Across five movies featuring The Predator, the elusive hunter has changed up his look ever so slightly. But for the most part, he has always been recognizable as the deadly killing machine first seen in the 1987 classic starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the upcoming Predator reboot/sequel from Nice Guys director Shane Black, the title monster is getting a make-over. Though, we suspect he'll still be recognizable as the Predator we've all come to know and love.

Predator 4 is coming from Shane Black, who got his start early in Hollywood as a screenwriter responsible for such classics as Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout. He also co-wrote Monster Squad with Fred Dekker, who is back to help Black with this new Predator reboot, which is confirmed to be a direct sequel to all of the previous movies. Though it will ditch the mythology set up in the Alien Vs Predator movies that weren't so popular with fans or critics. Predator 4 is being positioned as an event movie according to the director. And it is the biggest movie this franchise has seen thus far.

With a bigger budget comes a more sophisticated killer. Shane Black is currently on a press tour for The Nice Guys, and he's been dropping little nuggets of information when it comes to his upcoming Predator thriller. ComingSoon.net asked Black if their were plans to change and rearrange the iconic Stan Winston costume designed for the original film. Here's what Shane Black had to say.

"It's not to 'improve,' it's make it fun, make it different, make it organically different. So what's the extension of it that makes sense, that's exciting? There have been a lot of changes to Stan's design over the years. These different Predator movies have done different things. Ultimately it's not about design to me, it's about the story you want to tell. There are people who are always going to agonize over Iron Man, what color his suit is. Maybe this weapon does a new thing, but if the story is not good I don't give a sh*t what color the suit is. In 'The Predator' we're doing a lot of upgrades to what you would consider to be the traditional Predator technology and look, but hopefully the story is what's going to drag people in, not just the attention to the minutiae."

At this point, we haven't heard what story is being told this time out. Only that Arnold Schwarzenegger may return as Dutch from the original movie. And there is room for other characters to return as well. While Shane Black didn't write 1987's Predator, he did have a memorable role in the first movie as a character called Hawkins, who was part of Dutch's special forces team that comes under attack from an alien who appears to just be hunting them for sport. Earlier it was announced that shooting will take place either this September or early October. The movie arrives on March 2, 2018. While we're not sure what direction this sequel reboot hybrid will drift towards, producer John Davis did promise this earlier in the year.

"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.'"

Earlier this year, the first poster for Predator 4 arrived, and it features the title character with a shoulder weapon. We're not sure if this is the final design for the movie, or something the studio mocked up on the quick to pre-hype the thriller. We're not sure how practical the Hunter will be this time around, or if he'll be partially replaced with CGI enhancements. No cast has been confirmed at this time. But along with the rumored Schwarzenegger returning, rapper 50 Cent has confirmed that he has a role in the movie. Stay tuned as more continues to break from this highly anticipated continuation of 20th Century Fox's classic sci-fi horror franchise. We've included the first poster which features the return of the Hunter.

Predator 4 Poster