez’s misfire with Predators.

Goddamned jackpot!

The news that Shane Black has been given the reigns for this thing is just about the best possible news, especially under the circumstances, that anyone could’ve hoped for.  Black taking on board the Predator franchise is like Tim Burton saying to Christopher Nolan: “Outta my way bitch, I’m making another Batman movie”.  I think we may have struck gold here simply because Black himself likes the property, sees the potential and used his leverage to get the train moving.  For a start, we can bet the farm on a good script, it’s Shane fucking Black.  Hawkins himself.  Second, Black will probably eye a suitable director.  I have minimal fears of a yes-man being brought into this, like that chump McG.  Even if it’s not Black himself doing this thing, for sure he’ll hire some capable hands.

Some damned fool accused him of being the best!

Maybe even John McTiernan.

Stranger things have happened.  Around the 30th anniversary of Predator’s cousin, Alien, original director Ridley Scott signed on for Prometheus.  2017 is the big 3-0 for Predator.  Would it be too greedy of us to hope and ask for McTiernan directing a Shane Black-written Predator movie?  I don’t see why and in fact we should probably make some type of noise to try and spur such a team up.  Let’s say McTiernan  knocks it out of the park with Red Squad, said to be the most expensive movie in Hannibal Classics’ history (easy, that still means around 30 million or so)… McTiernan’s stock will surely rise, just in time for that 30th milking session.

Unfortunately, McT is stuck on ‘the odda side’ at the minute, out there with the GOAT, after his infamous stitch up.  So from now on, we’re going to make a little more noise on his behalf.  We want McTiernan back in the saddle, because he’s the fucking best, and there is no ethical reason to oppose this.  To that end, we plea to Shane Black, since you’re schedule is amped up as a director, let McTiernan hit a home run.  And you’ll probably get him for pennies too.