An athlete taking on roles in major movies is nothing new. Dwayne Johnson memorably got his start in the world of wrestling, Jason Statham was an Olympic diver and world-class kickboxer, and even LeBron James has slowly but surely proven himself as a strong comedic presence (in one movie, anyway). One athlete who now has the pick of the litter for roles is none other than UFC's Conor McGregor---who is currently slated to appear on Game of Thrones this year and even got naked on a horse for a recent Pegasus World Cup commercial. Now it seems that he was actually up for a role in Shane Black's The Predator, but turned it down when the money and time commitment didn't suit the needs of his personal life. The fighter explained:
They came in and tried to the sell the whole shit. 'We want you to be the main guy and you're gonna fight [the] Predator.' And I'm like, 'This sounds brilliant! How much?' Not enough. We went back and forth negotiating and the number climbed up but if I was to do it, [it] would mean eight weeks in Canada, in Toronto or somewhere. It's too long a time. You can't do a million things at once. The Pegasus thing was one thing because it was like three days, in and out. But seven, eight weeks on a film set is heavy as fuck. Plus it would have crept in around when he's due. I didn't want to get tricky with that, so I turned down that offer.
During a recent interview with An Experience With (via AvPGalaxy), McGregor finally explained why he decided not to take the lead role in The Predator. Although it would seem like an excellent career opportunity for the MMA fighter, spending eight weeks in Canada didn't seem very appealing -- particularly with his girlfriend currently in the later stages of pregnancy. Conor McGregor has experienced a massive influx of job opportunities in recent months but seems only willing to accept the ones that will allow him to continue focusing on his current lifestyle.
I would like to reiterate the fact that Conor McGregor was paid a good sum of money to get naked on a horse for three days, so going to Canda for eight weeks very clearly doesn't appeal to him when the money isn't good enough. I can't say that I blame him.
Conor McGregor isn't the only big name that has turned down a role in The Predator in recent months. In addition to the MMA star, the film reportedly also failed to lock down other well-known actors like Ben Affleck, Tom Hardy, and Benicio Del Toro. Apparently, once you've acted in a Batman movie, you just have no interest in Predator stories. That said, the film has managed to sign some seriously engaging performers in recent months, such as Olivia Munn, Boyd Holbrook, Sterling K. Brown, Jacob Tremblay, and Keegan-Michael Key.
Those recently announced cast members make it very clear that The Predator is going for a very different ensemble than the musclebound heroes of the 1987 original, so maybe it's for the best that Conor McGregor isn't involved. We will have to wait and see.
We will bring you more information related to Shane Black's The Predator as new updates become available to us. The film is currently slated to hit theaters on February 9, 2018.
