Should Predator 4 plot be in the jungle or in the city.

[Lemonade]

See, it's that kind of thinking that's led us to having films the same shit over and over. Think outside the box. f**k trademarks. Give me something, to distill it down into the simplest terms, new and good.

[Magegg]

Maybe there are climatic conditions the Predators are not able to endure. Who knows, perhaps their native climate is jungle-like. I remember in AvP we saw them in the antarctic or something, but AvP doesn't count, LOL.

I wonder how is their planet. They must have cities and factories, to build all those cybernetic weapons and ships. Or maybe they stole them or buy them from other race. It could be interesting to see, but perhaps it would ruin their mystery...

[OpenMaw]

I'll say what I suggested before.

Opening scene, running through the Brush. Someone is being chased by several other figures. Suddenly, the reveal. The Predator is the one being hunted by man. Set it in the future, turn everything on it's head, create an entirely new science fiction future universe with the Predators involved. There's so many ways you could take that, without losing what makes the Predator character interesting.

[Immortan Jonesy]

Maybe there are climatic conditions the Predators are not able to endure. Who knows, perhaps their native climate is jungle-like. I remember in AvP we saw them in the antarctic or something, but AvP doesn't count, LOL.

I wonder how is their planet. They must have cities and factories, to build all those cybernetic weapons and ships. Or maybe they stole them or buy them from other race. It could be interesting to see, but perhaps it would ruin their mystery...

Probably sound like bull shit, but I think the Shoulder Cannon is similar to the Engineer's telescope

[Spooky Baz]

See, it's that kind of thinking that's led us to having films the same shit over and over. Think outside the box. f**k trademarks. Give me something, to distill it down into the simplest terms, new and good.

I agree with you. I want to be surprised.

It's a tightrope though; tweak with the formula too much and you end up with a film that isn't Predator at all. For every Aliens, there's a Highlander 2.

Out of interest, what elements prevalent in the Predator franchise so far would you remove? What would you add? The Predator character is an invisible, alien, big game hunter that kills humans and then loses. If you change any of that, you have something else.

I think you have to face facts; the very nature of film franchises is that they are anathema to originality. Can you provide an example of a well-regarded sequel that does something truly different to its predecessor? I can think of one, and I mentioned it already in this very thread.

I suppose if it were easy, everybody would be doing it.

[Lemonade]

I don't mean change the fact that they turn invisible, are alien or are big game hunters. Obviously those are core constants. The terminator is a great killing machine, but Terminator 2 asked what does it mean to be human? The xenomorph is a great alien, but Aliens asked if we lost everything, could we regain it in some way? I would have the movie ask something deeper. But luckily, that'll be Shane Black's job. If you noticed in every Iron Man 3 interview, he discusses not only making a highly entertaining action movie, but something that makes you think a bit deeper. Note its satirical bent. It subverted expectations.

Predator was fundamentally about the toughest men vs. something that of equal or tougher value. I would tangentialize the predator itself with a universal theme that people can relate to. Even Predators played with some interesting notions. "Predators" is not only talking about the predators themselves, but the humans in the movie. Edwin is a predator.

That's the kind of thing I'm getting at. That's the kind of thing I've been wanting. And that's the kind of thing I think we're going to get. Because Shane Black. This ain't the A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 dude. This ain't the Vacancy dude. This ain't the Resident Evil dude. This ain't some special effects dudes. This is the Iron Man 3, Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang dude. This is the type of dude they should've been hiring all along for these movies.

So that's what I mean when I say "change it up". I don't mean make him turn blue instead of invisible. Or make him have five mandibles instead of four.

[Xan21]

I do have some ideas for a new predator film, which I just thought of when I was making some fan art. It is about a predator tribe that has been outcast and found their way to create their own almost suicidal games. Story wise I'm not that great, but I do have some small ideas popping up now and then.

Gigantic spheres (wether on earth or not, but I prefer earth) which contain vicious 'alien' beasts that the Predator hunts. Every Sphere has different ranges of gravity and environments...Ice...Desert...Jungle etc

A sphere with huge floating rocks, where the yautja hunts a dinosaur like creature. I envisioned a Predator jumping from rocks while it cloacks itself and jumps on the devil-ish horned creature.

http://xandervanduijvenbode.deviantart.com/art/Predators-Sketches-2-176651207

The main group finds a huge tree with +- 20 skinned corpses (mostly human), while they travel through the tree one of the corpses comes to life. It is a insectoid red slimey alien with wings that can camouflage itself also.

I think it would be very special if the Big Red predator from the short Batman film makes an appearance (maybe in some small updated look), a lot of people seem to love it.

A Predator with a mohawk

A female Predator in a snowlike environment (I have those drawings here)

http://xandervanduijvenbode.deviantart.com/art/Female-Predator-213011852

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/164/5/b/5b203e7a8aa6d9120745f7d2061b1149.jpg

[Lemonade]

Ehh.

[Spooky Baz]

I don't mean change the fact that they turn invisible, are alien or are big game hunters. Obviously those are core constants. The terminator is a great killing machine, but Terminator 2 asked what does it mean to be human? The xenomorph is a great alien, but Aliens asked if we lost everything, could we regain it in some way? I would have the movie ask something deeper. But luckily, that'll be Shane Black's job. If you noticed in every Iron Man 3 interview, he discusses not only making a highly entertaining action movie, but something that makes you think a bit deeper. Note its satirical bent. It subverted expectations.

Predator was fundamentally about the toughest men vs. something that of equal or tougher value. I would tangentialize the predator itself with a universal theme that people can relate to. Even Predators played with some interesting notions. "Predators" is not only talking about the predators themselves, but the humans in the movie. Edwin is a predator.

That's the kind of thing I'm getting at. That's the kind of thing I've been wanting. And that's the kind of thing I think we're going to get. Because Shane Black. This ain't the A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 dude. This ain't the Vacancy dude. This ain't the Resident Evil dude. This ain't some special effects dudes. This is the Iron Man 3, Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang dude. This is the type of dude they should've been hiring all along for these movies.

So that's what I mean when I say "change it up". I don't mean make him turn blue instead of invisible. Or make him have five mandibles instead of four.

I agree with all of that. I don't see how any of that contradicts the post of mine that you disagreed with so vehemently. My post gave a general summary of the plot - which is unlikely to change from film to film. Those trademarks need to be there; you just can't dismiss them like that.  What you're describing above are subplots and themes - the meat on the bones.

I originally said the setting was one of the few things that you can change in the formula, not the only thing. It's all just window-dressing. At it's heart, Predator 4, reboot or no reboot, will be the same film I've seen three times before, and it won't be down to a simple lack of ambition.

[Lemonade]

Apologies for my misinterpretation then. But how are you so sure Predator 4 will be the same film you've seen before?

[Spooky Baz]

Apologies for my misinterpretation then. But how are you so sure Predator 4 will be the same film you've seen before?

No worries.

I really don't want you to misunderstand here, I know I will love Predator 4. I love the concept of the franchise, I love the Predator character and I love Shane Black's previous work, and I know it will be a damned entertaining film because of all of that.

But it is going to be bound by the same formula as its predecessors. 

The Predator, as a character, is a killer. It has to kill.

It also has to lose. It has to bite off more than it can chew and be defeated by the last survivor.

Every story featuring the character has to feature these basic story rules. Outside the AVP franchise, I'll bet every story to feature this character has followed these guidelines. The character is an alien and cannot be seen to wipe out all the audience identification figures, otherwise you have no story; there's no drama there. You'd have an unstoppable force of nature just being unstoppable.

The first AVP film didn't follow those rules, granted, but then the Predator wasn't the true antagonist in that film, he was an anti-hero that was redeemed by the end of the film (albeit he paid for his complicity in the human herding by dying at the climax). But I digress.

So anyway, these rules must be followed or what you have is not a Predator film. It's really not as simple as "thinking outside the box". Do you think the already-existing sequels have followed this exact same plot because cigar-chomping producers have asked for more of the same? It's because the Predator character itself is so limiting. It's a killer and it must not win.

I know I've only been posting here for a couple of days, but I'm a long-term fan. Part of that means I want Predator/Alien films to be outstanding, but it also means I talk myself into liking things that aren't necessarily so outstanding, blind to their flaws. Predator was the first film I recorded on the hand-me-down VCR that I inherited from my parents when they upgraded, and I watched it until it disintegrated. Predator 2 is something I view through rose-tinted specs because it's the first video I ever bought with my pocket money. I've convinced myself that Predators is great because it had been such a long time to wait between films.  I know I'm going to love Predator 4 - and I'm certain it'll be the same damn story wearing a different hat.

[DaddyYautja]

The movie needs to have high places so the Pred can parkour around.

[Lemonade]

Apologies for my misinterpretation then. But how are you so sure Predator 4 will be the same film you've seen before?

No worries.

I really don't want you to misunderstand here, I know I will love Predator 4. I love the concept of the franchise, I love the Predator character and I love Shane Black's previous work, and I know it will be a damned entertaining film because of all of that.

But it is going to be bound by the same formula as its predecessors. 

The Predator, as a character, is a killer. It has to kill.

It also has to lose. It has to bite off more than it can chew and be defeated by the last survivor.

Every story featuring the character has to feature these basic story rules. Outside the AVP franchise, I'll bet every story to feature this character has followed these guidelines. The character is an alien and cannot be seen to wipe out all the audience identification figures, otherwise you have no story; there's no drama there. You'd have an unstoppable force of nature just being unstoppable.

The first AVP film didn't follow those rules, granted, but then the Predator wasn't the true antagonist in that film, he was an anti-hero that was redeemed by the end of the film (albeit he paid for his complicity in the human herding by dying at the climax). But I digress.

So anyway, these rules must be followed or what you have is not a Predator film. It's really not as simple as "thinking outside the box". Do you think the already-existing sequels have followed this exact same plot because cigar-chomping producers have asked for more of the same? It's because the Predator character itself is so limiting. It's a killer and it must not win.

I know I've only been posting here for a couple of days, but I'm a long-term fan. Part of that means I want Predator/Alien films to be outstanding, but it also means I talk myself into liking things that aren't necessarily so outstanding, blind to their flaws. Predator was the first film I recorded on the hand-me-down VCR that I inherited from my parents when they upgraded, and I watched it until it disintegrated. Predator 2 is something I view through rose-tinted specs because it's the first video I ever bought with my pocket money. I've convinced myself that Predators is great because it had been such a long time to wait between films.  I know I'm going to love Predator 4 - and I'm certain it'll be the same damn story wearing a different hat.

Dude. Read this.

"As far as Fred and I are concerned anyway [no it's not a reboot]," he said. "Why start over, when you've all this rich mythology yet to mine?" Black said he doesn't like reboots generally, but can "really get behind inventive sequels," noting that he likes "the idea of expanding and exploring the existing Predator mythology, rather than hitting the restart button."

Rich mythology. Yet to mine. Expanding and exploring.

You're not going to get the typical Predator film. You've been conditioned to think that all those things you listed, is ALL there is TO a Predator film. Your specs are foggy man, but King Shane will show you the light.

[Spooky Baz]

You're not going to get the typical Predator film. You've been conditioned to think that all those things you listed, is ALL there is TO a Predator film.

No I haven't. You just want a prettier hat. What you'll get is the same hat with a daisy crammed in the headband.

[Lemonade]

Save/screenshot my post. I guarantee you they're going in the direction I desire.