8 Reasons You Should Be Excited For The Predator
2. Legacy
The Predator franchise as a whole is a bit of a mess.
The first film is a classic but each subsequent sequel got a little bit more ridiculous and convoluted. 1990's Predator 2 is set in the then-future of 1997 and introduces a whole lot of mythology regarding why the Predators do what they do. 2004's Alien vs. Predator takes a lot of inspiration from the mythology of both of the first films but also tacks on more backstory involving the Mayans and Aztecs and how they worshiped Predators as gods.
2007's Alien vs. Predator: Requiem furthers all of this by adding the first-ever look at the Predator homeworld. 2010's Predators sets up a whole new hunting system for the Predators and introduces a new race of them, known as Berserkers.
When you add all of that up, you get a mythology that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The new film's solution, according to Black, is to honor what has come before while digging a bit deeper.
"We just tried to take the existing mythology and take it a step further. Ask some questions about why? Why Predators do what they do? What would be the next step for them? How do we up the stakes so that there’s not just a single Predator hunting a group of soldiers? Who are the soldiers? How are they different? What’s the heroic quotient and how do you make it not just guys with tough talk and big arms?"