After the first
Boss Film Studio Predator:
And before the final
Stan Winston Studio Predator:
There was Director
John McTiernan:
And the lesser known, yet very instrumental,
Robert Short:
His company
Robert Short Productions (with the important input of director
John McTiernan) helped redesign the Predator into the iconic creature that is celebrated today, so much so, that this deserves its own thread.
Most fans know the filming of Predator was shut down for months to allow time to fix the creature's look, and during that time Robert Short met with director John McTiernan to fix the Predator.
First FixOriginally they planned on a quick fix, covering the existing Boss Film Studio Predator suit with a more imposing armored space suit but the idea was quickly rejected.
Meanwhile at Fox As another quick fix, Fox briefly considered replacing the Predator with an actual
Alien original FX suit, but with a brand new paint job plus modifications. Luckily this idea was rejected too.
Second FixIt was soon realized by the
powers that be at Fox that a total new Predator design was needed. What Robert Short Productions created was a creature that could walk on all four legs, which was later developed with long creepy mandibles.
Director John McTiernan was still not satisfied John McTiernan liked the mandibles but was not thrilled with the animalistic approach with the Predator. John wanted an alien that looked more intelligent and advanced.
Then John brought in an illustration of a Maasai Warrior by artist George Jensen for inspiration:
Third Fix:Using the Maasai Warrior painting as inspiration, the goal became to create a tribal, retro-futuristic hunter. This new Predator design included a new combination of mandibles, dreads, neck piece, footwear, helmet and armor designs, much that carried over to the Stan Winston Studio's final Predator design we know today.
All this was hung up in Producer Joel Silver's office and became the foundation for Stan's final Predator creation and enhancements:
So remember to give Stan Winston Studio credit, but not all of the credit! Be sure to thank Robert Short and John McTiernan too!
