The Reboot Of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Predator Has Found Its Star
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When Arnold Schwarzenegger entered those Central American jungles all those years ago which just happened to have an alien killing machine roaming through the vines, the latter really never stood chance. Not when a dude as ripped and capable as Arnold was also prowling through the brush. Such was the case with Predator which was as 90s an action movie as you could ever hope for, spawning a franchise around the concept. Well, now Movie Web is reporting that the next movie has found its Schwarzenegger replacement. That will be Amber Midthunder who will take over the alien-fighting role in this next film.
While she’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger in terms of physical stature (few are) Amber Midthunder brings some action chops to the big screen in this new role. With one of the truly great last names around, Midthunder has been playing Kerry Loudermilk on FX’s Legion through its first three seasons. She’ll now star in this Predator reboot film which is a bit light on overall details as it stands right now. According to the press release, Midthunder will play a Comanche woman who eschews some of the rules of her tribe in order to become a “warrior”. How this fits into the killer alien piece isn’t totally clear at this point.
The Arnold Schwarzenegger classic is getting its reboot with Dan Trachtenberg at the helm. The director has been in pre-production on this one that had the working title of Skulls before it finally came out that it would be part of the Predator franchise. Trachtenberg’s previous feature-length film work came on 10 Cloverfield Lane back in 2016. That was a completely insular film though admittedly did involve an alien invasion as part of its core narrative. It was unlike other films in the genre of course, but the director can certainly bring significant suspense on the big screen.
For Arnold Schwarzenegger, Predator came at a time when the actor’s star was most definitely on the rise. He’d wrapped up his run as Conan the Barbarian, had already been the Terminator, and was coming off action flicks like Commando and Raw Deal. This one stuck him in the middle of the jungle with a group of military dudes who went in for one mission and had another one crop up out of nowhere. That’s because we were introduced to the Predator, he of the camouflaging and deadly weaponry who terrorized the group before Arnold ultimately dispatched him in the end.
Arnold Schwarzenegger wouldn’t appear in any more Predator movies, but this first film did start a franchise on the back of the titular alien. Predator 2 had him doing battle in Los Angeles, while Predator 2010 ended up having them hunting down humans in a perverse game of killer cat and mouse. Shane Black’s The Predator tried to reinvigorate the franchise in 2018, but was a critical bomb even though it did earn over $160 at the box office. There’s hope this next film resets some of the narratives within the franchise and gives a decidedly different feel. Casting Midthunder in the lead role is a step in the right direction.
As for Arnold Schwarzenegger, though he’s not coming back for any more Predator movies, he could be headed for a career twilight that sees his other movies get rebooted as well. There’s talk Dwayne Johnson has been eyeing up Terminator and The Running Man might be making a comeback as well.
