I think we can all agree that the definitive Predator is the great Kevin Peter Hall. He is the guy who had set the standard for what it takes to play a Predator. Kevin had a very swift and very panther like quality when it came to playing the Predator. In our minds, Kevin is in a whole other league when it comes to portraying our favorite alien headhunter. But sadly, Kevin is no longer around and in the last eleven years, we have had to find suitable substitutes for our favorite alien hunter.
So.. Who do fans think will be a good portray of a Predator in the upcoming Shane Black sequel?
Ian Whyte has portrayed the Predators in both the AvP films, and the Engineer in Prometheus. For this focus, we will look at his performance in both the AvP films. Say what you want about the films, but we can't deny that Ian had some pretty big shoes to fill in considering he was the first replacement for Kevin Peter Hall fourteen years after Predator 2. While Ian had some difficulty portraying the Predators in the first AvP, he seemed to channel Hall well enough in AvP-R to mimic the swift but strong movements while retaining his own performance. I've personally spoken with Whyte back in Monstermania 2007, and he had said that he watched Kevin's performance in the first two films and took the necessary steps to emulate him.
Derek Mears, Brian Steele and Carey Jones were the Super Predators and the Classic in the Rodriguez film, PREDATORS. Looking back at this movie, I didn't really get a lot of that Predator vibe from many of these actors. There wasn't that panther like movement which conveyed an inhuman strength. From what I remembered, their movements seemed almost stiff and they weren't as tall as far as either Ian or Kevin. While camera tricks were employed by the camera crew to make them look taller, their performance left something to be desired in my opinion. Their Predators seemed to come off more as hulking brutes rather than the swift and strong approach which Kevin and Ian had.
Now I've mentioned a Hall in the title for this topic.. For those who don't know who I am talking about, I am talking about Jamie Hall. Jamie is Kevin Peter Hall's nephew. Jamie Hall has portrayed a Predator in Aaron Shoenke's Super Power Beat Down in the Wolverine vs Predator episode. Jamie stands at a height of 6'7, only two inches taller than Mears. It's sort of hard to judge Jamie's performance (I believe it's his first) but he seemed to channel Kevin well enough in the movements and mannerisms of the Predator in my opinion.
So.. who in your opinion should be a Predator in Shane's upcoming movie?