PREDATORS, THING prequel & WALKING DEAD at WONDERFEST!!!ANYWAY - you came to find out about PREDATORS, WALKING DEAD & THE THING Prequel.
Well, one of the things I was doing here was... Originally, I was going to be moderating a PREDATORS panel with Greg Nicotero and Nimrod Antal. However, Greg had to cancel due to working on Frank Darabont's WALKING DEAD for AMC. And Nimrod has just been crunched - working on the final mix of PREDATORS which he's feeling the pressure of the release date which is coming right at him. SO... The PREDATORS panel wound up being me and Dave Connover (one of the grand poo-bahs of WONDERFEST) - and Dave and I had a grand time talking about PREDATORS - I've been talking with Rodriguez for about 14 years regarding PREDATORS - and told stories about Robert's original scriptment - the process of choosing Nimrod for the film, how the project came to return to Rodriguez about more than a decade of cobwebs. THEN... Dave queued up a 9 minute special behind the scenes video by Greg Nicotero and the wizards at KNB that was to show us the process that they went through to bring back to life the original Predator - with a higher degree of articulation (hey, there's been some minor advancements in the past 25 years or so.) HOWEVER, as Greg went to introduce the video from his workshop at KNB...
He first produced a zombie that he's working on for THE WALKING DEAD - I haven't seen any of KNB's work for this VERY anticipated show from AMC and Darabont. Any concern about this show not adapting the more ghoulish aspects of THE WALKING DEAD. Well, I haven't seen such an awesome cadaverous Zombie since RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD or... even LIFEFORCE. Only... this was mixed with more "wet" than either of those. We're talking very cool work here. The glimpse raised my already high expectations. Can't wait to see what Frank does with this - and hopefully we'll get some glimpses to share with you shortly!
But as Greg put the zombie down... And moved ever so slightly to his left... We could see further back into KNB - and there... clearly in the background was something they were working on, obviously, for THE THING prequel. This thing was right out of Bottin's THE THING. Two heads split and joined by that stretching, warping slimey muscle... "what is that" "that's human, that's human" and That is decidedly not. I'm still scared shitless by this project, but just seeing that one head. well, two heads with alot of gross between the two... Let's just say, I'm cautiously optimistic now.
After the reel - we chatted for a bit about what we just saw and I decided. Dammit, let's see if I can ring up Robert Rodriguez, put him on Speaker phone and make him do a Q&A with this audience dying for official PREDATORS news.
Robert gracefully began a 30-45 minute Q&A with the audience. Telling us that the CG is very minimal - and that there was just a single green screen shot in the entire production - otherwise - they built the environments and sets or found location. KNB built a ton or practical stuff - and the CG is enhancements mainly - and the "dogs" when they're running and dynamic. That went over very well with this MODEL orientated crowd.
Robert also shared that in the adaptation process from his crazy expensive treatment - to what Nimrod shot was a process that involved having to watch the AVP films to see what they had done, that might have been in that treatment. As Robert didn't want to repeat those beats. But mainly - he felt that in taking PREDATORS into space and into a non-Earth film... he wanted to get our feet wet here - with the idea of taking us the rest of the way in the next PREDATORS - which depending on the success of this film, will possibly take us to the PREDATORS homeworld.
Wait! You thought that was this film? No. The planet here is like the Predators' Hunting preserve. They drop various dangerous things to hunt on this planet and let the things interact, fight and they enter the fray as well. I even got the notion that perhaps even Predator outcasts might be placed here to be hunted. BUT he didn't say that directly.
You will see some Predator extra gizmos, you'll also see PREDATORS fighting in different techniques - to show that perhaps... there could be different disciplines that the Predators explore as hunters and warriors. I find that a relief. Hopefully that'll translate to different kinds of armor and dress.
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