Shane Black is a busy man who doesn’t seem to be letting the Internet chatter about his direction of “Iron Man 3” bother him at all. Not only is he brining the classic “Doc Savage” to the big screen, but he is also going to write and direct a “Predator” sequel. For fans of the first movie, with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead, this is a fun announcement. See, Black was brought on to help doctor the script for that first movie, and in exchange, he was given a role. Black played one of the commandos on Schwarzenegger’s team that was killed by the Predator.
With Black coming on to direct the “Predator” sequel, here is a look at how the franchise reached this point.
Original “Predator” Series
There were two movies in the original “Predator” movie series. The first remains the most popular, one of the best sci-fi monster movies ever made, and the movie that made the Predator a legendary creature. The movie stars a who’s who of action stars including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Jesse “The Body” Ventura. The commandos are sent into Central America on a mission when they become the hunted with the Predator using them for sport. A sequel followed in 1990 and brought the action to Los Angeles where the local police, led by Danny Glover and Bill Paxton, have to deal with the monster.
“Alien vs. Predator”
The Predator was so popular that a comic book was created and published by Dark Horse Comics called “Aliens vs. Predator.” Just as the title suggests, this comic put the two legendary horror movie monsters together and allowed them to battle it out. 15 years after the comics made their debut, Hollywood decided to cash in on the comics, and made “Alien vs. Predator.” In the movie, they move the action from a foreign planet onto Earth. Paul W.S. Anderson directed it and a sequel came three years later with “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.”
“Predators”
In 2010, Robert Rodriguez produced a return to the solo monster movie with “Predators.” The movie was also made with the effort of allowing the audience to decide for themselves whether it was a sequel or a reboot. Taking the action off of Earth, “Predators” takes place on an alien planet that also happens to be the hunting ground for Predators. The cast was impressive with Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Danny Trejo and Laurence Fishburne as people dumped on the planet, with the sole purpose of playing the hunted.
