Rumor: Agency pushing James Franco for The Predator lead

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

We're in exciting times, as we're just a couple months away from when Shane Black's THE PREDATOR, an "inventive sequel" to 1987's PREDATOR, is expected to start production. We should be hearing solid casting news any time now, but at the moment we have to settle for RUMORS.

Writing for trades and various movie news outlets, Jeff Sneider has made a name for himself by being a reliable source of scoops, and he dropped a very interesting rumor – following a disclaimer that it should be taken with a giant grain of salt – on a recent episode of the Popcorn Talk vodcast. Sneider has heard that Creative Artists Agency is pushing hard for their client James Franco to land the lead role in THE PREDATOR.

As Sneider points out, studio Twentieth Century Fox could be very receptive to the idea of casting Franco in this movie, which Black is aiming to make an "event picture", because Franco also starred in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, which turned out very well for Fox, and just worked with them again on the upcoming Christmas comedy WHY HIM?

Of course, just because the agency wants Franco to star in THE PREDATOR doesn't mean that Black will go for it. Sneider has heard that Black has his own short list for the lead, with Ben Affleck as the top choice and Christian Bale and Tom Hardy as back-ups.

Affleck, Bale, and Hardy are much more along the lines of actors you'd expect to see in THE PREDATOR. I never would have thought of giving the hero role to Franco, but now that it could be a possibility I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen. Franco is always turning up in places where he's least expected.

Written by Black and his THE MONSTER SQUAD collaborator Fred Dekker, THE PREDATOR is scheduled to reach theatres on February 9, 2018 regardless of who stars in it.

Alice Braga in PREDATORS