Neil Marshall Missed Out Directing 2010’s Predators

Neil Marshall, who directed the likes of Dog Soldiers and The Descent, almost directed 2010’s Predators. You may remember back in the 2000s, there were quite a few rumours that Neil Marshall was rumoured to be close to signing on to make Alien 5 and in 2009, it was reported that he was close to directing 2010’s Predators.

Until now, we never knew for sure. In a wide-ranging interview with Inverse, Marshall discusses his past films and the interviewer asked him about Predators. He says that he was indeed in the running for Predators and met with Robert Rodriguez. Marshall still says that he’d love to make an Alien or a Predator film in the future with a new story.

A film that Dog Soldiers shares a lot of DNA with is Predator, and you were close to directing Predators. What can you tell us about that process and would your take on the material have been much different?

As far as I’m aware, I got down to the last two directors. We were both invited separately to visit Texas and met with Robert Rodriguez. I saw his studio, went out for some barbecue, and he sounded me out. It was great but he hired the other guy; that’s the way it goes. I love the franchise, and I’d love to make a Predator movie sometime, the same way I’d like to do an Alien movie too. There’s a bunch of things I’d have done differently if I was directing Predators. All things considered, I’d rather start from scratch and do a fresh take on the Predator concept, rather than do anything that’s come before me.

Producer Robert Rodriguez ultimately chose Nimrod Antal to direct the film after seeing Antal’s previous films Kontroll and Vacancy. (You can read our 2019 interview with Nimrod Antal here). Marshall goes on to say where the Predator might end up next including World War 2 and Afghanistan which have long been rumoured for potential locations for a future Predator film.

I fully understand, and that’s why I liked Prey a lot. It’s almost like the creators finally realized you can drop the Predator into any time period or setting once there’s conflict and it will probably be cool.

Very much so. Could we do Predator on the beaches of Normandy? I’d love to see Predator in the desert. Put the Predator in Afghanistan or somewhere like that. That would be cool. Predators versus ninjas! That would do me.

I always loved The Descent and Dog Soldiers and I always thought Marshall would have done a great job at directing an Alien film, getting back to the horror of the series. What did you guys think of Marshall’s previous films? Would he have been a good choice at directing a film in either franchise?