10 Movies That Started As Something Else Entirely
9. Predator Was Born Out Of A Joke Proposal For Rocky Balboa Vs. Alien Movie
Predator's quite an easy film to sum up - it's Arnold Schwarzenegger versus an alien in a jungle. But the original idea for the action movie is almost laughable. In fact, it legitimately started as a joke within Hollywood itself.
After Rocky IV, a joke circulated that if they wanted to make a fifth film, Rocky would need to fight an alien, since there'd be no other worthy opponents on Earth. A pair of writers, Jim and John Thomas took the joke and actually turned that into a script called Hunter.
Rocky Balboa versus an alien, think about that for a second.
It was Joel Silver's idea to take the supposed small scale script and transform it into a huge action movie. And the original Predator suit looked vastly different to the clicking, dreadlocked brute that we're used to seeing. Instead it was dog-like, with a snout and yellow eyes. That doesn't sound as scary.
Luckily, James Cameron gave some input on what he wanted to see from an alien, and that's how the clicking mandibles were born. Thanks, James.