What could have been: Schwarzenegger’s Predators cameo

Just yesterday we ran a poll asking if you thought Arnold Schwarzenegger should’ve come back for a cameo in PREDATORS. A decisive 70% of you said yes but what you might not know is that Schwarzenegger was approached to return for a cameo. (Producers also thought about having Danny Glover reprise his role from PREDATORS 2 as the Laurence Fishburne character.) It obviously never happened but what were the plans for Schwarzenegger? We did some digging to find out.

Some spoilers might exist here on out. It’s for a scene that doesn’t exist in the movie so not really but I’m warning just in case…

The cameo would’ve taken place at the very end of the film and was originally billed as an “alternate ending” (I’m assuming with the hope they could convince Schwarzenegger to come back). The human survivors are sitting bloody and beaten in the jungle. The silence is interrupted by a vibration that grows until it sounds like a freight train is bearing down on them. Once the dust cloud settles a Predator ship is revealed.

The door opens and dozens of Predators file out. The humans are screwed now. There’s nowhere to run and even if there was, they don’t have the energy for any more fighting. The Predators don’t attack but part with two single-file lines on each side of the door. Their leader, with armor covered in “trophies,” exits and walks towards them. He slowly removes his helmet to reveal…DUTCH. “Not bad kid…not bad at all.” SMASH TO BLACK.

As Rodriguez said recently, the Governor’s “erratic schedule” led them to scrap the idea for the cameo but hoped that if this version is a success and they have another PREDATORS movie, he’ll be available. In the end, while I think it might’ve been a cool, little addition, it wasn’t necessary and the film works without it. What do you think?