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Cameos, The River Ghost, That Trailer Shot & Plenty More – Nimród Antal Talks Predators

It’s been a while since I can remember hearing Nimród Antal talk about Predators so I think it’s pretty thrilling to see the film’s director open up about his time working on the film in this new interview with the gents over at HN Entertainment.

During the lead-up to the film’s release, there was plenty of buzz around the possibility of cameos from Arnie’s Dutch or Danny Glover’s Harrigan. When asked about that, Nimród said:

“I believe that production had reached out to him [Arnie] and he was still governor at the time, I think that he was either still governor or just leaving the governorship, I’m not quite certain but it didn’t work out for whatever reason. I think that we had him potentially scripted as Nolan’s character and then that changed, then there was a thought at the very end that another cage is dropped and Arnold is in that cage, so there were a few iterations of how we could have worked him into the story. It would have been awesome none the less, I’m a big fan of his to this day. It didn’t work out.”

“I would have been really happy with working with Danny. I don’t recall what the considerations were as to why we didn’t pursue that but I would have loved to have him.”

 Cameos, The River Ghost, That Trailer Shot & Plenty More - Nimród Antal Talks Predators

HN Entertainment also asked Nimród about the River Ghost, the mysterious alien creature that is featured in the film. Back in 2011 when we were working on our own article about the River Ghost, we learnt he had a larger presence in earlier iterations of the scripts. On the topic of whether there were going to be more creatures in Predators, Nimród said:

“Yeah, we had intentions of that in the early drafts but if I recall I thought we have been losing focus of our hunting party, our heroes, the cast of the film. I think we would have started to lose focus with them and I believe that’s why we started to clean it up and simplify it. We also had the [predator] dogs, the falcon, we had a few other elements within the story we didn’t want it to get too [unfocused].”

A point of contention with Predators’ marketing was that infamous trailer shot of Predator laser sights appearing on Royce. It turns out fans weren’t the only ones disappointed with that bit of a misleading marketing!

“That was marketing and I was frustrated by that because I knew that we would get backlash for it. They were doing something that fans would expect to see and we weren’t going to be able to deliver, it was never shot that way in the first place and I understand stand that marketing has to sell their product and I understand that everyone is tasked with a job, I respect that. It was just something as a fan I knew it was something we’d be getting backlash for doing and we did.”

 Cameos, The River Ghost, That Trailer Shot & Plenty More - Nimród Antal Talks Predators

“I thought it was really important that we establish early on how many predators there are. The viewer is revealed the three of them together and I thought that it was super important early on to establish how many there were so the viewer understood what they were up against. One predator was capable of killing a crack Army unit, so we knew that if we were throwing in too many we would be doing a disservice to the character and what the character is capable of doing.”

“I think it was a number that I came up with early on and we settled upon early on with Robert [Rodriguez] that felt like a good number. It gave us enough opportunity to show different kinds of preds and show the viewer what we were up against.”

Be sure to head on over to HN Entertainment and check out their two interviews (one and two) in full where the Predators director talks more about his experience on the film!

Keep a close eye on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy for the latest on Alien and Predator! You can follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram to get the latest on your social media walls. You can also join in with fellow Alien and Predator fans on our forums!



Post Comment
Comments: 34
  1. The Old One
    I concerned the films themselves.

    The canon arguments' beginning's always the result of three people by my count.
    People always purchase the creatures regardless.
    JokersWarPig for instance, intense Resurrection disregard -but the NECA figure? Purchase.
  2. SuperiorIronman
    Quote from: The Old One on Mar 25, 2019, 02:53:25 PM
    Doubtful lol.
    Didn't happen for AR, AVP or AVPR.

    You do realize that Neca, and Hot Toys wouldn't have pushed Wolf or the Resurrection figures (let alone made them) as much as they have if nobody cared right? Requiem does have its fans even if most of what they came to see is Wolf. Neca and Hot Toys are pricey enough that they wouldn't release it if there wasn't enough people interested in the property because for as expensive as those things are, that's one Hell of an impulse buy.

    You also have the canon debate and AVP's acknowledgement as recently as The Predator.

    If nobody cared Titan wouldn't keep thinking to pimp its titles with Wolf nor would we even have a sub-forum for AVP.

    I'm pretty sure a fan base for it exists else we wouldn't and the companies involved wouldn't keep pushing it.

  3. Wysps
    Quote from: SuperiorIronman on Mar 17, 2019, 01:27:05 PM
    Quote from: Still Collating... on Mar 16, 2019, 02:32:20 PM
    I was so happy that I enjoyed all three of the movies at about the same level. I was glad that all the movies in the Predator franchise were "good" and then The Predator comes out which I enjoyed less than any of the Alien movies, prequels or even the AvPs IMO. That was quite a shock I must say. I hope that the franchise doesn't stagnate too much because of it...

    I liked Predators from the first viewing, not perfect, but I really liked what they did with it. My brother who doesn't care for these films at all liked this one as well from the get go. A sequel to predators would've been fun. I think it's a great idea to have the predator adapt to a new foe. Not silly genetic upgrades, but new hunting tactics and creative new weapons. That's what I want to see in a new movie.

    The fanbase reacted the same to The Predator when Predators came out. That's why I was so surprised when people said they really took a liking to it because I had to defend that movie back then. If anything I've learned, give it five to ten years and people warm up to some element of them. Though given trademark law, I promise you this franchise wont stagnate, Disney will not let that trademark lapse. Predator has a better track-record than Alien or Terminator in terms of movies people dislike, and those movies you can make for 40 million as Predators proved, they'll make another Predator.

    Ironically the genetic engineering thing is a hold-over from Predators as Berserker was supposed to be a genetically engineered Predator (it's why he's a "Super Predator"). He even had a similar appearance to Upgrade in the script. Of course this was changed to be some sort of sub-species, but it is fascinating just how much was carried over from older scripts that it makes me wonder just what exactly the scripting process was.

    That very well may be a possibility.  With repetition, things become easier to accept - maybe given time, The Predator won't seem so bad after a few years (for palate cleansing).  The genetic modification has been a while though, even in the old Rodriguez script (his original idea prior to Predators), there was a bit of genetic manipulation in there.  It was bound to make an appearance in a movie at some point, imo.
  4. Still Collating...
    If I had been around back then, I'd have been defending Predators too.

    Hell, I enjoyed both AVPs from a first viewing as well. Though over time I'm enjoying AVP:R less, but still enjoying it. I really try to like things and look at it from a bright side. And it does work, I have 850 hours in A:CM somehow... That's why the predator caught me by surprise and not in a good way.

    I know the genetic engineering is originally from Predators and they were smart enough to scrap that concept. So weird that they reused that scraped idea. It can be done of course, but you have to be careful how you utilize it and how you design the creature. If Predators had done the same thing with it as The Predator did (human DNA?), I would've disliked that part the same. Though that's just one part of why I don't like the movie.

    I'm glad some people like it and it saddens me that I'm not one of them.
    And I think you're right actually, I forgot how "cheap" Predators was. A lower budget forces you to be more creative and the predator doesn't explicitly need futuristic sets.
  5. SuperiorIronman
    Quote from: Still Collating... on Mar 16, 2019, 02:32:20 PM
    I was so happy that I enjoyed all three of the movies at about the same level. I was glad that all the movies in the Predator franchise were "good" and then The Predator comes out which I enjoyed less than any of the Alien movies, prequels or even the AvPs IMO. That was quite a shock I must say. I hope that the franchise doesn't stagnate too much because of it...

    I liked Predators from the first viewing, not perfect, but I really liked what they did with it. My brother who doesn't care for these films at all liked this one as well from the get go. A sequel to predators would've been fun. I think it's a great idea to have the predator adapt to a new foe. Not silly genetic upgrades, but new hunting tactics and creative new weapons. That's what I want to see in a new movie.

    The fanbase reacted the same to The Predator when Predators came out. That's why I was so surprised when people said they really took a liking to it because I had to defend that movie back then. If anything I've learned, give it five to ten years and people warm up to some element of them. Though given trademark law, I promise you this franchise wont stagnate, Disney will not let that trademark lapse. Predator has a better track-record than Alien or Terminator in terms of movies people dislike, and those movies you can make for 40 million as Predators proved, they'll make another Predator.

    Ironically the genetic engineering thing is a hold-over from Predators as Berserker was supposed to be a genetically engineered Predator (it's why he's a "Super Predator"). He even had a similar appearance to Upgrade in the script. Of course this was changed to be some sort of sub-species, but it is fascinating just how much was carried over from older scripts that it makes me wonder just what exactly the scripting process was.
  6. Still Collating...
    I was so happy that I enjoyed all three of the movies at about the same level. I was glad that all the movies in the Predator franchise were "good" and then The Predator comes out which I enjoyed less than any of the Alien movies, prequels or even the AvPs IMO. That was quite a shock I must say. I hope that the franchise doesn't stagnate too much because of it...

    I liked Predators from the first viewing, not perfect, but I really liked what they did with it. My brother who doesn't care for these films at all liked this one as well from the get go. A sequel to predators would've been fun. I think it's a great idea to have the predator adapt to a new foe. Not silly genetic upgrades, but new hunting tactics and creative new weapons. That's what I want to see in a new movie.
  7. Huggs
    Quote from: Billiken on Mar 15, 2019, 10:52:57 PM
    I think Predators has some good atmosphere but then it falls apart pretty quickly. I had more fun with Predator 2. Taking it to the city was the right thing to do otherwise we just get more jungle and the same thing over and over.

    It doesn't have to be a jungle.

    Perhaps a forest or a mountain or an abandoned military installation.

    Just something remote and quiet, with a limited amount of human beings.

    Even Cameron had the good sense to kill off the colony.


    Quote from: JungleHunter87 on Mar 15, 2019, 11:04:03 PM
    Quote from: Huggs on Mar 15, 2019, 10:39:27 PM
    Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Mar 15, 2019, 09:44:17 PM
    Hey Predators!  Predator called, they want their atmosphere back!

    Predator 2 has loads of atmosphere. Just the King Willie alley alone is worth the price of atmosphere admission. And I haven't even touched upon the Predator ship!

    There are several scenes in p2 with great atmosphere, especially the alley scene. But I think overall there's just far too many people and too much noise and activity.

    There's great action and set pieces like the train and the opening shootout with el Scorpio, but there's a distinct lack of intimacy that p1&3 utilized to great effect.

    In terms of atmospheric scenes, Danny's scene walking back into the penthouse, is easily one of P2's best.

    Overall though I agree that P2 was a little too cluttered and frantic. Not to say I don't enjoy it. I just prefer PREDATORS more as a film over it.

    I almost used Danny's scene as an example, but that speech from king Willy sets great tone. Danny's scene is much scarier though.
  8. JungleHunter87
    Quote from: Huggs on Mar 15, 2019, 10:39:27 PM
    Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Mar 15, 2019, 09:44:17 PM
    Hey Predators!  Predator called, they want their atmosphere back!

    Predator 2 has loads of atmosphere. Just the King Willie alley alone is worth the price of atmosphere admission. And I haven't even touched upon the Predator ship!

    There are several scenes in p2 with great atmosphere, especially the alley scene. But I think overall there's just far too many people and too much noise and activity.

    There's great action and set pieces like the train and the opening shootout with el Scorpio, but there's a distinct lack of intimacy that p1&3 utilized to great effect.

    In terms of atmospheric scenes, Danny's scene walking back into the penthouse, is easily one of P2's best.

    Overall though I agree that P2 was a little too cluttered and frantic. Not to say I don't enjoy it. I just prefer PREDATORS more as a film over it.
  9. Billiken
    I think Predators has some good atmosphere but then it falls apart pretty quickly. I had more fun with Predator 2. Taking it to the city was the right thing to do otherwise we just get more jungle and the same thing over and over.
  10. Huggs
    Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Mar 15, 2019, 09:44:17 PM
    Hey Predators!  Predator called, they want their atmosphere back!

    Predator 2 has loads of atmosphere. Just the King Willie alley alone is worth the price of atmosphere admission. And I haven't even touched upon the Predator ship!

    There are several scenes in p2 with great atmosphere, especially the alley scene. But I think overall there's just far too many people and too much noise and activity.

    There's great action and set pieces like the train and the opening shootout with el Scorpio, but there's a distinct lack of intimacy that p1&3 utilized to great effect.
  11. Voodoo Magic
    Hey Predators!  Predator called, they want their atmosphere back!

    Predator 2 has loads of atmosphere. Just the King Willie alley alone is worth the price of atmosphere admission. And I haven't even touched upon the Predator ship!
  12. Huggs
    A lot of great movies get a bad wrap when first released. Some of them became cult favorites. In years to come many films we dislike now might come to be seen as titans of their genres.

    I hated predators the first time I saw it. Absolutely hated it. It disgusted me deeply. I watched it a few years later and something was different. Watched it some more and I loved it. Much more like the first film. Predator will always need an isolated setting, in my opinion. Too much noise and activity in the city. Takes away the horror and the suspense.

    Quote from: Billiken on Mar 15, 2019, 07:01:55 AM
    Predators better than Predator 2 = NOPE. Far superior action better predator enough said.

    Action doesn't make a good predator movie. Atmosphere does.

  13. AVP-CAPCOM
    Nearly 9 years ago this was released? (8th July 2010 uk release). Might as well have been a decade ago.

    An abhorrent PREDATOR release. I had a whole cinema row next to me who almost walked out of this snorefest.

    Promosed so much, but delivered so little.

    Nimrod Antal's METALLICA drama-mentary "through the never" also bombed.
  14. Voodoo Magic
    Quote from: Jenga on Mar 14, 2019, 07:07:15 AM
    This was the only really good Predator sequel. It's a great follow up. Nothing beats this 1st but Predators is noticeably better than Predator 2 and both sequels are DOZENS of times better than 2018's "The Predator". What a heartbreak that film was.

    Wut? Predators better than Predator 2?

    https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reactiongifs.com%2Fr%2F2013%2F08%2Fcrazy-talk.gif&hash=ab0c53a5fc6b75318f2e7c77976a9cd00ec65ed0
  15. Jenga
    This was the only really good Predator sequel. It's a great follow up. Nothing beats this 1st but Predators is noticeably better than Predator 2 and both sequels are DOZENS of times better than 2018's "The Predator". What a heartbreak that film was.
  16. El Pistolero
    It would be nice, you guys, could invite him to your podcast for an interview. I think he did a fantastic job with Predators compared to the new Predator movie. The movie felt very grounded and I'm sure if Rodriguez would have done it, it could be as bad as the one by Shane Black.
  17. Predwars24
    I always hated that in the trailer. It never made sense to have so many Predators on just one guy and I knew even as a little kid it wouldn't be in the movie. I still enjoyed the film. To be honest I was more disappointed the Hulk wasn't really in the wakanda battle but no one complained that it was shown in the trailers he was there, and in the movie it wasn't, very similar situation but two very different outcomes.
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