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Shane Black hints at possible detective story for The Predator. Speaking to Movies.com, Shane Black teased a possible direction for The Predator. Shane Black is a man that is known for his work in the “buddy-cop” genre, films that are often focused around some sort of mystery that his characters have to solve. Talking to Movies.com about his fondness for detective stories, Shane Black told them:

“I could make detective stories for the rest of my life. In fact, even if I’m doing a story about an eight-and-a-half-foot tall monster called the Predator, there’s going to be a detective story probably somewhere inside it.”

Whilst not speaking with certainty, it’s a possible indication of the direction that Shane Black will be taking The Predator. It could be said that Predator 2 was somewhat of a detective movie, focusing on police officer Harrigan (playing by Danny Glover who also starred in Lethal Weapon, a buddy cop movie that helped put Shane Black’s name out there) trying to figure out who the new player was in the drug war that was ravaging Los Angles. Thanks to Darkoo for the news!

In related news, Empire hosted an early showing of The Nice Guys with a Q&A with Shane Black and Joel Silver after where Shane Black revealed the name of the main character in The Predator: "The hero of the film, the name I've given the guy, is Quinn McKenna." Alien vs. Predator Galaxy member HuDaFuK was in attendance at the Q&A and he shared that Shane Black had also implied that the film would have a considerably longer runtime than the typical 90 minutes.

Update 31/05/2016: Talking to Den of Geek, Shane Black spoke a little more about the style of The Predator and how effective the genre shift in Predator was, hinting at a possible tonal shift in The Predator:

“I think the tone shifting is important. This one is going to be very scary if I get it right, and hopefully also there’ll be some humour in it. The first one  had humour in it, so you really got engaged with this group of guys […] We’ll cast very carefully. We’ll get a group of people against the monster that I think you’re gonna enjoy spending time with.

The sensibility will be part noir, part mystery and part Close Encounters. The feeling I loved about Close Encounters was, you had this ordinary guy, Roy Neary, to whom this is all new. I think the danger of a Predator sequel is that it’s not new to anybody anymore. ‘Oh, look honey – another Predator. Yeah, we had one of those last year. Gagh, is he in the barn again? Oh God, he’s had the sheep.’ You know? That’s the danger. That it’s too familiar – we have to find a way to make him mysterious again.”

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This is interesting news, but if this is what Shane Black is doing with his movie, I hope it takes steps to differentiate itself from Predator2.

Let's see where this goes... Let's see what's gonna be referenced... Let's see who Quinn McKenna is going to be portrayed by.

Still maintaining my distance. Once burned, twice shy... Nothing bad to say though!

He was probably joking, but either way, a detective or someone who leads an investigation is not out of context here. Someone has to make some sense out of what's happening.

I told you we are gonna get Columbo and Jessica Fletcher.

Lethal Weapon with a Predator, f**king A.

I'm personally hoping for a Predator wearing a 40's style hat and raincoat.  :D :D :D :D :D :D

I was hoping for something along the lines of First Blood but with Predator but... I guess this is okay. Assuming this does hold up.

This is interesting news! Could be a re imagined Predator 2. Does anyone know Shane's views on Predator 2? Even if it's not, I would surmise even Predator had a mystery to solve. But the question then is do our characters need to discover the mystery of the Predator itself or do they know about it and the detective narrative comes from something else entirely...

Seems like a riddle to me... ??? :P

Predator 2 was way ahead of its time.

Im picturing a Film Noir-ish Predator film. Could be cool.

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 19, 2016, 08:09:11 PM
This is interesting news, but if this is what Shane Black is doing with his movie, I hope it takes steps to differentiate itself from Predator2.

There are not many steps it could take to differentiate itself from Predator 2.  :-\
This is barely alarming because the context Shane says it in sounds of no certainty. It also sounds like he will not give it much profundity within the general plot.

Quote"I make detective stories for the rest of my life. In fact, even if I'm doing a story about an eight-and-a-half-foot tall monster called the Predator, there's going to be a detective story probably somewhere inside it."

Yeah, no-one is saying its a definitive but considering The Predator is written I think Black knows where he's taken Predator too. Or he could just being a tease. If it does end up being the case, I wonder if the spinning off from Predator involves something akin to Concrete Jungle where McKenna is trying to find out more about the big smoking crater in the middle of South America.

I have absolutely no problem with this, given how many excellent detective stories Black has written/made.

CSI: Predator.

I know, it's not exactly what was meant, but I couldn't help it (and truth be told, I wouldn't mind a CSI-styled Predator story).

Anyway, This could be interesting, if done right.

Quote from: CainsSon on May 20, 2016, 03:02:48 AM
Im picturing a Film Noir-ish Predator film. Could be cool.

I'd like that.

To be honest Quinn McKeena sounds like wrestlers nick name  ;D

Gah! This was one of the flaws of 'Predator 2' - the audience already knew, ahead of time, what was behind the murders, making the lead character's revelations feel superfluous. The original had the 'detective work' balance about right; Dutch was able to figure out what was going on through using basic common sense.

If it's a background character who's been piecing parts of the puzzle together behind the scenes, who's met later on, that would be better. But we don't need a who-done-it in a story where the audience already knows exactly who/what is behind all the killings.

Now you got me a little worried because you're right, it's not the same when the audience knows about the Predator while the characters don't. It's going to be hard to achieve that mysterious feel to it.

Quote from: Xenomorphine on May 20, 2016, 04:13:24 PMGah! This was one of the flaws of 'Predator 2' - the audience already knew, ahead of time, what was behind the murders, making the lead character's revelations feel superfluous.

Who says the mystery will have anything to do with the Predator's identity?

The detective part could be working out some mystery involving the Predator.

I just had a thought that perhaps the mystery will involve Anna's tale about the Predator's involvement in our history? Could that perhaps be the jumping point and is there some mystery in there?

What about someone "using" the Predator to destroy people of interest? Like say OWLF, who is trying to capture a Predator, ends up leading the creature to areas where they know it'll attack the groups of interest. Not unlike the way Dutch's team was used to take out the guerillas.

Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on May 21, 2016, 12:30:29 AM
What about someone "using" the Predator to destroy people of interest? Like say OWLF, who is trying to capture a Predator, ends up leading the creature to areas where they know it'll attack the groups of interest. Not unlike the way Dutch's team was used to take out the guerillas.

You think the Predator is going to be a scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Shieeeeeet.

https://youtu.be/LCfk9HyYJSE?t=11

Quote from: overthere on May 21, 2016, 12:35:51 AM

Quote from: PRJ_since1990 on May 21, 2016, 12:30:29 AM
What about someone "using" the Predator to destroy people of interest? Like say OWLF, who is trying to capture a Predator, ends up leading the creature to areas where they know it'll attack the groups of interest. Not unlike the way Dutch's team was used to take out the guerillas.

You think the Predator is going to be a scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Shieeeeeet.

https://youtu.be/LCfk9HyYJSE?t=11

Ha! Never seen the show but that was funny.

Would be quite a twist if all the action of the film was due to the meddling of some shadow with a personal agenda. Turns out it's Dutch taking revenge on the US military using a Predator and luring it to the base where General Phillips is. Or the office building where they made Dillon push too many pencils. Either way, win.   

I posted this on the other story discussion, but I think it's possible that there could be another force ( maybe extraterrestrial ) in play other than just the predator. The audience knows what a predator is and what it can do. Throwing a changeup in this case would work and give back some tension. Can you imagine if they made a predator movie and didn't tell audiences that a predator was in it? That would freak people out and the word of mouth would be insane.

Quote from: Corporal Hicks on May 20, 2016, 06:48:26 PM
I just had a thought that perhaps the mystery will involve Anna's tale about the Predator's involvement in our history? Could that perhaps be the jumping point and is there some mystery in there?

Could be.after all according To her the preds ca me back To kill villagers several times,the character could go back
There To hunt em back.jungle would be redundant tho

The only angle I'm coming up with is that maybe someone's investigating South American drug cartel deaths - which really are quite gruesome and horrific. Anyone's who's seriously looked into that subject will testify to this. Vlad The Impaler has nothing on these guys and troubling journalists wind up getting literally butchered. But then that being used as a stepping stone, because of some kind of other evidence showing up: A missing weapon or a weird invisible blob being found on nearby CCTV.

That might work. But just as a stepping stone. Once the characters become aware of the basics, the rest of the story should cruise in on that.

I felt like that's what 'Predator 2' attempted to do, but got too wrapped up in the police investigation side of it, which was pretty much wasted on the intended viewers.

Quote from: Xenomorphine on May 21, 2016, 01:48:03 PM
The only angle I'm coming up with is that maybe someone's investigating South American drug cartel deaths - which really are quite gruesome and horrific. Anyone's who's seriously looked into that subject will testify to this. Vlad The Impaler has nothing on these guys and troubling journalists wind up getting literally butchered. But then that being used as a stepping stone, because of some kind of other evidence showing up: A missing weapon or a weird invisible blob being found on nearby CCTV.

That might work. But just as a stepping stone. Once the characters become aware of the basics, the rest of the story should cruise in on that.

I felt like that's what 'Predator 2' attempted to do, but got too wrapped up in the police investigation side of it, which was pretty much wasted on the intended viewers.

Honestly the more and more I read about details, ideas and come up with my own, the more I find this film to be a rewrite of Predator 2. Not a retcon exactly, more of a reimagining. Predator 2 with a better budget and more refined story. I'd be find with it. However, I'd like to see either a new setting or the city again, but no more jungles.

If The Predator is a direct sequel heavily continuing after the original movie, then in a sense it is a Predator 2. Predator 2 2.

Well sh**! I WAS excited for a Predator 4 movie. Now with it potentially being a lame predator invasion/detective cop movie, I'd rather there not be a Predator 4 movie if this is it.

The invasion comment I wouldn't take so literally. I really don't believe that's what he meant.

The detective angle...I'm not sure how to take that at the minute. Like we said earlier, Predator 2 took that kind of angle but it could mean anything.

Quote from: WGAS on May 24, 2016, 02:11:16 AM
Well sh**! I WAS excited for a Predator 4 movie. Now with it potentially being a lame predator invasion/detective cop movie, I'd rather there not be a Predator 4 movie if this is it.

Predator and Predator 2 were both about a Predator invasion. Shane specifically said it's NOT about a bunch of Predators. And the detective thing was probably a joke.

You guys probably all have seen this making of Predator,
but damn that was some real testosteron back then.

Talking about character, just awesome!!!

Maybe it could be like Predator Bloody Sands of Time?

Jesus Christ, he says there's a bit of detective story in everything he does, not that it's literally going to be a detective story.

Predator arguably has elements of a detective story in it, trying to work out what this thing is and how to stop it.

Quote from: SiL on May 25, 2016, 06:51:37 AM
Jesus Christ, he says there's a bit of detective story in everything he does, not that it's literally going to be a detective story.

Predator arguably has elements of a detective story in it, trying to work out what this thing is and how to stop it.

(https://38.media.tumblr.com/c26b20d3523d58572c00a59fabfc6650/tumblr_mtzmeqC16Z1qcga5ro1_500.gif)

For some reason I imagine there would be a moment where the protagonist teams up with the antagonist at some point in the film to battle the Predator, which would be a nice turning point in the film. I know there are plenty of ways to express that detective narrative, or at least add the flavor, and maybe this one seems outdated or cliche, but I kinda like the idea.

Imagine cops and drug lords teaming up in an urban environment to battle a Predator. Now that would a light show!!

Quinn McKenna... Why does that name sound familiar??? Was that name ever used on any of the older Predator scripts??? I could be wrong... I probably am.

I don't recognize it myself. Could it have been in one of the comics or books?

Quote from: Federick Gonsa on May 27, 2016, 09:56:55 PM
Quinn McKenna... Why does that name sound familiar??? Was that name ever used on any of the older Predator scripts??? I could be wrong... I probably am.

In the early predator draft there are more people in the team,one of them was had Irish ,i will check the names sunday

There was no McKenna in the original Predator script. There was a Williams, though.

Quote from: SiL on May 28, 2016, 11:28:15 PM
There was no McKenna in the original Predator script. There was a Williams, though.

I've got a Murphy in the april 85' draft. :D

New article from Den of Geek about the genre of The Predator: http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/the-predator/41019/exclusive-the-predator-part-noir-part-mystery-part-close-encounters

QuoteWhat marked out the first film was the way it moved between genres. For almost the first hour, Predator began as a war film before throwing its band of tough mercenaries headlong into slasher-horror territory. By biding its time and shifting tones, John McTiernan's movie got us invested in all the characters before the eight-foot, manhunting Predator finally took centre stage.

Our question for Shane Black, then, was simple: will The Predator feature a similar blend of genres?

"I think the tone shifting is important," Black told us. "This one is going to be very scary if I get it right, and hopefully also there'll be some humour in it. The first one  had humour in it, so you really got engaged with this group of guys [...] We'll cast very carefully. We'll get a group of people against the monster that I think you're gonna enjoy spending time with."

As for the style of the movie, expect a sense of mystery as well as noir thriller - a genre clearly close to Black's heart. In what may sound surprising to some readers, The Predator will also take a hint of inspiration from Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters Of The Third Kind...

"The sensibility will be part noir, part mystery and part Close Encounters. The feeling I loved about Close Encounters was, you had this ordinary guy, Roy Neary, to whom this is all new. I think the danger of a Predator sequel is that it's not new to anybody anymore. 'Oh, look honey - another Predator. Yeah, we had one of those last year. Gagh, is he in the barn again? Oh God, he's had the sheep.' You know? That's the danger. That it's too familiar - we have to find a way to make him mysterious again."

I do like what I'm hearing from Black over this.

Predator does have a lot of potential for a good thriller. I love every new piece of information so far.

I wouldn't mind, it worked for Predator 2 (in my opinion) so why not here?