Having seen the original Predator wreak havoc back in ’88 with his own eyes, Shane Black definitely knows a thing or two about cinema’s ugliest motherfucker. Which is why we’re cautiously optimistic that his upcoming reboot, simply titled The Predator, will be able to deliver the goods when it lands in theaters next week.
Featuring a who’s who of A-list talent (Boyd Holbrook, Sterling K. Brown and Olivia Munn, to name but a few), this is a franchise revival that hopes to make amends for Nimród Antal’s ill-fated reboot from 2010. Though judging by the first wave of reviews, it sounds as if Black may have fallen a bit short, with critics proclaiming it a fun, but ultimately silly and forgettable ride.
That’s disappointing, to be sure, but it hasn’t quelled Fox’s marketing blitz and today, the studio’s put out another new clip. Seen above, it features the Predator taking on a Mega Predator, with the two beasts going at one another while our heroes make their escape. It’s brief, but works as a nice tease of the sizzling action to come when the film hits theaters later this month.
Speaking of which, currently perched at 67 percent on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, The Predator now faces a mountain to climb if it’s to pull in $30M at the domestic box office next weekend. Those aforementioned middling reviews will surely have an impact on Fox’s mooted franchises plans, too, after we learned that Black and Co. had been mulling over the possibility of a trilogy.
Regardless, The Predator is all set to make its debut on September 14th. And only then will we know if those lengthy reshoots were enough to whip Black’s R-rated pic into shape. Fingers crossed, eh?