Production on Shane Black's THE PREDATOR is gearing up to begin shooting next month, and another member of the cast has been revealed. It wouldn't be a Shane Black affair without a child character who's smarter than everyone else, and that character will be portrayed by Jacob Tremblay (ROOM). According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tremblay will play the son of Boyd Holbrook's character, an ex-Marine who discovers the existence of fierce aliens but finds that no one believes they exist. Evidently, Tremblay's character will be autistic and, in turn, become a key player due to his preternatural ability to learn languages.
Well, it worked for THE ACCOUNTANT, I guess.
Tremblay joins an ensemble that (so far) includes Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Keegan Michael Key, Sterling K. Brown, Trevante Rhodes and possibly Thomas Jane. As much as I trust Black's judgment in his story and cast, the idea of this autistic kid “fighting” a Predator looks really cringe-worthy on paper. I know THE ACCOUNTING received some unwanted attention due to it's portrayal of autistic people, so we'll see how THE PREDATOR fares.
THE PREDATOR is scheduled to open in theaters on February 9, 2018.