20 Things You Didn't Know About The Predator

Originally, the Predator was to be a sleeker, quicker, almost ninja-like creature, with a long neck, dog-like head, and transparent skin. The man inside the suit was supposed to be Belgian martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme. The idea was that he would provide for a fast, agile foe that would zip through the treetops hunting down the cast.

This, however, was not to be. Van Damme proved difficult to work with. He felt the Predator suit limited his martial arts prowess, which he prided himself on. He didn't like the idea of having to wear the red costume that contrasted green jungle and blue sky and would allow for special effects to create the Predator's invisibility camouflage. He constantly complained that the costume was too hot for wearing in a jungle setting and that his face would never be on screen.

His ultimate downfall, however, was the that compared to actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, and Carl Weathers, he just didn't look, well... scary. Despite his athletic build, he was seen as not being a physical match for these massive men and Van Damme was finally let go from the film.

Fox then hired Kevin Peter Hall, who at just over seven feet tall towered over even Schwarzenegger. Filming took eight months off to build a new, more menacing costume that would fit Hall's frame and a legend was born.