So far, the casting for Shane Black's planned reboot, The Predator, has been on point, and has made sense. Logan villain Boyd Holbrook is joining Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key and Sterling K. Brown, while Thomas Jane (The Punisher) and 50 Cent are rumored. I can dig that. But when you tell me that Room standout Jacob Tremblay has a part, I begin to wonder how a 10-year-old kid can fit into what has been, prior to this, a sci-fi horror thriller... and a bloody one, at that. Turns out, the answer makes sense.
THR has the exclusive on the casting of Jacob Tremblay in The Predator, and the description of his character has us intrigued. Holbrook is the main character, an ex-Marine who somehow stumbles on evidence of the existence of the title creatures, though no one will believe in what he has to say. Tremblay, his son in the movie, helps his father along in a specific way. The kid is autistic -- and, according to THR, will be bullied in school because of his differences. Only, Tremblay's autism will allow him to better understand languages, will may allow him to communicate with The Predator.
So it's like Arrival meets Predator, with a dash of Room and, hopefully, the explosive carnage of Predator 2. Yeah, we can get on board with that.
There's no way NOT to be excited by The Predator, which is due in theaters in 2018. In addition to Shane Black directing the film, it's co-written by Fred Dekker, the genius behind such genre classics as Night of the Creeps, The Monster Squad, and RoboCop 3. While I might not be over the moon about a new take on the Predatory mythology, putting the concept in their hands has to lead to something incredibly exciting.
The casting announcements on The Predator means that production is about to ramp up, and THR says shooting will begin in Vancouver shortly. We don't know much about the plot, though it has been rumored that the story will be based in a suburban setting, and the addition of young Jacob Tremblay as an autistic child who is bullied in school lends some credence to that notion... even though it hasn't been conformed yet (and actually has been debunked in certain circles).
We'll continue to track the progress of The Predator, which is aiming for a February 9, 2018 release date.
