For Predator enthusiasts, we have some exciting news. According to rumors, the new Predator film, titled “Skulls,” has finished filming and will be released on large screens soon. While no official release date has been set, we anticipate the film to begin production around 2022.
The iconic sci-fi action genre began with the smash success in 1987, and the Arnold Schwarzenegger starring has since become a craze, spawning an entertaining series. The Predator, an extraterrestrial trophy hunter race, would be the main antagonist. Their heinous deeds resulted in some amazing tales. ‘Predator Skulls,’ the fifth installment in the series, will be the third sequel to the original.
In an interview, the producers, John Davis and John Fox announced that the film will have an origin narrative that serves as a prequel to the original. It will be a story about the Predator’s first trip to Earth and what happens after that.
John Davis has also stated that the film was originally intended to be an R-rated film. However, he did state that it is still unknown whether the film will have to be rated PG-13. The presence of a female protagonist has been established, and the filmmakers have returned to the manner of the original Predator picture, which was well-received by fans.
We have all heard about the franchise’s highs and lows (mainly lows), so hearing that the new entry will return to its roots is a welcome relief! In this video, we will share our excitement with you and give you all the details we know about the upcoming film.
Skull: The Origin story into the distant past!
The Predator franchise originated around the same time as some other iconic ones, such as ‘Alien’ and ‘The Terminator’. For the fans, the love affair with the Predator franchise continues even after all these years, and this new installment coming after a rather disappointing Predator movie in 2018, makes it even more special.
For starters, the title has not been finalized yet. The director, Dan Trachtenberg, has said that they are only using ‘Skulls’ as a working title and you can expect the word Predator to pop in the finalized title. A very unique thing about the upcoming Predator movie is how it takes the prequel route. As for the franchise, this is completely uncharted territory. For the first time, we will see a story that is premised before the events of the first movie. So far, even the ‘Alien vs. Predator crossovers were chronologically after the movies that were released and we cannot wait to see how the storyline pans out.
Not much is known about the story, except that we will have a female hero. The narrative will explore the Predator’s first arrival on Earth, and the protagonist will have to fight the ultimate hunter. There have been enough indications to suggest that ‘Skull’ will be premised in an era much before modern human civilization.
Amber Midthunder, who was seen in ‘Legion’ and ‘The Ice Road previously, has been roped in to be the female lead. She plays the role of Kee, a Comanche woman who is a warrior and has to go against gender norms to prove her skills. Those who have seen her in action will know that she is more than capable of being the leading lady.
It is safe to assume that Kee has to rise through the ranks and fight the Predator that hunts them down. The producer has said that there is a lot of focus on this character and the story glorifies her never-give-up attitude. The enemy is clearly a more powerful and technologically superior force, but she fights it till the very end.
John Davis even compared the narrative to that of Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘The Revenant’, and stated that the movie has more in common with The Revenant than the previous Predator movie. Whatever be the case, we are all geared up to witness the epic battle; where a warrior has to take on impossible odds in fighting the alien threat.
Exploring the Yautja
The Yautja, popularly referred to as the Predators, are a dangerous alien race that we are all familiar with. Just to shake off the rust, we thought of taking you back on a memory booster to revise everything about the monster that you are about to see. This species comprises skilled hunters, and they collect trophies from other species across the galaxy. The trophies that they collect are usually the skulls and skins of their prey. They appreciate the challenge and the honor associated with their actions, and they choose their opponent wisely so that it becomes an engaging contest for them.
They have a variety of weapons backed up by their advanced technology, such as their invisibility technology. They have powerful cannons mounted on their shoulders, and these aggressive hunters have some basic principles as well. They do not go after the sick, innocent, pregnant, or injured people because like we said, they prize the honor associated with the fight.
They are usually respectful towards those who manage to defeat their kind, and if they fail in the hunt, they commit honorable suicide. For this, they pack explosives in their suits and detonate them when defeated. Their technological advancement is far superior to the modern human civilization and thus, it is to be seen how an ancient civilization in the new Predator movie stands up to the threat.
Why did the last predator movie fail?
‘The Predator’, the last movie in the franchise that was released in 2018, was not exactly appreciated by fans. They had their reasons to bash this movie and the box-office collections were miserable to say the least. This was unfortunate because the makers tried to make the most of this new entry in the series.
Shane Black, who had a supporting role in the original movie, was brought in as the director, and John Davis returned as the producer. 20th Century Fox Studios left no stones unturned when it came to the promotion and even flew in reporters while filming it, to check out their sets for publicity. Eventually, all the efforts amounted to nothing but a disappointing addition to a franchise with loads of legacy.
There are various issues that made this movie such a failure. Firstly, the story was outrageous and we are being polite! The attempt to bring in too many characters did not work, not to forget how these characters were often pointless. It made no sense at all and the abrupt narrative only made things worse.
However, the biggest problem was the awful CGI that completely ruined it for the fans. It took away all the fun from this graceful monster, and it felt like we were watching a cheap TV series. Basically, this movie was so far away from the awesomeness of the original that the fans did not hesitate to call it out as the death of the franchise. Given the negative sentiments surrounding the last film, it is all the more important for ‘Skulls’ to perform well if the franchise is to survive!
A look into the cast of Skulls 2022
The producers, John Davis and John Fox are old warhorses and have been associated with the previous Predator movies among many other projects. In charge of direction is the talented Dan Trachtenberg, who impressed everyone with his work in ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’. As for the cast, so far only three names have been confirmed.
We have already told you about the leading lady, Amber Midthunder. The other two are Dakota Beavers and Dane DiLiegro. There is a good chance that Dane DiLiegro would be playing the Predator because this actor has previously played the role of monsters in ‘Sweet Home’ and ‘American Horror Stories’.
Amber Midthunder is a talented New Mexican actress, and she had quite an early start to her career. She comes from a family of actors and casting directors, and has starred as a child-actor opposite Oscar winner Alan Arkin in ‘Sunshine Cleaning’. She made an impact with her performances in ‘The Ice Road’ and ‘Hell or High Water, and we have enough instances to suggest that she is comfortable in action-packed roles. We expect nothing less than a powerful performance from her that would please the fans and critics alike.
Among the others, Dakota Beavers is relatively unheard of, but Dane DiLiegro has proved his credentials as a fit and dedicated actor. He doesn’t mind stepping into suits to portray monsters and is known to perform his stunts to perfection.
With a fresh new cast, a talented director, and seasoned, enthusiastic producers, we hope that they are going to go all out trying to make this Predator movie a valuable addition to the franchise.
We Might See A Yautja Fighting A Giant Bear!
We have already revealed how the producer claimed that there is a similarity between Skulls and The Revenant. This has given rise to numerous speculations that the movie might have an epic fight scene between a Predator and a giant bear.
The narrative is premised in an ancient era, and the protagonist is a female warrior. Clearly, there is a chance that the sets will be the dense forests of a pre-civilized world. In that scenario, a fight with a vicious bear is not impossible! Besides, there is also a two-issue comic book about Predator vs. bear and it is titled ‘Predator: Primal’.
We will quickly take you through the story, for you to understand why it is likely that the makers might refer to this for the epic battle! The galaxy’s most infamous predator takes on the planet’s largest land-dwelling carnivore and it is a contest to drool for!
The story starts off in Denali National Park in Alaska. It is one of the most rugged and uncharted terrains in North America, and we see an antelope grazing in the plains. Suddenly, the Predator attacks, and the antelope are killed in seconds.
It collects the skull as a trophy and takes it back to his spaceship. In the meantime, the Fire Observation Station of the US Forestry Service is being manned by two officers. It is located in the middle of nowhere, and they are tasked with the crucial work of keeping an eye out for random wildfires. If they start spreading without being controlled immediately, wildfires can spread uncontrollably.
Thus, it is a challenging job for Anna and her companion. When her male companion enjoys some wrestling videos, she casually remarks that the so-called wrestlers would be no match for a vicious grizzly bear. The man agrees but laments the loss in their numbers as they both know grizzly bears are almost on the verge of extinction.
The focus shifts to the Predator roaming freely in the forests and it comes across two bear cubs playing. It kills one of them in no time and the other flees. Anna is alerted about the loss of a bear cub because they had installed trackers in the cubs. She flies off in a helicopter to inspect the cause of death of the cub. Meanwhile, the mother bear faces the Predator and she seems too powerful for the alien monster.
The grizzly bear throws the Predator from a cliff and Anna spots a massive wildfire during her flight. She quickly alerts her fellow officer to extinguish the fire before it is too late. After descending from the helicopter, she explores the bear cub’s body and assumes that poachers might be responsible.
Suddenly, she is knocked unconscious by the Predator. The monster recovers from the initial assault, preparing to take on the adult bear once again. When Anna wakes up she watches several helicopters extinguishing the fire at a distance. Her radio is broken and so, she cannot contact them to let them know about her location. The Predator fights the bear once again, and it turns out to be an epic battle!
The bear is injured as well, but its brute strength defeats the Predator once again. As per their code of honor, the Predator self-destructs because of the defeat and the mother bear goes off with her cub. Anna uses her flare gun to be rescued, and finally, all is back to normal in the wilderness!
This could easily be integrated into the story of Predator Skulls. If filmed correctly, this could be a fight sequence to die for, and we would love to witness it on the big screen.
Is Disney going to ruin it for the fans?
Disney has ruined so much so often that true Predator fans wouldn’t exactly be ecstatic about their involvement with this project. Disney has a tendency to mellow things down for a PG-13 rating and we wouldn’t want a silly fairytale-like portrayal of one of the most iconic sci-fi horror monsters.
We want Predator Skulls to go back to the good old days of the first two movies in the series, and Disney might be a hindrance to that. The last thing you want is to have a dull storyline that skips the graphic details and tones down the violence simply to attract a bigger audience!
Our Final Words
There is so much at stake that now it is simply a painful waiting game for the fans. Will Skulls bring the Predator franchise back from the dead or will it be another disappointment? One of the most heartening things that we have heard during the making of this film is the words of the producer John Davis when he said that they would like to go back to the things that made the original so special. He acknowledged that over the years Predator movies never got back there, and he wants this one to be an exception.
Only time will reveal the final outcome as we keep an eye out for the release of this movie. However, since it is a co-production between 20th Century Studios and Hulu, there is a chance that it might not have a theatrical release and turn up as a Hulu exclusive. Either way, we just hope that it lives up to our expectations and turns out to be an unforgettable watch to save the series!