A year after Robert Rodriguez's Predators stalked onto cinema screens, MZP-TV enters the Predator universe with an official third sequel to the Arnold Schwartzenegger/Danny Glover vehicles of yesteryear. Writer A. J. Black, in an exclusive chat with frequent collaborator Adam Scott, gives us a sneak peek at what to expect when the hunt begins again on Friday August 26th...
So let's start with the basics: Why Predator?Because there are few greater franchises out there that, in truth, have never fully achieved the potential they should.
Much as the original
Predator is revered rightly as an action classic,
Predator 2 (much as I enjoy it) is seen as a mixed bag, as was
Predators last year (which I again enjoyed - probably as it's almost a remake of the first one), and the AvP franchise in the movie world is heaped with scorn. There hasn't yet been, I think, the Predator sequel to equal the first one and that, once I realised I had a story for it, was my challenge with writing a VS Predator movie. I wanted to do the sequel people would feel is worth following in the first's footsteps.
From the '3' in the title I'm assuming this is a direct sequel rather than a reboot. Will there be any familiar elements from the movies coming back?It's a different kind of sequel, this one, because in many ways it could be seen as the start of a story. It's certainly not a reboot. I'm not sure you could reboot Predator to be honest, the look and sound of the creature is so ingrained in popular culture as to seem redundant in following that route. BUT... this doesn't really connect to the first two either. There are winks here and there (if the musket in
Predator 2 tickled you, you'll be happy) but no returning characters, no reference to events, nothing like that. This is set a good 100 years after the events of both the Predator & AvP movies so the connective tissue is primarily the Predator itself.
However... there are nods to the wider shared Predator and Alien universe anyone au fait with those films will pick up on along the way, so I'm conscious of not making this too remote.
Was this always going to be a sequel or did you ever consider doing a straight reboot?As I say, a reboot I don't feel would have any worth, so this was always designed as a loose sequel - the evolution of the Predator mythology, really, edging us closer to the setting of the Alien movies more than what has come before.
However, for the opening sequence there are connections to the past. One great idea in a Predator 3 script Robert Rodriguez wrote nearly 20 years ago (which I have never read) was a huge pre-credits Predator attack on a Spanish galleon. I thought that sounded awesome but then Rodriguez never had the budget to do it and it didn't crop up in
Predators. So I took that idea and ran with it - managing to fuse it into the main plot in, I feel, a quite interesting way.
JAVIER BARDEM as 'Commander Diego Sanetza'
Tell us about the characters - what can we expect?They're quite a diverse bunch, really, and different to the hardboiled Special Forces or Detectives from the previous two movies.
Our protagonist, Diego, is very much an old-school, heroic commanding officer. He's quiet but strong, almost a William Adama-esque leader. You'd trust him with your life, basically. For once, I wasn't interested in writing a flawed leader. Diego is the kind of man you hope leaders will be - surrounded by people who frequently let him down. What challenges him is his innate pacifism - he's an explorer, not a warrior, but to survive what they go through here he may have to choose which one he needs to be.
He was great fun to write. As was Jackson, one of the most egotistical, odious bastards you will ever read. If you don't think he's an utter prick, either I've not done my job properly or there's something wrong with you!
But I loved how he rubs up against the characters here, all of whom have their own traits and quirks that, hopefully, make you root for them. Because they ain't all gonna make it...
Is this a one-off, or can we expect sequels?Two weeks ago, I would have said no. This is a one off. An idea that's percolated in my mind for YEARS finally coming to bear.
BUT... in writing this, what I feel is a fantastic sequel idea struck me square between the eyes. Well, less a direct sequel and more a 'parallel'. Another story to build this future world, which would be set in the same era. Infact, if you're paying attention, you may be able to pick up some the seeds of where/when that follow up may well be set in this script, as they exist. I wouldn't expect it until 2013 however, given my schedule, but I'm convinced it'll be worth waiting for. Should people enjoy this, I'll do another.
OLGA KURYLENKO as 'Milena Valkovich'
Any other franchises you'd be tempted to write sequels to?Terminator. That's certainly one I want to tackle at some point. I don't have a story exactly, but I feel there's mileage in a grown-up John Connor forced to come back in time before Judgement Day to complete some kind of mission. And given how well I know the franchise, I think I'd write the hell out of a Terminator film.
Oh and believe it or not, Herbie. I'd fucking love to write a Herbie movie, with Dean Jones back too as Jim Douglas! Forget the awful Fully Loaded, I'd put him in the Gumball Rally and have acres of fun - the Herbie films are some of my favourites of all time (
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo being the best, IMO). I seriously may do this one day!
Since we've got you, what's happening with your third Bond movie, The Universe is Ours?I can happily say that is VERY much in pre-production. We have an incredibly exciting story to round off my Bond trilogy which is in the process of now being outlined - we just locked the pre-titles sequence which is all kinds of awesome. I'm not going to give much away at this juncture except to say come Good Friday 2012, you'll be left shaken and VERY stirred...
Finally, assume I'm like Matt Latham and I've never watched a Predator movie in my life. Will I be able to read this? And what will I get out of it?Actually Latham HAS seen
Predator now!
Sadly, he didn't like it, but then you can't please everyone!
To answer your question, I believe so yes.
Predator 3 is simply a balls out sci-fi action horror with a great deal of tension, of excitement, and a lot of blood. If you go in looking for a rip-roaring ride, you won't be disappointed - whether you've seen what came before or not.
MZP Movies and Mini-Series airing exclusively on MZP-TV throughout 2011 and beyond...
