Predator 5 will explore the alien species’ first visit to Earth. Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) had been developing a movie titled Skull in 2019 that would be set during the Civil War and would follow a Comanche woman who goes against gender norms and traditions to become a warrior. In 2020 however, Skull was revealed to be the next film in the Predator franchise with Amber Midthunder cast in the lead role.
The Predator franchise has had an interesting history in film. The original in 1987 starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and was a box-office hit that led to the 1991 sequel, Predator 2. However, there was a thirteen-year gap in Predator film appearances as the creature would not appear until 2004’s Alien VS. Predator and its 2007 sequel, AVP: Requiem. The main Predator franchise wouldn’t return proper until 2010 with the release of the Robert Rodriguez-produced Predators, which performed decently but opened at the box-office at number 3 the same weekend Despicable Me opened and never got the planned sequel. 2018 The Predator by Shane Black was supposed to be the big-budget revival of the brand, but it fizzled out the box-office and was not popular with fans and critics. The producers must find a way to make Predator click with a modern audience.
It appears the producers have found a new interesting angle, one that will take audiences back to the beginning. In an interview with Collider, producers John Davis and John Fox teased what is to come, with Fox comparing it more in tone with The Revenant than the previous films in the franchise. Davis elaborated saying this will be the Predator’s first journey to Earth but has not yet revealed the time period.
The first Predator encounter on Earth raises a lot of interesting questions on where the film fits in the timeline. Alien VS. Predator established that the Predators had contact with Earth and were worshipped by cultures like the Ancient Egyptians, Mayans, and Khmer Empire as gods. However, the status of the AVP films in the canon of both franchises has been ignored in both Prometheus and The Predator, so it is safe to say that they exist in their own separate universe. Predator 2 featured the creature gifting Danny Glover’s character a flintlock pistol dated 1715, suggesting Predators have had contact with humans as far back as the early 18th century. Skull’s original logline, before it was revealed as a Predator film, teased it would take place before settlers took Native American land, meaning this could take place even before the date on the pistol.
Skull looks to be taking the approach to the Predator franchise that Prometheus did for the Alien series. It will explore the first encounter with the title species, and even drops the naming convention of the franchise to suggest a new chapter in the wider universe. If Skull is a success, it could lead to future Predator films being more period pieces that explore various human encounters with the Predator. The Predator could face off against pirates, ’30s mob bosses, and various other points in human history that could keep the franchise going. Predator 5, or as it is now known, Skull, could mark the point where the franchise finds a direction.
Source: Collider
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