The Predator franchise is set to continue at Disney, with 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg on board to helm the fifth installment. The future of Predator has been in flux since the rights to the popular sci-fi action franchise were recently gained by The Walt Disney Company as part of their acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Well, not only do we now know that the studio plans to resume the adventures of the extra-terrestrial trophy hunter, but that they have also found the ideal director to do Disney's Predator reboot.
While Dan Trachtenberg may not have many movies in his back catalogue, his 2016 sci-fi horror hit 10 Cloverfield Lane, which follows a young woman who is held in a fallout shelter after the world is affected by a widespread chemical attack, proved that he is able to do a whole lot with just one setting and a minimal cast. The perfect ingredients for a Predator outing. Alongside his installment in the Cloverfield franchise, Trachtenberg has also helmed an episode of the hit series Black Mirror and an episode of Amazon's unconventional superhero series The Boys.
The currently untitled Predator sequel follows Shane Black's The Predator, which debuted in 2018 to a critical mauling. Starring Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, and Sterling K. Brown, The Predator centers on Quinn McKenna, an army sniper, who, together with a group of fugitives and a scientist, sets out to kill the Predator and save Rory, his son, who was abducted as his autism reflects advancement in human evolution.
Despite the involvement of Shane Black, The Predator proved to be a huge disappointment to fans of the franchise, and to people who like their movies to be, well, good. Trachtenberg's sequel will reportedly move away from The Predator, which ended with the U.S government developing Predator killer technology to fight back against the ugly invaders and will instead likely act as a reboot for the franchise now that it is in the hands of Disney.
The Predator franchise first started back in 1987 with the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle, Predator. Starring the Austrian Oak as Dutch, the movie begins with Schwarzenegger and his crew of elite commandos embarking on a rescue mission to save hostages in guerrilla-held territory in Central America. Gradually, the movie evolves into something else entirely, as Schwarzenegger and his band of misfit mercenaries are slowly hunted down by an unstoppable extraterrestrial warrior.
Predator is peak 80s Schwarzenegger action flick and remains one of the best movies to ever star the Hollywood legend. Brimming with testosterone, the movie is endlessly quotable and birthed one of the most iconic sci-fi monsters of all time. The franchise has since spawned several sequels, including Predator 2 starring Danny Glover in 1990, which saw the alien hunter enter the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, Predators in 2010, which left Earth entirely to follow an ensemble cast of characters who have been placed on a planet which acts as a game reserve for two warring tribes of Predators, and two movies in the crossover spin-off series Alien vs. Predator.
Frankly, none of the movies in the long-running Predator franchise have ever come close to matching the charm of the first outing. Here's hoping that Trachtenberg can do better. This comes to us from Deadline.