"The Predator," the fourth official installment in the long-running series, is being developed by director Shane Black, who also starred in the first film as Hawkins. Speaking to Collider, the director has revealed when the film takes place in regards to the series' timeline and gives an update regarding Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Black first confirmed that "The Predator" will indeed be his next project. The director explained that he is working on the script and that at the time being, there is no indication that he'd have to step down from the project to do something else first.
He then went on to state that the approach he is eyeing for the project is to make a "Predator" movie that didn't repeat what the others did before it while still retaining the elements that fans associate with the franchise, ensuring that it still felt fresh and exciting.
"I mean, there's great Predator movies, but to actually play with the idea of making it an event, not necessarily in scale -- it doesn't have to be huge -- but it just has to feel like a 'Predator' movie you want to see in the summer and line up for it. And that's what we're going for," Black explained.
In regards to bringing back Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played the lead character Dutch in the first film, Black stated that they have not yet met and talked to the actor about the prospect of his return. Schwarzenegger did confirm that he was open to the idea and that they were going to meet to discuss the possibilities.
Black then explained that they are working on honoring the first film, which indicates that Schwarzenegger may be able to make an appearance in a cameo role if not as a returning lead character.
"The Predator" has a tentative release date of March 2, 2018.
