The latest beloved motion picture franchise getting a reboot doesn’t sound like such a bad idea when you learn who’s involved. Predator, John McTiernan’s action-packed subversion of badass machismo (and not for nothing, a really cool alien monster movie), spawned two official sequels, two “vs.” movies with the Alien franchise and tons of comic books and video games. Now, it’s coming back in a reboot written and directed by Shane Black, the director of Iron Man 3 who also co-starred in and polished the screenplay for the 1987 original.
Related: The 10 Best (and 5 Worst) Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies
Predator will reunite Shane Black with the iconic alien menace and also his Monster Squad director Fred Dekker, whom Hollywood Reporter reports (from Hollywood) will write the final treatment based on Black’s treatment. Dekker directed two cult hits in the 1980s – Monster Squad and Night of the Creeps – before the failure of Robocop 3 derailed his career. His biggest credit since 1993 has been producing and writing multiple episodes of the short-lived “Star Trek: Enterprise,” but he’s a talented individual and we hope this Predator reboot gives him an opportunity to step back into the spotlight.
Although the original Predator is a classic, the sequels have all ranged from “above average” to “dreck,” so we’re cautiously optimistic that this reboot – which may or may not take place in continuity with the previous films (but we suspect not) – will give the mandibled dreadlocks enthusiast another shot at the big time, courtesy of one of the masterminds behind the first film.
This Week in Film News – Week Ending 06/27/14
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
This Week in Film News - Week Ending 06/27/14
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