Arnold Schwarzenegger Will Not Be Appearing in Predator, Says Boyd Holbrook

The Predator will be a direct sequel to the first two movies, Director Shane Black said. Star Boyd Holbrook has contradicted that with a new comment to We Got This Covered that makes it seem like either that plan has changed or the actor is trying to change expectations. He also says Arnold Shwarzenegger’s mercenary Dutch may not be seen when filming begins this month in Vancouver.

“I’m currently working on Predator, it’s not a sequel,” Holbrook confirms. “Shane Black has made something totally new, somehow keeping within the realm of ‘Predator’ [while also being] absolutely new in terms of the story that we’re talking about today, and rooted in something real. It’s real fresh. I don’t think you’re going to see [Arnold] Schwarzenegger. It would kind of make it a gimmick. It’s horror, science-fiction and a western.”

The cast includes Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay and Sterling K. Brown.

Not much still known about the upcoming project, but producer John Davis previously said:

“The writing is so fresh, the perspective is so fresh. I’m telling you, you’re going to get something you don’t expect and you’re going to say, ‘This is the most entertaining way to reinvent a franchise.’”

Writer Black, who wrote the script has confirmed that the film remains in the sequence of the first two movies and isn’t a full reboot of the series. He said there is a reference in the script as to why the film has a singular title.

The Predator will be released in theaters on February 9, 2018.