There's something out there waiting for us, and it ain't no man. It's something amazing. We're officially a month away from "The Predator" and this will be the fourth big screen feature to showcase the big ugly in his own movie and the 6th to feature him at all. I'm not going to lie, it looks awesome. Although, based on the previous entries, I'm skeptical. I'm skeptical of the movie itself, not of the Predator. The Predators of the previous movies have become progressively more awesome and have been received more attention. They have also been given the hole-filled plots and bad acting.
Yes, I'm looking at you "Predator 2."
This, however, looks like it's in good hands, the hands of director Shane Black. For those of you who don't know who Shane Black is, he was the director of "Iron Man 3." This won't be his first dip into the Action/Sci-Fi pool. This isn't, however, the main reason I have faith in Shane Black. For Black, this is coming full circle. "The Predator" will be his baby. Right after he finished his script for "Lethal Weapon," he was called to do revisions on the original "Predator" script, and the original movie was produced by John Davis. Due to disagreements for acting and writing conflicts, Black was given only limited screen time as Hawkins and killed off early. This time around, Black is directing "The Predator," and the hard feelings must have been resolved, as the same John Davis is now producing "The Predator."
Let's not forget about the big bad himself... the Predator. The Yautja, if you're familiar with the lore. Honestly, I'm not sure who will be on the inside of the suit this time, although for legacy sake, I hope that it's Ian Whyte. He's been the one to portray the Predator in both "Alien vs Predator" and "Alien vs Predator: Requiem". Let's be honest though, the man on the inside is only half the monster.
This time, the predator is on a mission, and he's bringing some of the classic Predator toys to play with, including the iconic wrist blades and plasma caster (his shoulder cannon, if you're familiar with the term). Like the intergalactic hunter wearing it, his helmet is getting an awesome new redesign. I'm not going to lie, I need to get a replica of that when they release it. So far in each of the Predator movies, they've given this beast a new vision mode, and I can't wait to see if there are any new modes added this time around. He'll need them to see his newest foe, the Super Predator. We don't know what this monsters backstory is, but he's significantly bigger than the original and he, along with the original, look amazing and beastly.
The Super Predator won't be the only foe that the predator is going to be facing, and this next one will be bringing a blood feud. Jake Busey will be entering the brawl as the son of Peter Keys, whose father, Gary Busey, originally portrayed Peter Key's father in the movie. Keys was a member of OWLF, Other World Lifeform. If you're still unsure of who he is, he's the one who died by the Predators killer Frisbee in that awesome meat house scene of "Predator 2". This won't be the first point of Predator lore that is being given a major nod to. If you didn't notice in the trailer, in the display case of Predator technology, is the Elder Predators combistick that was given to Alex Woods (portrayed by the talented Sanaa Lathan) from the first "Alien vs Predator." Additionally, although I can't confirm this, this movie will also feature a huge Easter egg and reference to this universe's other nasty inhabitant, the Alien.
Olivia Munn will be starring in "The Predator" as Casey Bracket, a science teacher and biologist who will team up with the soldiers combating the Predators. Her character may or may not be related to Captain Brackett (yes, I know one letter difference may throw-off for this connection), the marine captain tasked with commanding the marines guarding Hadley's Hope, the doomed colony of "Aliens" and setting of "Alien: River of Pain" (a fantastic Titan Books publication, written by Christopher Golden). We're a month away and all the hype and the wait will pay off when "The Predator" bashes his way into theaters.
Run, fly, jump off a waterfall, crash land... do whatever it takes to GET TO THA THEA-TA and see this movie! Watch out for incoming plasma bolts!