Last summer, Shane Black was hired to helm a new PREDATOR movie, which we later found out won't be a reboot, but an "inventive sequel." The IRON MAN 3 director is also co-writing the script with Fred Dekker, and during a conversation with Collider at the Television Critics Association, producer John Davis said the planned film is still on, however Black has been a little busy working on other projects.
Shane shot a movie and he’s doing a pilot now, but I’ve read a lot of his script and I think it’s genius. I think it’s genius and I think it’s entertaining, and what it did is recreate a famous franchise in a different, interesting way; looking at it from a different light. He’s just an amazing writer-director. He’s got a way of looking at this that makes you excited again. I love this franchise. It was the first movie I ever did. I remember in being in the jungle with Arnold [Schwarzenegger] as a 28-year-old and going, ‘This is a fun business!’…Shane’s amazing. He’s an amazing storyteller.
Davis went on to praise Black and Dekker's talents as writers, and the producer sounds pretty excited about their plans for the franchise.
Shane’s got a writing partner, Fred Dekker. They’ve been doing it together and Fred’s great. The two of them together, they’ve been in the business for a long time, but the writing is so fresh, the perspective is so fresh. I’m telling you you’re going to get something you don’t expect and you’re going to say, ‘This is the most entertaining way to reinvent a franchise.’ I mean he’s the guy who wrote Iron Man 3.
While I love the original 1987 movie and have a soft spot for its sequel, I didn't care for either of the ALIEN VS PREDATOR flicks and was underwhelmed by 2010's PREDATORS. But I still think the franchise has some gas left in its tank, and I'm hopeful that new movie won't be another "unsatisfactory" installment in the series.
Shane Black's PREDATOR sequel doesn't have a release date yet, but his mystery thriller THE NICE GUYS starring Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger is scheduled to open on May 20, 2016.