If you’re a fan of dreadlocked alien warriors with cloaking devices, today may be your lucky day. There’s been talk of another Predator for quite some time, ever since Predators back in 2010, and though there still aren’t many specific details, it does appear that the process of Predator 4 is moving forward.
What we know about the project is little more than that Shane Black (Iron Man 3, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), who appeared in the 1987 original (he plays Hawkins), will direct and collaborate on the script with Fred Dekker (Monster Squad, Night of the Creeps). Regardless of how little we know, that’s enough to get me wildly excited for Predator 4. But Dekker just took to Facebook to release this cryptic, yet enthusiastic, message to fans.
I cannot say where I was this morning, or what I saw, or what we talked about. But if you are a PREDATOR fan? One word:YES.Posted by Fred Dekker on Tuesday, February 9, 2016
What exactly this means, I’m not entirely sure. Does this mean that Fred Dekker and Shane Black perhaps got a "YES" from the studio and that Predator 4 is officially a go? That would be exciting? Perhaps it means that they found a sweet location, or saw a design for the latest Predator, or literally any of a hundred things. Still, the enthusiasm has to be appreciated for fans, and though it’s not much, it’s certainly enough to know that things are moving forward and the folks involved appear to be stoked.
Just because it’s been a while, and many fans are still trying to pretend the Alien vs. Predator movies don’t exist, don’t expect the new Predator to be a reboot. Shane Black has said that he and Fred Dekker don’t want to start over, that it would be a waste to squander the mythology that the franchise has already built up over the years.
But at the same time that Predator 4 won’t be a reboot, it doesn’t sound like it will exactly be a direct sequel either. Shane Black also said that he likes the idea of "inventive sequels," ones that explore the mythology of the property in a different way instead of simply starting over. It sounds like it may be something of a soft reboot, a movie that doesn’t ignore what came before, but also goes off in its own direction. That’s reminiscent of what happened with both the Jurassic Park and Terminator franchises last year—the new installments aren’t complete do-overs, but they do change things a great deal.
However Predator 4 turns out, you can bet this is one that we’ll be keeping a close eye on, and when we find out more, you’ll be the first to know.
