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Predator 2’s director, Stephen Hopkins, recently spoke to Howard Gorman for Scream Magazine in celebration of Predator 2’s 30th anniversary. Over the course of the 15 minute interview, Hopkins discusses Arnie’s involvement, the difficulties of shooting in Los Angeles, a new unreleased anniversary release of the film, Shane Black’s The Predator and plenty more.

While discussing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s involvement with Predator 2 and the reasons for his exit, Hopkins actually discussed the envisioned opening of the film had Arnie been involved.

“The opening scene of the film was supposed to be these guys playing golf on a golf course and a helicopter lands, and there’s a guy with white hair playing golf. and they come and say “he’s back.” And Arnold turns around, and he’s got white hair with a scar across his face. And he Danny Glover were going to team up.”

While Stephen doesn’t go into further detail about what that vision of Predator 2 would have looked had Dutch had returned, he continued on to seemingly say that because of Arnie dropping out (and also seems to be discussing a writer’s strike that prevented Jim and John Thomas from re-writing the script) they had to improvise the dialogue while filming.

I’m unsure whether this was due to the cut in the discussion in the video or perhaps the years, but the situation is still somewhat confusing as none of the drafts of Predator 2’s script (including the first) ever had Dutch involved in any significant capacity, and the writers strike that took place in the 80s was in 1988 when Predator 2 was written in 1989 so it wouldn’t have been impacted.

While Alien vs. Predator Galaxy certainly spent November celebrating the 30th anniversary of Predator 2, we got no such activity from 20th Century Studios. During the interview Hopkins revealed that this wasn’t always going to be the case!

“Last year Peter Levy, the cinematographer, and I did a new 70mm version because I think they were going to release it this year for the 30th anniversary. But I think the last Predator movie bombed, so they decided not to, I think.”

You can watch the full interview down below.

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QuoteCancelled Anniversary Re-Release

Voodoo's heart:

(https://media3.giphy.com/media/fVzdQ7TK7hO5ViB2Pp/giphy.gif)

That's a shame that it didn't get an anniversary re-release. It feels like the studio had the wrong takeaway from 'The Predator' - it didn't bomb because no one likes Predator, it bombed because it wasn't a good movie.

So according to the director there was a lot of gory scenes cut out. It's not a myth after all

Quote from: Xenomrph on Nov 25, 2020, 03:00:13 PM
That's a shame that it didn't get an anniversary re-release. It feels like the studio had the wrong takeaway from 'The Predator' - it didn't bomb because no one likes Predator, it bombed because it wasn't a good movie.

I think you're right, and that is a damn shame. I'd have loved to see a re-release of P2 on the big screen.

Anniversary Version of Predator 2 we are now never going to see?
Superb another reason The Predator's garbage.

Spoiler

Brb killing myself ugh

[close]

Arnold with white hair just makes me think of Rainier Wolfcastle.

Quote from: Fiendishly Inventive on Nov 25, 2020, 06:25:35 PM
Anniversary Version of Predator 2 we are now never going to see?
Superb another reason The Predator's garbage.

Spoiler

Brb killing myself ugh

[close]

(https://media1.tenor.com/images/ca520fbaa1cf8d75a52b676c220b4ca7/tenor.gif?itemid=10681093)

Well ain't that a kick in the balls!

I have lots to say...

(https://media.tenor.com/images/5857b44ddd468837af9a9d1439573636/tenor.gif)

:)

Quote from: Kradan on Nov 25, 2020, 02:41:29 PM

QuoteCancelled Anniversary Re-Release

Voodoo's heart:

https://media3.giphy.com/media/fVzdQ7TK7hO5ViB2Pp/giphy.gif

Haha that was great! :laugh:

Quote from: Mike on Nov 25, 2020, 03:14:13 PM
So according to the director there was a lot of gory scenes cut out. It's not a myth after all

Hopkins already mentioned having to cut out gore in his home video commentary.  :)

But I thought someone on here said there was no abc-17 cut after all

Nc-17 cut I mean

No reason not to have that scene in a new Predator film, before it's too late. Let's have Anna too, maybe she works with Dutch.

are they talking about doing a new release for predator 2 in he theaters and was suppose to be the uncut version? maybe they didn't release it because of the pandemic. but if they are talking about a new uncut release on blurry, then thats disappointing

It wasn't uncut. Same film, new print.

When studios could use 2020 to recoup some money with re-releases and they bottle it

Quote from: SiL on Nov 26, 2020, 07:33:47 AM
It wasn't uncut. Same film, new print.

I think Sil's over the target.

Quote from: Mike on Nov 26, 2020, 02:05:36 AM
But I thought someone on here said there was no abc-17 cut after all

Quote from: Mike on Nov 26, 2020, 02:06:11 AM
Nc-17 cut I mean

No, I don't believe there was a working NC-17 cut with completed Special Effects and Silvestri's score and I personally still don't based on everything I've been able to find out.

This is what I posted in April: :)

"Hopkins said it was literally his first working cut that premiered. That's all he had time for!

Production for Predator 2 started February 1990. Director Stephen Hopkins was expecting a Spring 1991 release but Fox moved it up to a November 1990 which gave him an incredibly small amount of time to finish the movie. 10 Months!  It's ridiculous, right? Because of that ridiculous small amount of time, Hopkins said pubically that it was his first working cut that premiered and he would have edited differently if he had more time. It was so rushed, optical effects were added 3 times between batches of film prints. So technically, depending where you lived, the optical special effects could have been better, more robust, or less.

I think Hopkins caused all this darn confusion when he said in the commentary many years later that Predator 2 was their first NC-17 case and had to go back with cuts over 20 times. I think it's important to differentiate a cut from cuts. Hopkins had to make cuts to gore to avoid an NC-17 rating, but that's done in house during editing. Directors have access to lawyers, producers and ex-MPAA review board members paid by Fox to review target scenes, rating score them based on current MPAA guidelines, plus make recommendation cuts to make a target rating... all during the editing process against a high pressure deadline.  Hopkins didn't actually have time to make over 20 versions of the movie, time to make over 20 working cuts and send them each off, one at a time, to a MPAA board for review, each with a musical score in place. There was just no time for that.

I guess what I'm trying to say is it would appear there is no working gore unrated cut, with extra gorey scenes, complete with score in place, on the shelf waiting for release."

https://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=63538.0

Now there were leaked copies of a rough workprint without FX and music that got out before the film's release and was found for sale on the blackmarket though, and that had all the scenes filmed patched in order. I'd love to see that!

More on everything in a couple weeks!  :)

I understand that whole thing you wrote but before that you commented that Stephen said in the commentary that gore had to be cut out and also in this interview he mentions gore that was cut, now your latest comment is implying that there was no extra gore scenes that were cut?

Quote from: Mike on Nov 26, 2020, 04:16:49 PM
I understand that whole thing you wrote but before that you commented that Stephen said in the commentary that gore had to be cut out and also in this interview he mentions gore that was cut, now your latest comment is implying that there was no extra gore scenes that were cut?

Huh? From above:

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Nov 26, 2020, 03:25:00 PM
Hopkins had to make cuts to gore to avoid an NC-17 rating,

Quote from: Voodoo Magic on Nov 25, 2020, 11:21:41 PM
I have lots to say...

https://media.tenor.com/images/5857b44ddd468837af9a9d1439573636/tenor.gif

:)

Go on.

I wanna see the NC17 version of P 2.

Hi. What a pleasure to See you again Mr hopkins     Predator 2 was a great movie. It's still a great movie. Perfect directing.  Perfect casting. Great music again from the great mr silvestri    Perfect predator costume ( Winston was the best ).  Perfect everything.   Thanks mr Hopkins.  Hope to see the uncut version. If not ... Shame on Shane
Ah !mr Gorman ... Terrible " boobs " T- shirt ....     

Is Stephen talking about that fox was going to release a new 70 mm version this year of predator 2 or they were suppose to release the uncut more gory version

Just a new 70mm version, not a recut.

I wonder if there's anyone out there who saw the unfinished cuts that got released into theaters that remembers the alternate version. That was a fun little bit of information. Maybe they weren't all destroyed?  ;)

News is out that disney wants to team up dutch with royce in a new predator movie.

Quote from: Enjoy on Nov 28, 2020, 06:23:33 PM
News is out that disney wants to team up dutch with royce in a new predator movie.

It's just fabricated clickbait from WeGotThisCovered.

Wtf. Who has the time to make that. Banksy of trolls.