Predators 2 Everything We Know About The Cancelled Sequel

Predators 2: Everything We Know About The Cancelled Sequel

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With Predators 2 seemingly dead in the water, here’s everything we know about the canceled sequel, hailed as ‘Predator meets Die Hard’.

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Predators 2 Everything We Know About The Cancelled Sequel

With Predators 2 seemingly dead in the water, here’s everything we know about the canceled sequel. As is the norm with franchise filmmaking, the original Predator (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a classic that has yet to be bettered, offering a clever deconstruction of testosterone-fuelled action fare while keeping one foot firmly in the genre. Predator 2 followed in 1990, shifting the action from a jungle in Central America to the concrete jungle, Los Angeles, and has—in retrospect—become something of a cult hit.

In the years that followed, Predator fans had to make do with two poorly-received crossover films, Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, before Predators—based on a concept from the early ’90s by Robert Rodriguez—hit screens in 2010. Predators followed a group of Earth’s most dangerous killers, abducted and parachuted onto what they soon realize is an alien planet as game for the titular hunters. Royce (Adrien Brody) and Isabelle (Alice Braga) lead the charge, fighting for their lives, and are the only humans left standing when the credits roll. It’s harmless fun, even if it didn’t take full advantage of Rodriguez’s high-concept premise, but is notable for introducing the idea of warring Predator tribes to the franchise.

While many of Predators’ key players expressed interest in making a sequel—namely Brody, Rodriguez, and director Nimród Antal—Fox opted instead to produce a second soft reboot. The Predator was released in 2018 (helmed by industry legend Shane Black), which sadly dashed any real hopes for Predators 2. That said, screenwriter Alex Litvak recently revealed some potential ideas for the sequel—had it gone forward, it could have been a doozy.

Predators 2 Was Predator Meets Die Hard

Predators 2 Everything We Know About The Cancelled Sequel

Speaking with AvPGalaxy, Litvak discussed an idea that had been considered for a Predators sequel before Fox decided to go in a different direction with the franchise, stating:

“In the sequel – now this is with Royce and Isabelle – they’re still on the planet, they’re still stuck there. And they [the Predators] keep dropping more people. And the opening of the movie was that somebody new gets dropped and a Predator shows up about to kill this person. Boom! The Predator gets killed and it’s Royce and Isabelle showing up saying ‘welcome to the resistance’. So now they have their own little tribe on the planet where they’re surviving; they’re being hunted but they’re also striking back so we establish the way they are. We also establish that Royce and Isabelle are incredibly valuable targets because these guys [the Berserker/Super Predators] are all about the genetic upgrades. They want their DNA. But they’re still stuck here. They’ve got their foothold on survival, but how do we get back to Earth? There’s only one way. We’ve got to get on the Predator ship. At the end of Act One Royce, Isabelle and their guys are captured by Super Predators – on purpose because they allow themselves to be captured – and are brought to their ship that they use to funnel people to this planet. There’s got to be some sort of big transport. So now you get to see this transport. So our guys breakout…and what the movie is is Die Hard on a Predator ship.”

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Mixing Predator with elements from other hit movies seems to be the norm for this franchise, with Predator 2 easily summed up as Lethal Weapon meets Predator—even utilizing the former film’s lead, Danny Glover—and Predators reminiscent of The Most Dangerous Game. As such, “Predator meets Die Hard” would have continued this sequel trend, and likely resulted in a more claustrophobic film than previous entries. It’s actually a more fitting pairing than one might initially think, with the first entry in each franchise being directed by John McTiernan. Litvak also made reference to an “alien zoo” aboard the ship – an idea potentially borrowed from Rodriguez’s original Predators pitch, before that film’s relatively low budget required many of its more outlandish moments to be stripped back.

Predators 2 Also Linked To The Alien Franchise

Predators 2 Everything We Know About The Cancelled Sequel

While Predators was an attempt to distance the franchise from the critically-panned Alien vs. Predator films (despite its title being an allusion to Aliens, the second film in the Alien franchise), Predators 2 would have acted as a minor crossover, with Litvak stating:

“At the end of the day we win, we get back to Earth, we land and we realize it’s the future! All along we thought this was happening now, but what if these guys have been on ice for 300 years? The hatch opens, and the Space [Colonial] Marines come in! That was how we merge the two worlds – the Alien and Predator world finally merge and bring the Space Marines into the story.”

The Colonial Marines played a big role in Aliens—a more action-oriented film than its slow-burn predecessor—and seem like a natural way to bridge the Alien and Predator franchises, but were strangely side-stepped in both crossover movies. Predators 2 was set to rectify that omission, and would likely have led to a third Alien vs. Predator movie had it been produced. Fans may look at that as either a curse or a blessing, depending on whether they can stomach the AvP films, as both are, arguably, a step down for each franchise.

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Why Predators 2 Didn’t Happen

While Predators was relatively successful, making back its budget and then some, Fox decided to go in a different direction with the next entry in the franchise, enlisting Shane Black and Fred Dekker (of Monster Squad fame) to write the script, with Black directing. Black actually had a role in the original Predator movie, playing Hawkins—a foul-mouthed mercenary—and made uncredited script rewrites, tasked with bringing his trademarked humor to the piece. Fresh off the success of Iron Man 3, Black was a natural fit to lead the Predator franchise to pastures new—but, unfortunately, ended up treading old ground.

The Predator was released in 2018, and – while more characterful than Predators – felt largely crass and out of touch, trying to appeal to a bygone audience and binning Rodriguez’s alien planet concept in favor of a more familiar, suburban setting. That said, it utilized the idea of warring Predator tribes established in Predators – so, if you squint hard enough, it can be considered a loose sequel to the 2010 film. Unsurprisingly, The Predator was panned by critics and fans alike, and it’s unlikely that audiences will see a direct sequel to Black’s film anytime soon. Like Predators before it, Fox intended the film to re-start the franchise but should have been focusing on making one great movie rather than prematurely considering sequels.

On a final note, they really need to sort the titling out. Predator, then Predator 2, Predators, and, finally, The Predator. Why stop numbering them at 2, especially when the second film was already quite a loose sequel? Don’t expect The Predator 2 or Predators 2 anytime soon, but perhaps The Predators might have legs. If Disney (now the owners of Fox) want to use that, they can have it for free. A good, standalone film is typically better for business than a botched franchise-starter, and Predators had an underutilized premise that is still up-for-grabs.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/predators-2-sequel-cancelled-plans-details/

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