Fox showcases bigger, badder aliens in 'The Predator'
Actor Jake Busey, Sterling K. Brown, Thomas Jane, Keegan-Michael Kay, Augusto Aguilera, Trevante Rhodes, Olivia Munn, and director Shane Black on stage for "The Predator" Comic Con panel at the Convention Center in San Diego, on July 19, 2018. PHOTO | CHRIS DELMAS | AFP
What you need to know:
- The latest aliens are brutal and their genetic augmentation not only affects their size but improves their bloodcurdlingly efficient killing style.
- Previous instalments of have taken place in jungles and built-up cities but the suburbs are the theatre of war in The Predator.
SAN DIEGO
Fox kicked off San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday with world premiere footage of its action horror The Predator, showcasing a new super-charged alien hunter.
The movie, due out on September 14, will reacquaint audiences with the deadly extraterrestrial made famous in the 1987 blockbuster starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Shane Black's modern take on the cult series — five films in total, including two crossover releases with the Alien franchise — sees the universe's most lethal hunters returning smarter and deadlier thanks to genetic modifications.
"There's a faction on Predator homeworld that's been bested not once, but twice, by earthlings," said Black.
"They send their champions to earth, and they don't come home. They don't like that. So we figured they want to punch back."
The new cast is a diverse ensemble featuring Boyd Holbrook, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Alfie Allen and Jake Busey.
The Hall H crowd at Comic-Con was treated to detailed footage, including a look at Munn's government scientist in a hotel room with a group of ex-soldiers who've just got away from one of the alien hunters.
Another clip shows a predator almost getting the better of Munn, Tremblay ("Room"), and Boyd Holbrook ("Narcos") before getting taken out and beheaded by a bigger, previously unseen "Ultimate Predator."
Black described the latest aliens as "completely savage, brutal creatures," adding that their genetic augmentation would not only affect their size but improve their bloodcurdlingly efficient killing style.
Previous instalments have taken place in jungles and built-up cities but the suburbs are the theatre of war in The Predator.
Black said he hoped his version would be a "Dirty Half Dozen" and paid homage to the 1987 original movie, describing it as "a piece of perfect pop art."
"(It was) the alien craze of the 1980s and the Rambo craze, put together. And it had a wink to it, because you had these muscular guys with weapons that were absolutely ridiculous."
