Fred Dekker Talks The Predator: Characters, Keeping the Mystery of the Predator and Scope of the Film

Started by Corporal Hicks, May 31, 2016, 12:59:34 PM

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Fred Dekker Talks The Predator: Characters, Keeping the Mystery of the Predator and Scope of the Film (Read 29,508 times)

Johnny Handsome

I thought the last news were decent, exactly what i wanted.

If i want to watch Predator 1 + 2 i'll go do that, i don't want the same movie over and over again. Everybody is screaming when the word "Remake" drops, yet, i have a feeling that a couple of people actually want exactly that.

I for one want to move forward with the franchise, worked really well with Predator 2, you saw spaceships, new weapons, a different Predator and a different setting, there is more great stuff for us to discover without making it a documentary. The new stuff in Predator 2 for example didn't harm the Predator or it's scariness at all, it only made it a more three-dimensional and interesting character.

We've seen a Predator a thousand times now and the things they do, what's the point of making another movie? Might as well introduce some new cool stuff.

Predators, for me, was partly so damn boring because they continued the formula of the other two movies and actually added nothing really interesting to the Predators themselves.

I don't want to know every little detail about them either, but after 26 years, the "pan could use some fresh oil".

Corporal Hicks

Aside from the Predators comment, I'm in agreement with Johnny here. The last news was great news. The fact that they're actually putting effort into the characters is news to my eyes. Just because he says they want characters who would interest us enough to a watch a film with them and no Predator in doesn't equate to there being hardly any Predator, it equates to their desire to make the characters genuinely interesting to be with.

I've yet to hear any news regarding this that has taken me back. Like HuDa, I'm probably more excited for The Predator than I am Covenant.

HuDaFuK

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jun 02, 2016, 10:33:27 AM...it equates to their desire to make the characters genuinely interesting to be with.

And this is something that has been sorely lacking from the films since (dare I say it?) Alien Resurrection (sue me, I was at least entertained by Ripley 8 and Johner :)).

Predator_Spirit

Quote from: Johnny Handsome on Jun 02, 2016, 09:56:28 AM
I thought the last news were decent, exactly what i wanted.

If i want to watch Predator 1 + 2 i'll go do that, i don't want the same movie over and over again. Everybody is screaming when the word "Remake" drops, yet, i have a feeling that a couple of people actually want exactly that.

I for one want to move forward with the franchise, worked really well with Predator 2, you saw spaceships, new weapons, a different Predator and a different setting, there is more great stuff for us to discover without making it a documentary. The new stuff in Predator 2 for example didn't harm the Predator or it's scariness at all, it only made it a more three-dimensional and interesting character.

We've seen a Predator a thousand times now and the things they do, what's the point of making another movie? Might as well introduce some new cool stuff.

Predators, for me, was partly so damn boring because they continued the formula of the other two movies and actually added nothing really interesting to the Predators themselves.

I don't want to know every little detail about them either, but after 26 years, the "pan could use some fresh oil".

P1 and P2 can't be topped on their own turf, for the simple reason that they totally belong to their era, the best.
What they did at the end of Predator 2 was perfect, they let you guess.
The Predator will show you what's behind the curtain, but there wasn't any curtain in the first place because
it wasn't the point of the movies.They made two stories with a few deaths, confined in the jungle and LA, epic.
Now that the movie will involve much people around the world and show them to you, is the contrary.
I can already smell the "planet Earth is at stake here" bs.
Nowadays people need this , if not ,it's not epic.









HuDaFuK

Quote from: Predator_Spirit on Jun 02, 2016, 12:18:15 PMNow that the movie will involve much people around the world and show them to you, is the contrary.

But that's all just assumptions. Just because the film will travel to various locations around the globe, it doesn't mean there'll suddenly be some vast Predator army out in the open assaulting Earth in front of everybody.

Black's specifically said the film won't be that.

Johnny Handsome

Quote from: Predator_Spirit on Jun 02, 2016, 12:18:15 PM
Quote from: Johnny Handsome on Jun 02, 2016, 09:56:28 AM
I thought the last news were decent, exactly what i wanted.

If i want to watch Predator 1 + 2 i'll go do that, i don't want the same movie over and over again. Everybody is screaming when the word "Remake" drops, yet, i have a feeling that a couple of people actually want exactly that.

I for one want to move forward with the franchise, worked really well with Predator 2, you saw spaceships, new weapons, a different Predator and a different setting, there is more great stuff for us to discover without making it a documentary. The new stuff in Predator 2 for example didn't harm the Predator or it's scariness at all, it only made it a more three-dimensional and interesting character.

We've seen a Predator a thousand times now and the things they do, what's the point of making another movie? Might as well introduce some new cool stuff.

Predators, for me, was partly so damn boring because they continued the formula of the other two movies and actually added nothing really interesting to the Predators themselves.

I don't want to know every little detail about them either, but after 26 years, the "pan could use some fresh oil".

P1 and P2 can't be topped on their own turf, for the simple reason that they totally belong to their era, the best.
What they did at the end of Predator 2 was perfect, they let you guess.
The Predator will show you what's behind the curtain, but there wasn't any curtain in the first place because
it wasn't the point of the movies.They made two stories with a few deaths, confined in the jungle and LA, epic.
Now that the movie will involve much people around the world and show them to you, is the contrary.
I can already smell the "planet Earth is at stake here" bs.
Nowadays people need this , if not ,it's not epic.
It's not about topping the first two movies, but making another awesome movie, but different so.

A movie with a Predator doesn't really need to be all about the hunt, i would love a Predator come to earth to get back a piece of stolen Predator technology for example. What if they did found some leftovers from the very first Predator? What if they found his spaceship or something? Would Predators not do anything about it? That would be a case of a "changed Agenda" for example, yet would still be very exciting. The "whats behind the curtain" comment could very well be, that they find out that there is actually a global hunt going on, 10 Predators at the same time hunting and killing people all over the world, that would actually allow for different locations and many characters and have Predator still do their thing.

You want a movie that is exclusively about the hunt, Predator killing people, people find out they are being hunted and kill the Predator... yawn, good for you. I want something a little more this time, involve the government and the military.

I love the first two movies, everybody knows that, but having seen them 500 times i just want something fresh this time, i want to be surprised and having that "holy shit" moment again.

Predator_Spirit

Quote from: HuDaFuK on Jun 02, 2016, 12:26:38 PM
Quote from: Predator_Spirit on Jun 02, 2016, 12:18:15 PMNow that the movie will involve much people around the world and show them to you, is the contrary.

But that's all just assumptions. Just because the film will travel to various locations around the globe, it doesn't mean there'll suddenly be some vast Predator army out in the open assaulting Earth in front of everybody.

Black's specifically said the film won't be that.

I've never said there would be 50 preds on bikes.But the planet will be at stake one way or another.

Quote from: Johnny Handsome on Jun 02, 2016, 01:07:07 PM
Quote from: Predator_Spirit on Jun 02, 2016, 12:18:15 PM
Quote from: Johnny Handsome on Jun 02, 2016, 09:56:28 AM
I thought the last news were decent, exactly what i wanted.

If i want to watch Predator 1 + 2 i'll go do that, i don't want the same movie over and over again. Everybody is screaming when the word "Remake" drops, yet, i have a feeling that a couple of people actually want exactly that.

I for one want to move forward with the franchise, worked really well with Predator 2, you saw spaceships, new weapons, a different Predator and a different setting, there is more great stuff for us to discover without making it a documentary. The new stuff in Predator 2 for example didn't harm the Predator or it's scariness at all, it only made it a more three-dimensional and interesting character.

We've seen a Predator a thousand times now and the things they do, what's the point of making another movie? Might as well introduce some new cool stuff.

Predators, for me, was partly so damn boring because they continued the formula of the other two movies and actually added nothing really interesting to the Predators themselves.

I don't want to know every little detail about them either, but after 26 years, the "pan could use some fresh oil".

P1 and P2 can't be topped on their own turf, for the simple reason that they totally belong to their era, the best.
What they did at the end of Predator 2 was perfect, they let you guess.
The Predator will show you what's behind the curtain, but there wasn't any curtain in the first place because
it wasn't the point of the movies.They made two stories with a few deaths, confined in the jungle and LA, epic.
Now that the movie will involve much people around the world and show them to you, is the contrary.
I can already smell the "planet Earth is at stake here" bs.
Nowadays people need this , if not ,it's not epic.
It's not about topping the first two movies, but making another awesome movie, but different so.

A movie with a Predator doesn't really need to be all about the hunt, i would love a Predator come to earth to get back a piece of stolen Predator technology for example. What if they did found some leftovers from the very first Predator? What if they found his spaceship or something? Would Predators not do anything about it? That would be a case of a "changed Agenda" for example, yet would still be very exciting. The "whats behind the curtain" comment could very well be, that they find out that there is actually a global hunt going on, 10 Predators at the same time hunting and killing people all over the world, that would actually allow for different locations and many characters and have Predator still do their thing.

You want a movie that is exclusively about the hunt, Predator killing people, people find out they are being hunted and kill the Predator... yawn, good for you. I want something a little more this time, involve the government and the military.

I love the first two movies, everybody knows that, but having seen them 500 times i just want something fresh this time, i want to be surprised and having that "holy shit" moment again.

I'm not against the governments and OWLF trying to kill or capture a  predator, that's what I would've done, and it's easy to
get back Dutch and give him  the role he was supposed to play in P2 before the rewrites.
As long as the predator remains mysterious, and the planet as a whole is not at stake.




Keith

Quote from: Johnny Handsome on Jun 02, 2016, 01:07:07 PM
A movie with a Predator doesn't really need to be all about the hunt, i would love a Predator come to earth to get back a piece of stolen Predator technology for example. What if they did found some leftovers from the very first Predator? What if they found his spaceship or something? Would Predators not do anything about it? That would be a case of a "changed Agenda" for example, yet would still be very exciting. The "whats behind the curtain" comment could very well be, that they find out that there is actually a global hunt going on, 10 Predators at the same time hunting and killing people all over the world, that would actually allow for different locations and many characters and have Predator still do their thing.

You want a movie that is exclusively about the hunt, Predator killing people, people find out they are being hunted and kill the Predator... yawn, good for you. I want something a little more this time, involve the government and the military.

I love the first two movies, everybody knows that, but having seen them 500 times i just want something fresh this time, i want to be surprised and having that "holy shit" moment again.

Whenever you make a Predator film, and don't have the Predator doing Predator things (like hunting, skinning, decapitating, etc.), you're going to piss off a lot of patrons. It's that simple.

RakaiThwei

Is anyone else getting the feeling that they're going to be changing the aspect of the hunt? Like it's not about finding a challenging hunt, having it be sporting and participating in it for the thrill while taking trophies anymore? I don't know why but... Fred's words seemed to invoke that feeling from me.

Hope I am wrong though.  :-\

Corporal Hicks

Quote from: Keith on Jun 03, 2016, 01:53:11 AM
Whenever you make a Predator film, and don't have the Predator doing Predator things (like hunting, skinning, decapitating, etc.), you're going to piss off a lot of patrons. It's that simple.

Wolf wasn't there to hunt in AvPR and he is one of the few things that is universally liked in that film.

Quote from: RakaiThwei on Jun 03, 2016, 02:38:39 AM
Is anyone else getting the feeling that they're going to be changing the aspect of the hunt? Like it's not about finding a challenging hunt, having it be sporting and participating in it for the thrill while taking trophies anymore? I don't know why but... Fred's words seemed to invoke that feeling from me.

Hope I am wrong though.  :-\

Why? I don't get that feeling at all.

overthere

Wolf wasn't there to hunt, yet he did kill and skin people randomly. It didn't make any sense.

Corporal Hicks

Which is something people complained about. But the point was, he wasn't there to hunt and aside from the random skinning, people didn't complain about his change in agenda for being there.

Johnny Handsome

The "what's the bigger picture of this" comment could also mean that they connect the events of the first movie with some other incidents around the world at the same time.

One i could imagine is that the first Predator was on earth with a group of hunters, some others were in the citys and different jungles and we find out, that there is a competition going on between the Predators, who's coming home with the best trophy, who killed the biggest warrior? That would explain why the Predator was after Dutch and show us the "bigger picture" of the movie and that there is maybe more going on than "one Predator has some fun in the jungle", also why Predators may have some interest in Dutch, who's the guy that killed on of our most respected warriors?

No harm done to the original, just expanding the mythology.
There are many good ways to do this.

Keith

Keith

#43
Quote from: Corporal Hicks on Jun 03, 2016, 08:36:30 AM
Which is something people complained about. But the point was, he wasn't there to hunt and aside from the random skinning, people didn't complain about his change in agenda for being there.

Wolf hunted Aliens (and killed a few humans on the side). It was a different twist on the "hunting" angle.



Quote from: Johnny Handsome on Jun 03, 2016, 09:05:20 AM
The "what's the bigger picture of this" comment could also mean that they connect the events of the first movie with some other incidents around the world at the same time.

One i could imagine is that the first Predator was on earth with a group of hunters, some others were in the citys and different jungles and we find out, that there is a competition going on between the Predators, who's coming home with the best trophy, who killed the biggest warrior? That would explain why the Predator was after Dutch and show us the "bigger picture" of the movie and that there is maybe more going on than "one Predator has some fun in the jungle", also why Predators may have some interest in Dutch, who's the guy that killed on of our most respected warriors?

No harm done to the original, just expanding the mythology.
There are many good ways to do this.

I see what you're saying, but once you start deviating from the original concept (that the Predator is an intergalactic big-game hunter), you start running into problems.

Predator_Spirit

If it ain't broke don't fix it Keith, exactly.

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