Classic movie monster and dreadlock icon the Predator is getting an updated look courtesy ofShane Black, according to a newfull-body image from Empire. Ditching the sleek, Schwarzenegger-stalking look from the 1980s original, Black’sThe Predatoris outfitting its intergalactic big-game hunter in a bigger, dare I say more badass suit of armor to better do battle withthe Super Predator teased in the trailer. “The challenge became to make it frightening,” Black told Empire. “’Cause upon that hinged everything — whether you bought our heroes going up against him and felt a real threat for them. We had to invent a scenario in which the Predators were mysterious and scary again.”
There’s a lot to take in with this new look. First and foremost, the Predator’s shiny new helmet looks uncannily like the bucketRick Moraniswore inSpaceballsas Dark Helmet, something I deeply apologize for pointing out to you.
But no, the updated suit is definitelycoolin a sleek, high-definition way; it sort of just looks like the original Predator signed an endorsement deal and got a fancy fitted uniform from Under Armour. The biggest worry—with the new suit and the idea of a Super Predator in general—is that it skates dangerously close toJurassic Parkterritory, a franchise that has worked tirelessly to create Bigger and Badder dinosaurs, when the T-Rex we met in 1993 was already the coolest thing in the world.
Of course, this is Shane Black we’re talking about, a writer-director who thrives in subverting expectations. Lest we forget the year 2013, when theKiss Kiss, Bang Bangdirector promised a gritty, super-seriousBen Kingsleyas The Mandarin forIron Man 3only to flip that role on its head halfway through the movie.
See the photo for yourself below.The Predator—which starsOlivia Munn,Sterling K Brown, andTrevante Rhodes—premieres September 14th.
Here’s the synopsis forThe Predator:
From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home in Shane Black’s explosive reinvention of the Predator series. Now, the universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.
