This summer, a report surfaced claiming director Shane Black will start shooting his highly-anticipated Predator sequel, entitled The Predator, in Vancouver this September. Although that was never confirmed, the project has found its first cast member. Oscar winner Benicio del Toro has entered early talks to star in The Predator, although no details about his role have been given. Shane Black revealed back in 2014 that this project is not a remake or a reboot as many had thought, but it will expand the mythology that is already in place.

Deadline broke the news of Benicio del Toro's involvement, though it's not clear if he is wanted as the lead. A report from July claimed that James Franco's talent agency, CAA, was pushing for their client to nab the lead role. It's worth noting that, back in June, Shane Black said his new hero's name is Quinn McKenna, which ruled out the possibility that Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch was the lead character.

We reported in March that Arnold Schwarzenegger was meeting with director Shane Black, but nothing has been confirmed about his potential return. Ironically, Shane Black actually starred in the original Predator as Hawkins, the first character to be killed by the Predator, which came out the same year as the first two movies he wrote, Lethal Weapon and The Monster Squad. No details have been given for any of the other characters in this project, so we're not sure how many more roles need to be filled.

Shane Black will direct from a script he co-wrote with Fred Dekker, with 20th Century Fox handing out a February 9, 2018 for this new Predator movie. Predator will go up against Universal's Fifty Shades Freed and an Untitled Warner Animation Group Project, with Marvel's Black Panther hitting theaters one weekend later on February 16, 2018. If production really is set to begin this month, hopefully more casting details will be confirmed in the near future.

We'll have to wait and see if Benicio del Toro is in fact playing Quinn McKenna, or if he has another role entirely in The Predator, but it certainly is possible he has landed the lead role. The actor will next be seen in the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Episode VIII in an unknown role, which hits theaters December 15, 2017, and in Soldado, where he reprises his role as Alejandro from last year's hit thriller Sicario. He also stars in Terrence Malick's Weightless, alongside Christian Bale, Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender.