‘Predator’ Producer Says Shane Black’s Sequel Will ‘Reinvent the Franchise’

Last year we heard that Shane Black had signed on to write and direct a new Predator sequel, but things have been pretty quiet since that news broke. Black is currently working on a western series for Amazon with Fred Dekker, his co-writer on the Predator project and the man behind horror classic The Monster Squad. If you were curious about the status of the Predator sequel, the producer of the upcoming film assures fans that it’s still happening, and you should get excited for it.

John Davis has been on board the Predator franchise since the first film, in which Black had a supporting role and also did quite a bit of work on the screenplay. In an interview with Collider, Davis spoke highly of Black:

Shane shot a movie and he’s doing a pilot now, but I’ve read a lot of his script and I think it’s genius. I think it’s genius and I think it’s entertaining, and what it did is recreate a famous franchise in a different, interesting way; looking at it from a different light. He’s just an amazing writer-director. He’s got a way of looking at this that makes you excited again. I love this franchise. It was the first movie I ever did. I remember in being in the jungle with Arnold [Schwarzenegger] as a 28-year-old and going, ‘This is a fun business!’…Shane’s amazing. He’s an amazing storyteller.

Davis went on to explain that the sequel will defy expectations, and Black is reinventing the franchise in a “fresh” way:

Shane’s got a writing partner, Fred Dekker. They’ve been doing it together and Fred’s great. The two of them together, they’ve been in the business for a long time, but 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.’ I mean he’s the guy who wrote Iron Man 3.

Black does have quite the impressive resumé and has established himself as one of the most exciting and entertaining screenwriters in the business. His past credits include Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight.

He recently wrapped production on his noir film The Nice Guys, starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. That film hits theaters next June, and Black is currently shooting a western pilot for Amazon with Dekker. 20th Century Fox hasn’t set a tentative release date for the Predator sequel, but hopefully we’ll have another update soon.