On-set leaks continue to be a huge issue with blockbuster movies. Disney’s upcoming Snow White, Rachel Zegler, shares stories about young fans wearing her accurate costume, even though this means that they’ve seen the costume thanks to paparazzi shots. And in the superhero realm, shots of Hugh Jackman in his yellow Wolverine costume for the pending Deadpool 3 found their way online, right next to teases of a major villain Jackman probably will fight in the upcoming Marvel movie. You can try to ignore these leaks, if you are a star and producer. Or you can do what Ryan Reynolds did… and the anarchy that is springing from it. 

In retaliation for the various Deadpool 3 set photos, Ryan Reynolds started posting Photoshopped versions of the images, including characters like Mickey Mouse, Urkel, and The Predator. None of these characters will be in Deadpool 3, but Prey director Dan Trachtenberg had his own fun with the idea, sharing this shot on X and pushing the narrative that the Merc with the Mouth will fight the universe’s most accurate killing machine. 

Obviously, we can’t take anything connected with Deadpool 3 seriously. But it has been wild keeping track of the various rumors associated with the movie, especially regarding connections that this movie will have with existing Marvel movies… particularly those that were released long before the MCU. We had been hearing that Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) were going to embark on some sort of multiverse-hopping mission that would unite the existing members of the X-Men universe. That theory earned incredible credence when we reached the mid-credits scene for The Marvels, and the cameo that was included. 

Why would this be happening? Well, once Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, Marvel fans began speculating how and when the Marvel characters that were owned by Fox – chiefly the Fantastic Four and the X-Men – would make their way over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel President Kevin Feige has announced the plans for a Fantastic Four movie. But mutants have been a mystery. 

We also know, though, that one of the Avengers movies added to the Marvel release schedule is called Avengers: Secret Wars, which in the comics has been a massive superhero team up event. This caused MCU fans to start speculating if the Secret Wars movie would mash up existing Marvel characters, such as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Halle Berry’s Storm, and possibly even Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man.

Not The Predator, though. I mean, probably not The Predator. That’s a safe bet. 

Deadpool 3, at the moment, is scheduled for a July 26, 2024 release. And it will be the only MCU movie released next year, so it should carry a lot of weight. So long as the whole movie isn’t spoiled by the Internet by then.

You know, for a time, Predator movies used to be the most "masculine," testosterone-fueled films at the multiplexes. Big guns (both of the muscle and weapon variety), a horrific monster, and men running around in the jungle were always seen as MANLY STUFF. But that was back in the '80s and '90s, when the whole concept of "masculinity" was pretty much spelled out as being one distinct thing.

However, this is the 2020s, and movies like Prey and Predator: Badlands have now expanded the scope of the brand. This is now very much because of a director like Dan Trachtenberg, who has really widened the parameters of the franchise.

But, where do Trachtenberg’s three Predator films land when it comes to the rest of the series? Well, you’re about to find out.

9. Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) 

Directed by the Brothers Strause and acting as a direct follow-up to the original AvP, this dismal sequel is about an alien/predator hybrid on the loose (A pred-alien, if you will), and a single Predator who needs to wipe out any aliens (and people) who get in his way.

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, which I reviewed many moons ago, is rated-R, but I don't know why since you can barely see anything. I mean, seriously, the lighting in this movie is atrocious! That said, everything else around the awful, poorly lit fight scenes is also terrible, as the human characters stink, the setting is bland, and the plot is yawn-inducing. And, what sucks is that this movie actually had potential. Because even though the main characters are still humans, this was the first real cinematic attempt to make a Yautja the protagonist (even more so than the first AvP), making it several years before Predator: Badlands did something similar. Oh, well. You can’t skin them all.

8. The Predator (2018) 

Directed by Shane Black, who was actually in the original movie, 2018's The Predator tried to do something different, but ended up falling flat on its monstrous face instead. Starring a pretty great cast of Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key, Boyd Holbrook, and many others, The Predator features a plot where predators have enhanced themselves with human DNA, but they come to earth when a boy wears their armor as a Halloween costume. I'm dead serious.

The Predator is by far the most polarizing film in the entire franchise. Some, like our very own Dirk Libbey, said in his The Predator review that it was an "entertaining enough sequel," while others feel it is the absolute nadir of the series. Personally, I'm somewhere in the middle.

The plot, which revolves around everything from autism to climate change, is a mess. But it has its highlights, like some of the humor and the action. That said, much like the Fantastic Four movie with Michael B. Jordan (which I actually kind of like), the movie falls completely apart in the third act, destroying all the fun in the earlier parts of the film. Oh, well. It's bad, but not Alien vs. Predator Requiem bad, since at least I can actually see what's going on in this movie.

7. Alien vs. Predator (2004) 

Written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, this dream match that began in the comics (uh, hullo! I'm still waiting on my RoboCop vs Terminator movie crossover), the aliens and predators fight each other in the cold at a pyramid. What else do you need to know?

AvP's shortcomings come in the fact that a) it holds a lot back with its PG-13 rating, and b) its setting doesn't really benefit either character. It's also a huge let-down given the hype of these two legendary franchises coming together. Whenever anybody asks me how I feel about AvP, I always give them the same response: Freddy vs. Jason did it better. And they did. AvP is mid at best, and bottom of the barrel at worst. Still, I prefer it to Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, if that’s worth anything.

6. Predators (2010) 

Directed by Nimrod Antal and starring Adrian Brody, Alice Braga, Mahershala Ali, and many others, Predators finds a mercenary (Brody) and a bunch of other dangerous people on a distant planet where Predators (hence the title) try to kill them. Pretty standard stuff.

Actually, maybe too standard, as Predators is pretty middle of the road for me. I know there are some people who find Predators to be underrated, and it definitely has its moments–I especially love the startling way that the movie opens–but overall, it's just fine. I don't hate it, I don't love it. It's just a movie. With Predators in it. Next.

5. Predator 2 (1990) 

Directed by Stephen Hopkins and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, and Bill Paxton, Predator 2 takes place ten years after the first movie, and a Predator, having witnessed a gang confrontation with the police, takes his abilities to the streets of LA to get in on the action. I'm not the first person to make this joke, but this Predator is in a new jungle this time -- THE CONCRETE JUNGLE. Yeah, it wasn't very clever the first time, either.

Predator 2 was my second-favorite Predator movie for a long time, but honestly, that's not saying much given the other films. Still, Predator 2 has a lot going for it, as the urban setting is effective here, and the Predator effects are really cool in this movie. I also love Danny Glover as the protagonist, as he's a sharp contrast to Arnold in the original. Predator 2 is schlocky and silly, and for that, I really dig it. It's fun.

4. Predator: Badlands (2025)

You know, I often go back and forth on this latest entry from Dan Trachtenberg, as sometimes it’s my favorite movie of the three Predator movies he’s directed, and sometimes, it’s my least favorite. Today, I think I’ll put it at number four, which is nothing to scoff at. I alluded to this film earlier when I discussed Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, but this movie truly marks the first time that a Yautja is the main protagonist, as a character named Dek (who is a short king if there ever was one) journeys to a dangerous planet to prove himself by killing an “unkillable” monster.

But, he’s not alone, as an android (Elle Fanning) from the Alien series’ fictional Weyland-Yutani Corporation is strapped to his back throughout most of the film. I really love this movie (and how well it did at the box office), but a part of me (today, anyway) wants to dock some points due to the large Alien presence in this film. It just doesn’t feel like a “pure” Predator movie. I know, I know. I guess it’s just the purist in me.

3. Predator: Killer Of Killers (2025)

I don’t know if we Predator fans will ever have it as good as we did in 2025 when we got not one, but TWO badass Predator movies. And, while many might call Badlands the superior film, I actually prefer this animated anthology movie told in four separate chapters and in different time periods.

Of the four chapters, my favorite one takes place in Japan and deals with two brothers who go on different paths in life. The segment has samurai, a ninja, and a Predator. What more could you possibly want? The film coalesces with a badass gladiatorial battle that leaves us with more questions than answers. But, it ultimately leaves me craving more, which every great Predator movie should do!

2. Prey (2022) 

The first Predator movie by Dan Trachtenberg, and starring Amber Midthunder, Michelle Thrush, and Dane DiLiegro, Prey takes the series way back to 1719, where a Comanche tribe is attacked by fur trappers. Oh, and a Predator. Fur trappers and a Predator. In the midst of all of this is a female Comanche warrior (Midthunder) who kicks their asses to prove to both herself and also to her tribe that she is the most badass of them all.

Prey is, without a doubt, the second-best Predator movie. In fact, our very own Dirk Libbey opined in his review that Prey is "the best Predator movie in years, possibly ever." And I agree… that it's the best Predator movie in years. It's just so refreshing. Putting it deep in the past and showing a Predator on Earth in its own first hunt provides a great counterbalance to our heroine's story arc. The setting is also phenomenal, and I love that Killer of Killers followed through on more Predator stories that take place in the past. Prey is excellent, but really, only one Predator movie can be the very best.

1. Predator (1987) 

Directed by John McTiernan (well, most of it anyway) and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers (we still miss you, King), Jesse Ventura, and a few others, the original Predator is about a group of alpha males who go into a jungle on a rescue mission, only to find that they're being hunted by a deadly alien. Simple, but effective.

I know how I went on a screed earlier about how the whole concept of masculinity is kind of dated in the 2020’s, but yeah. Predator is a supermanly movie. I mean, there is a whole scene where two grown-ass men arm wrestle in the air to prove their toughness. How much more of a pissing contest do you need? And, the thing about the first Predator is that it commits to that idea of masculinity, even making it important to subvert the plot. Because in this movie, Arnold, who was the biggest action hero on the planet at the time, wasn't the predator, but rather, the prey, and it really made you nervous for a guy who could probably deadlift an SUV back in his prime. Like, if this hunk of beef can't take down a Predator, who can?

This contrast, and the fact that the Predator takes such a long time to actually reveal itself, makes this film legendary, and ultimately, the greatest Predator movie of all time (Even with Trachtenberg’s three gems). And, I honestly have a hard time believing that any other Predator movie, no matter how good it is, will ever surpass it.

And, that's the list. But, what's your favorite Predator movie? For more news on all things Predator-related, make sure to swing by here often!

If you do not recognize Yvonne Strahovski from her two-time Emmy nominated role as Serena Waterford in The Handmaid’s Tale cast, you might recognize her from the Dexter cast as Hannah McKay. Or, you might know her from her more sci-fi/action-oriented roles, like in the Tomorrow War cast or as Miranda Lawson in the popular Mass Effect video game series. In case you do not recognize the Australian-born actress at all, allow us to help you become more properly acquainted by recommending the following Yvonne Strahovski movies and TV shows, starting with her American television debut.

Chuck (Amazon Prime)

A meek tech expert (Zachary Levi) meets the woman of his dreams (Yvonne Strahovski), only to discover that she is actually a secret agent assigned to protect him after a data file containing all of the U.S. government’s most secretive information is accidentally downloaded into his brain, putting his life and the country in grave danger.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: Yvonne Strahovski and her uncanny ability to hide her Aussie accent were first introduced to American audiences on the cult NBC action-comedy, Chuck as Sarah Walker, who is one of the highly skilled government agents assigned to protect the titular hero until they later become partners and lovers.

Stream Chuck on Amazon Prime.
Buy Chuck on Amazon.

The Guilt Trip (Hulu, Paramount+)

While on road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to make sales pitches to various business along the way, an organic chemistry expert (Seth Rogen) makes a quick stop to visit his mother (Academy Award winner Barbara Streisand) in New York, only to reluctantly take her on as a passenger for the rest of the journey.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: In The Guilt Trip, a 2012 movie that is far more of comedy than an action spectacle, Yvonne Strahovski plays Jessica - the former high school sweetheart of Seth Rogen’s Andrew Brewster, whom his mother, Joyce, tries to set him back up with, only to learn she is now married to Colin Hanks’ (another Dexter cast alum) Rob and pregnant with his baby.

Stream The Guilt Trip on Hulu.
Stream The Guilt Trip on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy The Guilt Trip on Amazon.

Killer Elite (Amazon Rental)

A former, top-level assassin (Jason Statham) is called back into the game when his longtime, aging mentor (Academy Award winner Robert DeNiro) is held captive by a vengeful former Special Air Service operative (Academy Award nominee Clive Owen), setting off a deadly, globe-trotting cat-and-mouse game.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: In Killer Elite, a 2011 movie loosely based on Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ fact-based book, The Feather Men, that is far more of an action spectacle than a comedy, Yvonne Strahovksi plays Anne - the former childhood acquaintance of Jason Statham’s Danny Bryce whom he retires to his native Australia to be with, only to be forced into protecting her when she becomes a target of enemy killers. 

Rent/Buy Killer Elite on Amazon.

The Tomorrow War (Amazon Prime)

As a last ditch effort to save humanity, a science teacher and family man with a military background (Chris Pratt) is enlisted, along with many other modern day combat veterans, into a battle against a swarm of unstoppable extra-terrestrial invaders 30 years in the future.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: A film that sees Yvonne Strahovski rightfully given the chance to participate in the action as the futuristic Col. Muri Forester is The Tomorrow War, a sci-fi war movie from director Cris McKay that released exclusively on Amazon Prime in 2021, and boasts quite an alluring concept and a stellar ensemble cast, including Mary Lynn Rajskub.

Stream The Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime.

24: Live Another Day (Tubi)

Now a disgraced fugitive of the country he once raced against the clock while struggling to save it day after day, former special forces operative Jack Bauer (Emmy winner Kiefer Sutherland) comes out of hiding in order to stop a terrorist attack in London, only to come at odds with the CIA, which is only interesting in stopping him.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: Seven years before starring alongside each other in The Tomorrow War, Yvonne Strahovski and Mary Lynn Rajskub played opposite ends of a conspiratorial power struggle at the center of 24: Live Another Day - a 12-episode revival of the acclaimed action drama series told in real time that serves as the ninth season, four years after Fox aired its initial season finale in 2010.

Stream 24: Live Another Day on Tubi.
Buy 24: Live Another Day on Amazon.

I, Frankenstein (Peacock)

More than two centuries after a notorious, controversial scientist gave him life, a walking compendium of various body parts stitched together (Aaron Eckhart) becomes embroiled in a war between angelic gargoyles and demons that has existed since the dawn of time, but is at risk of coming to a tragic end. 

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: In the same year that she entered the 24 universe, Yvonne Strahovski became a part of the timeless lore first pioneered in 1818 by Mary Shelley, by starring in this adaptation of Kevin Grevioux’s digital graphic novel series, I, Frankenstein, as a scientist looking to bring Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s work into the modern age.

Stream I, Frankenstein on Peacock.
Rent/Buy I, Frankenstein on Amazon.

Batman: Bad Blood (HBO Max)

After Batman (Jason O’Mara) suddenly goes missing, Alfred (James Garrett) struggles to cover for Bruce Wayne’s absence while Damian “Robin” Wayne (Stuart Allen) and Dick “Nightwing” Grayson (former Firefly cast member Sean Maher) team up to find him and get some unexpected help from a few new vigilantes in Gotham City.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: Two years after starring in I, Frankenstein, Yvonne Strahovski lent her voice to another comic book adaptation called Batman: Bad Blood - one of the few DC animated movies to have multiple members of the Batfamily fighting together - as one of the first screen portrayals of Kate Kane (better known as Batwoman) before the openly lesbian vigilante got her own live-action TV show . 

Stream Batman: Bad Blood on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Batman: Bad Blood on Amazon.

The Predator (Amazon Rental)

After bearing witness to proof of extra-terrestrial life after surviving an attack by a strange beast, U.S. Army Ranger sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) is discharged and placed within a group of former soldiers considered mentally unstable, whom he ends up leading in an effort to save humanity against the deadly intergalactic warriors. 

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: In yet another sci-fi action thriller starring Yvonne Strahovski that does not see the actress as much as one might hope, she plays Quinn McKenna’s estranged wife, Emily, whose autistic son (Jacob Tremblay) becomes a key player in securing humanity’s fate against the titular creatures, in 2018’s The Predator - the fourth installment of the iconic franchise co-written and directed by series veteran Shane Black.

Rent/Buy The Predator on Amazon.

Stateless (Netflix)

The lives of a young flight attendant trying to outrun a dangerous cult (Yvonne Strahovski), an Afghan native fallen prey to racial profiling (Fayssal Baazi), a family man who feels trapped by a morally constraining career choice (Jai Courtney), and a bureaucrat struggling to find a way out of creating a national scandal (Asher Keddie) all intersect at an illegal immigration detention center in the Australian Outback.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: Yvonne Strahovski gives one of the most powerful performances of her career in role that is loosely inspired by an actual person, in Stateless - a thought-provoking and timely miniseries released on Netflix exclusively to American audiences in 2020 that was co-created by Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, who also stars in the six-episode program as well.

Stream Stateless on Netflix.

Dexter (Amazon Prime)

A blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro police department (Emmy and Golden Globe winner Michael C. Hall) lives a double life outside of the law as a deadly vigilante, guided by a special moral code taught to him by his adoptive father (James Remar) after taking notice of his homicidal tendencies at a young age.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Yvonne Strahovski: In Season 7 of the hit Showtime series developed by James Manos Jr. and inspired by the series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, Yvonne Strahovski joined the cast of Dexter as Hannah McKay - a beautiful gardener with a suspicious past that initially makes her a target for Dexter Morgan, until he cannot help but fall in love with her.

Stream Dexter on Amazon Prime.
Buy Dexter on Amazon.

At the moment, it does not seem like there are any plans for Yvonne Strahovski to reprise her role Dexter: New Blood - the upcoming Season 9 revival of the series coming to Showtime on Sunday, November 7, 2021. Well, if the divisive series finale truly was the last we saw of Hannah McKay, at least it does not have to be the last you see of the talented actress by streaming (and/or buying or renting) some of the best highlights of her career, above.

If you are a fan of action movies, science fiction or both, there’s a good chance that you recognize Predator. The 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most iconic movies of the ‘80s and spawned a massive franchise. Back in November, it was announced that the untitled Predator 5 project was moving forward, with Dan Trachtenberg of 10 Cloverfield Lane fame attached to direct. Now a possible plot synopsis for the film has been revealed, and it sound badass.

In a recent report on the fifth entry into the series (if you aren’t counting the Alien vs. Predator spinoffs), Predator 5 is allegedly taking viewers back in time to a pre-European Comanche tribe. The full synopsis, which was first reported by AvP Galaxy, will supposedly follow Kee, a Comanche woman who goes outside of the established gender norms to fight for her tribe, presumably against a Predator. Through her fight, Kee will attempt to prove that she is a capable leader of the tribe, despite her gender.

Now this synopsis hasn't been verified, so take it with as big of a grain of salt as possible. But if it ends up being true, it will be the one of the few Predator films to feature a female lead. While there have been some seriously badass women in the franchise, they usually co-star alongside a male lead (Danny Glover and María Conchita Alonso, Adrien Brody and Alice Braga, etc). In the alleged plot, it sounds like Kee will be taking on a more central role than past female characters in the franchise. While the Alien vs. Predator films did feature female leads, those crossovers exist independently of the main Predator franchise.

AvP Galaxy also reported that director Dan Trachtenberg will begin shooting the film, which is also known as Skulls, in a few months. Trachtenberg fans may recognize his work on Black Mirror and Amazon’s The Boys. The upcoming untitled Predator project will be his second full-length feature after his critically acclaimed debut with 10 Cloverfield Lane.

Even though this synopsis remains unconfirmed, I can’t help but be a little hyped up. Dan Trachtenberg has already proven himself on both the TV and film front, in my opinion. His Black Mirror episode, “Playtest,” is one of my favorites of the series. I think he will be a perfect fit for the Predator franchise, which desperately needs some new blood after Shane Black’s 2018 less-than-impressive contribution, The Predator.

Dan Trachtenberg was originally attached to direct Tom Holland’s upcoming Uncharted film, but eventually became one of the many directors to back out of the video game adaptation. While there was no official statement regarding the reason behind Trachtenberg’s departure, he has kept busy with involvement in various projects, including directing the first episode of Amazon’s hit series The Boys.

There’s no confirmed release date for the untitled Predator 5, but fans of the series can currently watch the iconic action film that started it all on Starz. As for the rest of this year's upcoming movie slate, be sure to check out CinemaBlend’s 2021 release schedule for the latest on everything heading to the big (and small) screens near you.

After the Disney/Fox merger officially closed back in 2019, there was more than a little concern about what would happen to the properties housed in the IP library of the latter studio. Sure enough, Disney started scaling back on projects that had the Fox name on them, even after taking the trouble to rebrand the studio 20th Century Studios. But apparently that wasn’t enough to stop the Predator franchise from happening, as the fifth film in the series has been announced as going into development, with 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg as its leader.

We caught wind of these developments through a report made by Deadline. Apparently, Predator 5, or whatever it will be titled, is moving forward with Trachtenberg in the director’s chair, and writer Patrick Aison crafting the script. Aison has written and produced on espionage series like Jack Ryan and Treadstone, so this creative team is already starting to sound interesting in these early stages.

As for the particulars on how the story’s going to play out, prepare for the same old words and phrases you’ve become accustomed to for a project like Predator 5. There’s no specifics on when, where, or who this new Predator story will stalk, however there is one thing that we do know. If you were a fan of Shane Black’s return to the franchise in The Predator, you’re going to want to take a seat. That storyline looks like it’s run its course as Predator 5 is being rumored to not even be touching that plot. A moment of silence for those who thought maybe that sweet, but confused cliffhanger ending would even be alluded to in this new project.

It’s been an overall interesting day for details on Fox projects now being championed by Disney, as our heads are still spinning over the news that Deadpool 3 has been put into development as well. With Planet of the Apes already an active concern at the House of Mouse, who knows what the next surprise announcement will pertain to? Maybe there’s hope that Disney is looking through the back catalog of Fox properties, and trying to put the best and brightest prospects into play. What we’re trying to say is, if Predator can be dusted off for a fifth installment, maybe Alita: Battle Angel can come back for its sequel after all.

Predator 5 has no release plans or targeted production shoot dates at the moment, as things are just getting started. But, as soon as new details break, you can count on CinemaBlend to take Old Painless out of the bag and update you like a platonic Tyrannosaurus. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release schedule, to see what new and continuing franchises are now going to populate the potential killing field for the next generation of Predator.

There is not just one single actor in the diverse and uniquely talented ensemble from This Is Us whom you could justifiably refer to as “the star” of the show. Each member of the cast (which includes Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, and Chrissy Metz, to name a few) brings something of a different quality, but of equal power, to the story. Yet, I think few would argue against the claim that two-time Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown has been making a pretty good case to call him the real standout player of the series.

The 44-year-old actor, born in St. Louis, Missouri, became a household name after he was cast in the hit NBC drama chronicling the struggles of a unique American family told over the course of decades through a non-linear timeline. His fame and prominence as one of the most respected and sought after performers of his time only increased as Sterling K. Brown started to make an even greater splash on the big screen. While the majority of his cinematic roles have often been supporting characters, in many cases, he still ends up being the more memorable onscreen presence, if not the bigger audience draw as well.

It seems to be as good a time as ever right now to shed light on some of his most notable scene-stealing roles in blockbuster movies and widely acclaimed TV shows, as well as other greatest hits from his past you may have forgotten about or even some more recent surprise appearances you never knew about. The following 12 films and series showcase the best that Sterling K. Brown has offered, starting with the one that made him a star.

This Is Us (Randall Pearson)

An Emmy and a Golden Globe, among several other accolades, have been awarded to Sterling K. Brown for his performance as the adopted son and brother of the Pearson Family, who took in him after he was discovered abandoned by his drug addict biological father shortly after birth. That should be enough to tell you that Randall Pearson’s personal story is one of the more heartbreaking arcs on This Is Us (which is chock full of those already), but is also an inspiring tale of ambition and perseverance brought to perfection by Brown’s keen understanding of his character’s complex nature.

Black Panther (N’Jobu)

In a way, Sterling K. Brown plays the opposite of his This Is Us role in Black Panther, although equally tearjerking, as a Wakanda native whose betrayal of King T’Chaka makes his American-born son Erik Killmonger (played as an adult by Michael B. Jordan) an orphan hellbent on revenge. His time on screen in the Academy Award-winning MCU installment is brief (in the cold open, a revealing flashback, and a dream sequence), but like the memory of N’Jobu in his son’s mind, the performance continues to haunt us today.

Army Wives (Roland Burton)

The haunting memories of war and the challenges of being romantically connected to a person in the service were the central themes of this Lifetime original series which was also one of Sterling K. Brown’s first starring roes on a hit TV drama. His character, psychiatrist Roland Burton, is married to U.S. Military colonel Joan (Wendy Davis) - making him the one “Army husband” among the titular group of ladies in Army Wives - and actually a few fascinating indirect similarities to Randall Pearson on This Is Us, from being an adoptive father to enduring a few flaws that have threatened his marriage to his wife.

The Predator (Will Traeger)

No character in Sterling K. Brown’s repertoire is quite like government agent Will Traeger, not just by his more antagonistic nature in director Shane Black’s 2018 continuation of the sci-fi action franchise, but also for how brilliantly he chews the scenery. While I was, personally, quite disappointed by the story of The Predator overall, I can at least say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching Brown putting 100% into a role that could have been another bland human villain in a bland alien movie if it were anybody else.

Supernatural (Gordon Walker)

The actor also managed to be a memorable human villain on Supernatural as vampire hunter Gordon Walker, who believes Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) to be one of his fanged prey in his first appearance on Season 2 of the long-running fantasy adventure series from The WB and, later, The CW. Sterling K. Brown would return for three episodes the following season, in which his character (in a wicked case of dramatic irony) became a bloodsucker himself and was later beheaded by Sam.

Frozen II (Destin Mattias)

More family-friendly excitement occurs in the 2019 sequel to Frozen, which also stars Sterling K. Brown in the much more honorable role of Prince Agnarr’s former guard and, later, a trusted general appointed by Queen Anna. Destin Mattis is the kind of warrior whose devotion to the land Arendelle has led him to make some major sacrifices, such as 34-year sentence to the Enchanted Forest, which is reason enough to see why Brown was chosen for this role in Frozen II, which the actor the actor has said he was especially proud to voice as a person of color in this animated fairy tale world.

Waves (Ronald Williams)

In the same year as Frozen II, Sterling K. Brown played another character majorly defined devotion, but sometimes to his own detriment, in writer and director Trey Edward Shults’ stunning follow-up to his devastating apocalyptic 2017 thriller It Comes at Night. Waves is an equally devastating family drama that is best left unspoiled for the unfamiliar viewer, but one thing any critic would have no trouble revealing is that Brown’s performance as flawed family man Ronald Williams is guaranteed to leave you in awe.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Reggie)

Despite all of his critical praise, Sterling K. Brown did not receive much awards recognition for his role in 2019’s Waves, but did for his recurring spot on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel that same year. He was given his sixth Emmy nomination for playing Reggie - the extremely protective, no-nonsense manager of singer Shy Baldwin (Leroy McClain), who asks comedian Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) to tour with him as his opening act in the third season of the Amazon original period dramedy.

The Rhythm Section (Marc Serra)

Music has nothing to do with Sterling K. Brown’s character in The Rhythm Section, despite what the title of this 2020 action thriller based on author Mark Burnell’s novel may allude to. He plays Marc Serra - a former CIA operative whom Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) consults in hopes to identify the terrorist who caused her family’s demise in an orchestrated plane crash three years earlier. That is as much as I am willing to reveal, but I will say that his role gets much juicier as the story progresses.

American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson (Christopher Darden)

I mentioned earlier that Sterling K. Brown has won two Emmy awards in his career and the first of which he earned from his role in the 2016 premiere season of FX’s fact-based anthology series, American Crime Story. It may have been the powerful scene in which Brown as a fed-up Christopher Darden, a prosecuting attorney in the infamous O.J. Simpson case, calls the trial “a circus” that earned him the win.

Marshall (Joseph Spell)

A year later, Sterling K. Brown would see what life was like in court from the perspective of the defendant (a wrongfully accused one, however) in Marshall as unjustly tried rape suspect Joseph Spell - one of the more notable clients of NAACP attorney (and, eventually, the first black man to be appointed as a Supreme Court Justice) Thurgood Marshall. Brown stands out quite exquisitely in the biographical legal drama opposite his future Black Panther co-star, the late Chadwick Boseman, in the title role.

The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience (Sia)

Probably my personal favorite performance by Sterling K. Brown is really nothing like the strong, dramatic supporting roles he is best known for, but one brief appearance in the unlikeliest of places that took me, and surely plenty of others who have seen, completely by surprise. Sia sings on the chorus of “Oakland Nights” from The Lonely Island’s The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience, which is inspired by the bromance between MLB all-stars Mark McGwire and Jose Conseco in the late 1980s. However, instead of appearing in the visual album released exclusively on Netflix herself, Brown (officially credited as the “Chandelier” songstress) steps in to uproariously lip-sync and dance to her part about "silk robes and kimonos."

What do you think? Did Sterling K. Brown’s cameo as Sia make The Lonely Island’s tribute to the former Oakland A’s players for you, or do you feel he deserved a better, bigger part in the Netflix original special? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the multi-award-winning actor and This Is Us star, as well as even more retrospectives on the your favorite actors and actresses’ most prestigious onscreen efforts, here on CinemaBlend.

How great would Shane Black's The Predator have been if original Predator star Arnold Schwarzenegger had had a cameo? The guy is a legend, and his appearance in the new film may have been worth the price of admission for many. We personally liked the film (somewhat) but it was mostly reviled by both franchise fans and casual viewers. Maybe it wouldn't have been as unlikable if Schwarzenegger had dropped in with a famous line from The Terminator. Sadly, he turned down the role and director Shane Black didn't bat an eye.

The Predator co-writer Fred Dekker explained what almost was in the movie, comparing the plan to Luke Skywalker's end scene cameo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Here's what Dekker told Moviefone:

The new film is already chock-full of references to the original, but Fred Dekker also wanted a callback to the other popular Schwarzenegger-led franchise saying:

Also, speaking of callbacks, the film almost included a HUGE star from the Alien franchise: Sigourney Weaver's alien-destroying Ripley. Anyone else bummed that didn't happen?

The film features Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Jacob Tremblay, and Thomas James and works from a script by Shane Black and Fred Dekker. Black is know for directing the divisive Iron Man 3, The Nice Guys, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and a handful of others, with his writing credits extending far beyond his directing credits in number.

Would Shane Black's The Predator have been even just a bit better with such a high-profile cameo? Have you even seen The Predator? Are you wanting to see it at all? Let us know!

SPOILER WARNING: The following feature contains spoilers for some of the movies discussed. If you haven't seen everything on the list, read at your own risk!

In late November, I made a discovery. In my quest to try and see as many new releases as I possibly could throughout the year - something I see as a professional responsibility - I noticed that there was one particular type of film of which I watched quite a lot: sequels. With some exception, to that point in the year I had seen nearly every widely released follow-up to come out in 2018, and I decided to make it a mission to complete the list.

Now it's New Year's Eve, and not only am I declaring mission accomplished, but I am celebrating with this feature. Below I have assembled a list of every prequel, part two, part three, and beyond that was shown in 2,000-plus domestic theaters this year, and I have ranked them in order of quality - along with my own brief thoughts. Scope out the list below, and see if you can guess the Top 5 before getting there!

37. Fifty Shades Freed

Talk about dying with a whimper. The Fifty Shades movies were critically assaulted from the start (with very good reason), and the sequels did absolutely nothing to benefit the legacy. James Foley's Fifty Shades Freed sees not only the tepid/subtly hostile/abusive relationship between Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) and Christian (Jamie Dornan) continue with a wedding, but is jammed full of plot courtesy of a conveniently psychopathic ex-boss (Eric Johnson). This capper helps fulfill this series' ultimate destiny to be only rediscovered in the future as a trilogy box set found in a bargain bin.

36. The Strangers: Prey At Night

This is a sequel made thanks to the fact that its predecessor spent a decade building a modest cult audience, but Johannes Roberts' The Strangers: Prey At Night is a movie that will only really appeal to those who have a true affinity for the original's complete lack of any kind of story. The follow-up is basically identical to The Strangers, with the same killers simply going after another random family that happens to be home, and it too completely lacks any kind of compelling twists or interesting narrative developments. At the very least there's no promise of a Strangers 3.

35. The Cloverfield Paradox

Boy did the Cloverfield franchise shit the bed here. Following 10 Cloverfield Lane, it seemed like the brand had hit on an ingenious idea: develop cool and original sci-fi features anthology-style that can be marketed as part of a known property. Julius Onah's The Cloverfield Paradox ruins this by both failing to take proper advantage of an awesome concept (traveling between alternate universe), and needlessly using the story to try and explain the events of the original Cloverfield. What once had so much promise now appears to be basically dead in one fell swoop -- and it certainly wasn't helped by Paramount dumping it to Netflix and hyping it as a post-Super Bowl release.

34. The Predator

The Predator franchise is not exactly one with a glowing reputation when it comes to sequels, but all the pieces seemed right in the making of The Predator. An awesome writer/director (Shane Black), and a fantastic ensemble cast (Boyd Holbrook, Keegan-Michael Key, Sterling K. Brown, Olivia Wilde, and more) should have resulted in some R-rated awesomeness, but this was a sincere disappointment. In all the wrong ways it feels like an action movie trapped in a different era, and is only occasionally benefited from Black's well-established and razor sharp wit.

33. Overboard

Rob Greenberg's Overboard sneaks its way on to this list given that the movie references the events of 1987's Overboard as canon -- all that's needed to qualify as a sequel -- but it doesn't wind up with amazing placement. While it's still not able to shake the "Gaslighing Comedy" brand, it makes good use of the gender swap, and gets enjoying able performances out of leads Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez. Unfortunately, it's also still quite lame, and has decades-old sensibilities that just don't really click anymore.

32. Insidious: The Last Key

It's a shame that James Wan has never completed a trilogy, because the Insidious features got off to a great start with the first two. Insidious: Chapter 3 sadly bucked the trend, working clichés instead of trying to do something new, and unfortunately Adam Robitel's Insidious: The Last Key is more in line with its immediate predecessor than Wan's contributions. There are some good scares, and even some solid creature design, but it's also a letdown as a franchise finale.

31. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!

Ol Parker's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! is a movie made to play to a specific audience: namely the audience that really loved the first Mamma Mia. It takes a real appreciation of Abba to sit through this material, and keeping in mind that this is an objective list, I have never been one to have those feelings. It isn't all bad, as there is a collection of very charismatic and fun movie stars featured partying in the Greek islands, but for someone who isn't into the music it's a chore to sit through the endless musical sequences.

30. The Girl In The Spider's Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story

Sony went into overdrive in 2018 trying to utilize its brands (with a special emphasis on Spider-Man), and we'll be talking about their movie's throughout this list, but arguably Fede Alvarez's The Girl In The Spider's Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story is the biggest disappointment. Claire Foy does a competent job as the edgy hacker Lisbeth Salander, but the material is airport bookstore quality. Alvarez, who has both Evil Dead and Don't Breathe on his resume, can do a lot better than this.

29. Sherlock Gnomes

In spite of all its kitsch, Gnomeo & Juliet was a surprisingly cute film, and a fair amount of its cuteness spills into John Stevenson's Sherlock Gnomes -- but not quite enough. In the same way the original treated Shakespeare, there are a number of cute nods and Easter eggs to the history of London's most famous consulting detective, but the plot is lacking even by kids' movie standards. Nobody was expecting a lot from this one, but you don't get bonus points living up to low expectations.

28. The Equalizer 2

Denzel Washington had never signed on to a sequel before deciding to make Antoine Fuqua's The Equalizer 2 -- and to his credit, the decision made sense. The first was a box office hit, and the story presented an opportunity for the character to return. Sadly, the end result is not really worthy of Washington's greatness. While the star is still engaging as the helpful-but-stern Robert McCall, the plot is nothing we haven't seen a thousand times before, paired with completely obvious twists. It does have a unique finale, set in an abandoned coastal town during a hurricane, but it's not enough to elevate the full piece.

27. Super Troopers 2

The long delay waiting for Jay Chandrasekhar's Super Troopers 2 was always going to hurt the end experience watching it. After all, its material best plays to an immature audience, and 17 years is a lot of time for an audience to mature. There are definitely some funny bits, it's the rare sequel that can make the majority of its callbacks work, and it's certainly consistent, but it's also pretty damn stupid, and not anywhere near as (surprisingly) structurally strong as the first.

26. The Nun

Next to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one could make the argument that the Conjuring Universe is the second most successful multi-tiered franchise, with the majority of the features being shockingly good (and in their own way contributing to the current horror boom). Corin Hardy's The Nun, however, qualifies as a misstep. One can appreciate the extreme change in setting for the brand, and there definitely are a few big jumps, but it also doesn't make you care about the characters anywhere near the level of either Conjuring movie or Annabelle: Creation. Thankfully there will be an abundance of bounce back opportunity arriving next year in the form of Annabelle 3.

25. Mute

Duncan Jones' Mute is another example of another subtle sequel, as there is only a brief moment in the movie that confirms that the story exists in the same continuity as Jones' directorial debut, Moon. What's sad, though, is that this one isn't nearly as great as the Sam Rockwell-led drama. There is certainly some wonderful and beautiful Blade Runner-esque production and costume design in play, as well as a fantastic against-type turn from Paul Rudd, but you're left wanting a lot more from the hard-boiled plot, and from the confusing and underwritten ending.

24. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World was definitely a mixed bag, and basically J.A. Bayona responded with a mixed bag sequel of his own. There is definitely some good stuff featured in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, as the dinosaurs look great, there are some awesome sequences, and both Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard look infinitely more comfortable in their roles, but there is also a lot of bad -- like repeating the same mistakes as the first film (why genetically modified dinosaurs?), and straight-up dumb story choices. We can only hope that a sequel with a world filled with the ancient monsters can make for a superior third chapter.

23. The First Purge

There are two primary reasons that The Purge movies work: 1) the creativity of a world defined by different rules, and 2) the horror flick satisfaction that comes with a bit of the old ultraviolence. In both departments Gerard McMurray's The First Purge earns a big meh. It turns out that witnessing the origins of the "no laws" scenario isn't as interesting as watching a society that has already adapted to it, and it's overall pretty tame by franchise standards. While the themes and messaging have never been more prescient, that just makes what's put together more underwhelming.

22. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald

As successful as the Harry Potter franchise has been, David Yates' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald was put in a challenging place story-wise in its development. A decision had to be made: be accessible to all audiences, even those new to the Wizarding World; or play to the diehard fans that most definitely exist in hordes. The feature decided to take the latter route, which was great news for the Potterheads, but resulted in confusion for everyone else. Hopefully future chapters do a better job finding a middle ground.

21. Maze Runner: The Death Cure

The young adult fad dried up years ago, leaving franchises like Divergent to collapse and Mortal Instruments and Beautiful Creatures to stall at the start, but you gotta give credit to Maze Runner for making it all the way to the end. What's more, Wes Ball's Maze Runner: The Death Cure is actually pretty decent while still not being very good. It's annoying that it's another major modern blockbuster with a "magic blood" plot device, but it also offers a mostly satisfying conclusion for both the series' overarching narrative and the majority of the characters.

20. Pacific Rim: Uprising

Steven DeKnight's Pacific Rim: Uprising spent most of its existence as the cinematic equivalent of The Little Engine That Could, and when it finally came out the finished product was... fine. There are many ways in which the movie is an improvement over the first -- from a clearer idea of its audience, to its superior pair of leads -- but it also suffers from an undercooked plot and doesn't do enough to advance the world that Guillermo del Toro introduced to us back in 2013.

19. Solo: A Star Wars Story

The modern generation of Star Wars was on an awesome roll up until 2018. The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi all offered tremendous thrills, while also building on the beloved expansive sci-fi universe. Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story, though, didn't really do that. Plagued by behind-the-scenes issues and played incorrectly on the release schedule, the movie is kind of a mess, save for the performance from Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Phoebe Waller-Bridge's excellent L3-37, and the impressive Kessel Run sequence.

18. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Landing right square in the middle of this list we have Genndy Tartakovsky's Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation. It's certainly not the best Sony Pictures Animation title of the year, as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is far superior, but it's still a cute cartoon with funny and lovable characters. This franchise is most definitely the best stuff that Adam Sandler is doing these days, and it actually feels like it should be encouraged.

17. Ocean's 8

It's pretty hard to make a heist movie that isn't at the very least a lot of fun, and that's the basic level on which Gary Ross' Ocean's 8 operates. It's working with one of the best casts of the year, including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, and Rihanna, but it barely skates by on the quality side just because it feels like the script could have used two or three more drafts. We're still cheering for Ocean's 9 and Ocean's 10 to complete the trilogy pair, but this isn't a great start for the relaunched franchise.

16. Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

From a marketing perspective, Ari Sandel's Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween was definitely hurt by not featuring more Jack Black in its advertising, if not just because it made the project look like a hack-y spin-off that wasn't willing to pay its predecessor's biggest star. The film was mostly ignored as a result, but it's actually half decent (and does feature Black in a much more limited role). It doesn't have the same spark that the 2015 feature had, but it still has a collection of fun moments -- particularly for the kids.

15. Creed II

Steven Caple Jr.'s Creed II is a good movie that happens to weirdly suffer from being a follow-up. The truth is that Ryan Coogler's film was able to do a lot of special things by the nature of being an in-continuity reboot, including surprising the audience by having the hero lose at the end. The sequel doesn't have that kind of luxury, and is kind of predicable as a result -- though it does still have plenty of nice dressings, including some surprising and excellent callbacks to Rocky IV.

14. Sicario: Day Of The Soldado

While not exactly one of the best films of the year, Stefano Sollima's Sicario: Day Of The Soldado still stands as one of the bigger cinematic surprises. After all, this is a sequel that doesn't feature three key components that made the original excel: director Denis Villeneuve, cinematographer Roger Deakins, and star Emily Blunt. All the same, the movie is still able to make it work, crafting a thrilling narrative that leans on the excellence of Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro.

13. Unfriended: Dark Web

Searching got the majority of the attention in 2018 when it came to films with plots that entirely play out on a computer screen, and a consequence of that is that Stephen Susco's Unfriended: Dark Web can now be considered one of the year's most underrated movies. It's similar to the 2014 title in that it's a horror feature with the same aesthetic approach, but rather than doing anything supernatural it keeps things in the real world and pulls off some legitimate twists and turns that you don't see coming.

12. Bumblebee

The Transformers franchise has been running for more than a decade now, and before now each chapter has been anticipated with gritted teeth. But director Travis Knight has successfully turned everything around now with Bumblebee. It's a period film that leans heavily on nostalgia, and the story doesn't exactly revolutionize cinema, but it looks great, has some superb visual effects, and a beating heart inside all of the morphing metal. Bayhem it is not, and it sets an exciting trajectory for the future of these movies.

11. Mary Poppins Returns

With the original having been released in 1964, Rob Marshall's Mary Poppins Returns is the sequel on this list with far and away the most distance from its predecessor -- but part of what makes it special is that watching the movie you don't feel it at all. Instead, you feel like you're locked in a time bubble, taken away like the Banks children on a fanciful and brilliant adventure full of colorful 2D cartoons and endless whimsy. Emily Blunt is -- I'm going to say it -- practically perfect in every way as the eponymous nanny, and could very easily become an icon for generations the same way that Julie Andrews did.

10. Aquaman

Audiences spent 11 months stewing in the disappointment that was Justice League, and it didn't exactly create an atmosphere of high expectations for James Wan's Aquaman. As it turns out, though, that low bar may have been a real gift, as unlike some of the other features on this list, this is a blockbuster that goes above and beyond in the crowd-pleaser department. While his roots are in horror, Wan has a real gift for constructing a thrilling action sequence, and the world introduced here is breathtaking. Suddenly, the future is very bright for Jason Momoa and the DC Extended Universe.

9. Ralph Breaks The Internet

Rich Moore and the folks at Walt Disney Animation Studios created a phenomenal new world filled with video game characters in 2012 with Wreck-It Ralph, and Moore and Phil Johnston's Ralph Breaks The Internet is a wonderful follow-up to that story. In addition to once again creating another stunning visual environment, bringing to life the world wide web, it's also a perfect continuation of the arcs for both Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) -- having the characters walk away as very different people than who they were at the start of the story.

8. Ant-Man And The Wasp

Marvel Studios had a pretty damn awesome year. You may have noticed that we haven't touched on any of their contributions to 2018 just yet, and it's because they are all in the Top 8 -- starting with Peyton Reed's Ant-Man And The Wasp. This is definitely the odd-ball series within the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, but it's also a ridiculous amount of fun, with Paul Rudd's Scott Lang and Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne sent on a crazy, madcap adventure and clearly having a blast the entire way through.

7. Incredibles 2

Fair warning: this Top 10 is 60 percent superheroes, though Brad Bird's Incredibles 2 is the only animated entry. This is a film that went through development shockingly quickly compared to most Pixar projects, but that just makes it all the more awesome that it's as excellent as it is. It's a fitting continuation of the original, advancing the battle against Super oppression in a new and different way, while also doing a nice role swap with Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and Elasti-Girl (Holly Hunter), letting them explore new areas narratively. We won't hold out hope for an Incredibles 3, but we'd welcome it with open arms as long as Bird is at the helm.

6. Paddington 2

Between Mary Poppins and Paddington, this was a great year for characters in London wearing blue coats and red hats. Director Paul King first delivered an amazing adaptation of the classic kids' books in 2014, and with Paddington 2 he's created a sequel that is arguably superior. It's super cute, weird, and charming, and has some wonderful new additions, like Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson. These movies deserve to be instant classics, as they are the perfect family films -- easily enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

5. Halloween

Similar to The Predator, Michael Myers has existed as a genre icon for decades, despite the fact that most of the films made about him have been pretty terrible. But while that wasn't a disrupted trend for the apex extraterrestrials in 2018, things did turn around in a major way for the psychopathic, knife-wielding killer. David Gordon Green's Halloween is an exceptional bit of franchise filmmaking, in that it finds a way to honor and respect the legacy while also rewriting the whole thing. Jamie Lee Curtis delivers one of the best performances of her career, and even when it's scaring you it simultaneously makes you want to jump out of your chair and cheer.

4. Black Panther

Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther got a stunning introduction in 2015 with Captain America: Civil War, but still it didn't fully prepare us for what Ryan Coogler would have in store for us with the character's first ever solo adventure. The world of Wakanda is a stunning, and dream-like vision, and the story packs an awesome punch while addressing issues that really only a Black Panther movie could tackle in the superhero realm. Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger makes for one of the great comic book movie villains that we've seen, and Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright have created a trio of characters in Nakia, Okoye and Shuri that young girls will be looking up to for generations.

3. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Escalation in the Mission: Impossible franchise has truly gotten out of hand... in a good way. Each movie is basically required to try and up stakes from the last one -- specifically with very real and very dangerous stunts -- and it's mind-boggling to watch Christopher McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible -- Fallout and realize how far the films have come. Not only are the action set pieces glorious -- from jumping out of planes, to motorcycle chases, to mid-air helicopter battles -- but the performances by Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, and Henry Cavill also make the film endlessly fun and engaging.

2. Deadpool 2

In today's context, it's insane to think that four years ago 20th Century Fox wasn't willing to put a dime towards a Deadpool movie. Now, not only is the character the most popular box office draw in the X-Men stable, but he's been at the front of two absolutely spectacular films. David Leitch's Deadpool 2 is a phenomenal sequel that delivers in the best way, guided by the vision of Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds, as it perfectly capitalizes on everything that's great about its predecessor while throwing in extra excellence like Cable (Josh Brolin) and Domino (Zazie Beetz) into the mix. The action is phenomenal, the performances are first-rate, and it's hilarious throughout.

1. Avengers: Infinity War

Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Infinity War basically earns the top spot on this list by being the uber-sequel. No film before it has ever been informed by so many previous blockbusters, the continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe all coming to a head in two-and-a-half hours, and it's shocking and spectacular to see how well it all coalesces. While there are many superheroes flying around, this is Thanos' (Josh Brolin -- three features in the Top 15!) time to shine, and it's an epic and unforgettable ride with the rare distinction of being a story where the protagonist claiming victory is utterly devastating. It's powerful, incredible movie magic, and the best sequel of the 2018.

Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for The Predator!

At the end of Shane Black's The Predator, the humans are in a lab examining the cargo retrieved from the Predator's ship. The cargo opens to reveal a piece of technology that attaches itself to a lab worker and creates a suit around him. This suit would seemingly give humanity technological hope against these extra-terrestrial threats. But in one of the alternate endings considered, the person wearing the Predator Killer would have been someone who knows a thing or two about killing aliens: the Alien franchise's Ripley. Take a look:

As you can see from Hollywood artist Yuri Everson's Instagram, the ending to The Predator would have seen Ripley wearing the breather mask and a costume that had some very alien characteristics. This alternate ending does not however mean that Sigourney Weaver could have been in the film. As Yuri Everson says, the actress who played Ripley was Breanna Watkins.

Although this didn't happen, you can imagine what a huge stinger it would have been for the end of the film. Seeing the Predator Killer suit was neat, and sets up possibilities for a sequel but just having the name "Ripley" on the person in the pod would have been a way to drop a few jaws before the credits rolled.

We don't know why Shane Black and company didn't go with the Ripley ending, as it would have been cool and still set up intriguing possibilities for humanity's hope in a potential sequel. However, it also might have been considered a bit too convoluted considering that Ripley is from over 100 years in the future, so to introduce a time travel head scratcher at the end might have been a bridge too far.

The other interesting thing here is that Yuri Everson said that the Ripley ending was one of three endings shot, along with the one that was used in the final film. That raises the obvious question of what was the third ending. Yuri says they were all three variations of the "Predator Killer," so does this mean that the third would have seen a different character wearing the tech, and if so who?

Thanks to the Aliens vs. Predator films in 2004 and 2007, the Alien and Predator franchises are linked and frequently compared. But in recent years these two sci-fi/horror franchises featuring iconic extra-terrestrial antagonists have done their own thing, Alien with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, and Predator with 2018's The Predator. But it looks like there is still an inclination there to connect them.

As it stands we don't know what the future holds for Ripley or either franchise. Both of the most recent entries The Predator and Alien: Covenant underperformed commercially. And while there are supposedly sequel ideas out there for the latter, the future of the franchise will soon rest with Disney so much is likely up in the air at this point.

For all the biggest movies heading to theaters next year, check out our 2019 Release Schedule.

The appetite for superhero movies is very real among today's average theater-goer, and one need not look for further proof beyond this weekend's box office performance by Ruben Fleischer's Venom. The blockbuster arrived in theaters on a big wave of bad buzz, but it was able to slice right through it for a record-breaking total. Check out the full Top 10 below and join me after for analysis.

October has never been a month known for blockbuster releases, but Venom has proven that the right content can definitely sell tickets. Previously it was Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity that held the opening weekend record for the 31 day stretch, making $55.8 million in its first three days back in 2013, but the new release from Sony has clearly shattered that ceiling. And when you add in the $125.2 million that it has already made overseas, the comic book feature has already made more than double its reported $100 million budget.

This, however, is definitely a film where there are some major questions about the length and strength of its upcoming box office run. There is clearly no denying that there were a lot of people out there excited to see Venom, but it's common to see major second week drops in similar circumstances - which is to say with movies that aren't carrying a crazy amount of positive critical buzz. A good recent example is Corin Hardy's The Nun, which had the second best September opening of all time last month, but also dropped a stunning 66 percent in its second week. Those who were super excited to see Venom probably all saw it between Thursday and now, and as a result there's a good likelihood that its performance from October 12-14 won't be nearly as impressive.

Even beyond, Venom, though, this was also a fantastic weekend for Hollywood thanks to the release of Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born. While it didn't exactly have the biggest October opening of all time, it can actually proudly say that it had the 10th biggest October opening of all time. Unlike Venom, the musical drama has been riding high on positivity ever since it made its Toronto International Film Festival debut last month - with both Cooper and star Lady Gaga earning rave reviews - and people bought a lot of tickets to see their work. There's been a lot of talk about this one being in the race for this year's Best Picture award at the Academy Awards, so expect to hear a lot more about it in the coming weeks and months - including in this feature.

This week readers should also take note of the impressive continuing performance of Jon Chu's Crazy Rich Asians, which has been hanging around on the chart since mid-August. Sure, it's now fallen to ninth place, and this weekend's new releases should bump it out of the Top 10, but a hat tip is deserved. It spent three of its eight weeks of release so far as box office king, and has grossed nearly $226 million globally on just a $30 million budget (after also having received a great response from both critics and audiences). It's unquestionably one of 2018's biggest success stories, which is saying a lot when you consider how big the year has been so far.

Next weekend's crop of new titles offers up content for all audiences out there, with the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, the kid-centric horror Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, and the star-studded thriller Bad Times At The El Royale all hitting theaters in wide release. They should do a nice job shaking things up, so be sure to come back next week to see the refreshed Top 10.

Fall is a somewhat unpredictable season. It's never quite clear exactly what's going to hit with audiences, and as a result we regularly see studios throwing anything they can at the wall and hoping something sticks. It's why this past weekend saw a mix of comedy, animation, and horror, and while nothing hit super big, it was ultimately Ken Hughes' Night School that took the top spot away from Eli Roth's The House With A Clock In Its Walls. Check out the Top 10 below and join me after for analysis!

Kevin Hart has proven to be an authentic box office commodity, and while Night School is technically his weakest live-action opening since 2015's The Wedding Ringer, it is also his first live-action title to take the number one spot since Ride Along 2 in January 2016. It's also a moderately nice win for Tiffany Haddish, as this score is about the same as what Girls Trip - her breakout feature - made in its first three days last summer.

But will it be able to hold on? October has some interesting options for audiences, and unlike some other recent Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish titles the buzz Night School is carrying isn't great. Opening weekend crowds have been receptive, leading to an "A-" CinemaScore, but critics have not been friendly. It should at the very least still be able to make eight figures next week, but there are a lot of big titles arriving next month,

As for Smallfoot, Warner Animation Group was surely hoping that the feature would be more successful. The studio has had some major openings in recent years, but this weekend's release was much closer to The LEGO Ninjago Movie than The LEGO Movie. it is definitely a step up from this summer's Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, which opened with only $10.4 million, but at the very least things are looking up thanks to the forthcoming release of The LEGO Movie 2. As for why the film didn't put up bigger numbers, it's worth noting that the equally-family-friendly The House With A Clock In Its Walls didn't dip that much from its debut, and possibly stole some of the audience.

This weekend's other new release was Gregory Plotkin's Hell Fest, and it can be definitively said that this is not a title elevated by the on-going horror renaissance. Critics didn't respond to it (it has a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes); it got a "C" from CinemaScore; and couldn't even beat out Corin Hardy's The Nun, which is now in its fourth week of release. The film was probably trying to avoid the horror-filled month of October, which includes Halloween, Suspiria, Goosebumps 2 and more, but it still couldn't really find much of an audience.

This Friday should see another shakeup to the box office table, as Reuben Fleisher's Venom will be going head to head with Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born. While title will come out on top? Come back next Sunday to find out!

It's been nearly a decade since the dreadlocks-sporting aliens known as the Predators have been on the big screen, and this weekend they returned with a modest box office take. Early estimates suggest Shane Black's The Predator may not be a record for the franchise, but at the very least they are in the number one position on the Top 10. Check out the numbers in the chart below, and join me after for analysis.

It's still possible that The Predator could set an opening weekend high for the brand, as these numbers are unadjusted estimates, but right now it looks like the new movie is going to have to settle for second place behind Nimrod Antal's Predators from 2010, which pulled in $24.8 million in its first three days. It should be noted that this doesn't include the xenomorph crossovers, as Alien vs. Predator made $38.3 million back in 2004. All together it's not great when you consider that the estimates suggested that the new film would make between $25 and $50 million - which is a pretty big range to fall out of.

Given that Predator should be a standout brand for Fox, this performance probably won't elate the filmmakers or the studio. The movie was pushed around the release schedule (it was originally supposed to be released in February), and underwent heavy reshoots - neither of which helped in terms of buzz. It got a showy premiere with a midnight debut earlier this month at the Toronto Film Festival, but reviews haven't been overly kind, and, according to CinemaScore the audience response has been tepid (its received a "C+" grade). It will likely find its own cult audience in the years ahead, but ultimately it's reported $88 million budget before marketing is going to look high compared to what it makes domestically.

Taking some attention away from The Predator this weekend were three other new releases - though they were also kind of all over the map in terms of reception and box office takes. Paul Feig's A Simple Favor was definitely the film with the best reviews to hit theaters this weekend, and managed to hit eight figures and nab third place. Meanwhile, Yann Demange's White Boy Rick is on a path to make back its $29 million budget, after a fourth place start. As you can see, it wasn't an amazing Friday-to-Sunday for Hollywood, but at the very least they can all say that they did far better than Harold Cronk's Unbroken: Path to Redemption. The Christian-themed film made enough to get into the Top 10, but it also received the worst reviews of the fresh features; and while it was released in only about 1,600 screens, it also had a weak per-theater average.

All of that is a pretty big bummer to anyone who likes to see the film industry thrive, but things get even more depressing when you look at the numbers for Corin Hardy's The Nun. Everyone predicted that the Conjuring Universe title was going to experience a major second week drop-off, but it still hurts to see movie drop more than 66%. It's still going to make a massive amount of money, as its already made $228 million worldwide, but the big question mark at this point is how it's going to affect the next title in this growing franchise.

Coming up this week we have an eclectic slate of new releases, including Eli Roth's kid-friendly horror The House With A Clock In Its Walls; Jacques Audiard's western The Sisters Brothers; Reed Morano's thriller I Think We're Alone Now; and Dan Fogelman's Life Itself. They should do a nice job shaking up the Top 10, so be sure to return next Sunday to see how everything works out.

After some interesting spin-offs, a couple decently regarded sequels, and a pretty massive last-minute PR crisis, The Predator is now in theaters for everyone to behold! Co-writer / director Shane Black's return to the Predator series is a pretty big deal, and with Thursday night's advance take, it looks like it's going to be the biggest deal of the weekend. So naturally, we want to see what you, the fans, thought of this long-awaited sequel. Behold, our latest Rate and Discuss is now open for business!

We've certainly experienced a variety of reactions to The Predator on our staff, and you can read what our folks had to say about the film before you move on. However, our official review represented the film with the following statement:

Of course, we're not here to discuss the thoughts of the critics, but rather the thoughts of you, the audience. And those thoughts will begin with the discussion questions we've provided below, in the interest of encouraging a dialogue about what we've all just seen with The Predator. With that in mind, keep the following queries in mind as you parce out your thoughts, and don't be afraid to provide the answers to these questions with your other thoughts at the end of this feature.

What good are discussion questions for a film like The Predator if they're not accompanied with a star rating? While we can always discuss the merits of such a concept at another time, we're still keenly interested to see how you'd rate this movie, on a traditional scale of 0 to 5. Using the poll below, log your rating for The Predator, and as usual, feel free to share your rational for the rating, and any other comments you may have, in your comment at the end.

This poll is no longer available.

Last, but not least, before we send you off anticipating our Rate and Discuss return for next week's The House With A Clock In Its Walls, we'd like to give you some further reading to enjoy while you savor those last moments of The Predator dominating your cinematic thoughts. First, we've got members of the cast talking about which Predator films are essential viewing in order to truly enjoy The Predator. Also, there's some video of director Shane Black directly addressing and apologizing for the unfortunate circumstances that have clouded The Predator's release as of late. Finally, if you were curious about what Edward James Olmos's role in The Predator would have been, were he not excised from the final cut, those details are available. Thanks again for reading our latest Rate and Discuss feature, and if you're curious as to what our next installment will cover, you may want to turn back time a couple minutes to find out. Just saying.

The Predator is the latest chapter in a franchise that dates back to 1987. The original Arnold Schwarzenegger action-horror film is still regarded as the best in the series, if not the only good entry in the series. Shane Black actually played a member of Schwarzenegger's team in that film, and so it's little surprise that the man who co-wrote and directed the new entry paid tribute to the original in his own way.

There are several callbacks to the original Predator in the brand new entry. In many ways, the entire structure of the new film is meant to echo the original, but beyond that, there are clear moments where The Predator wants to remind you of the original film. Here are some of the best.

The Spacecraft Opening

One of the interesting things the original Predator does is leave the characters in the dark about exactly what it is they are facing, while at the same time informing the audience right up front that the Predator is an alien. We see the spaceship do a flyby of Earth and drop the creature onto the surface. The Predator opens in much the same way, with a Predator spaceship traveling through space, although this time, it's under attack by another craft. It uses some cool technology to jump through space and escape, arriving, once again, on Earth.

Stringing Up Its Prey

The first victims of the Predator we see in the original movie are skinned and hung by their feet in the trees. The first victim of the Predator in the new movie gets dropped from the tree branches dead and is also hanging by his feet. He's not completely skinned, but the Predator is in a hurry here and clearly doesn't have time for that sort of thing. This isn't the only aspect of the way the hunter acts like the alien from the first film. It leaps between treetops in the same way the original creature did, as opposed to say, the ones in Predators who mostly stayed on the ground and used their dogs to hunt like they were chasing a fox.

The Music

Officially, the score for The Predator was written by Henry Jackman, not Alan Silvestri, who handled the score of the original film, but you wouldn't know that from the music. Many of the music cues, especially those surrounding the Predator itself, are clearly inspired by Silvestri's work in the first movie, if not taken directly from that score, making The Predator sound like you're watching the original movie as well as watching it.

One Ugly Motherfucker

One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's memorable lines from Predator is what he says at the end of the film when he finally lays eyes on the actual creature's face, and not the helmet it's been wearing the whole time. Dutch calls the creature "one ugly motherfucker." I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder because Olivia Munn's Casey Brackett has a very different opinion when she sees the alien for the first time at the beginning of The Predator. She leans down to whisper to the unconscious thing and calls it a "beautiful motherfucker."

The Dirty Jokes

The original Predator has some funny moments, but the new movie by Shane Black really amps up the comedy. Much of this comes from Keegan-Michael Key, whose character Coyle uses jokes as a defense mechanism against the horrors he's dealing with in his life. Most of his jokes are at the expense of Thomas Jane's Baxley, or more specifically, Baxley's mother, and they're pretty vulgar jokes, too. Coyle isn't the only one who likes to make jokes about female genitalia. In the original film, team member Hawkins also tries to get Billy to laugh more than once with some equally dirty jokes on the same topic. Clearly, the director wanted to keep this aspect of Predator going, since Hawkins was originally played by Shane Black.

Get to the Chopper

Arnold Schwarzenegger is, quite simply one of the most quotable action heroes ever. Sometimes intentionally and sometimes not, nearly every one of his 80s classics had a line worth remembering. Predator had several, but probably the most well known is Arnold shouting "Get to the chopper" as he urges his companion, a young woman named Anna, to escape. In The Predator, the character of Nebraska shouts "get to the choppers" in an obvious homage to Arnold, though in this case, Nebraska isn't talking about a helicopter, he's talking about motorcycles the team can use to escape.

It's been eight years since the last film in the long-running Predator franchise, but audiences finally return to the hunt this weekend with the release of The Predator. Shane Black's relaunch is the biggest new release this weekend and it has been tracking to have the best opening weekend in the franchise. The Predator got a head start on its box office run last night, making $2.5 million in Thursday night preview screenings.

The Predator now has $2.5 million in the bank ahead of what is forecasted to be a $25-$30 million weekend, according to Deadline. That should give The Predator a decent shot at snagging first place at the box office. For comparison, the similarly R-rated Alien: Covenant posted $4.2 million from preview screenings ahead of a $36 million weekend. The best opening for a film with the Predator in it was Alien Vs. Predator, which made $38.2 million when it debuted in 2004, although it is up for debate whether that really counts as a Predator film. The best debut for a proper Predator film was Predators, which made $24.7 million opening weekend, a number The Predator is tracking to beat.

In a contest of killing prowess, the Predator has no equal, but at the box office, The Predator will be facing some stiff competition for the #1 spot in the form of The Nun. The Conjuring Universe film overcame bad reviews to set a record for that franchise last weekend, and it is still looking strong this weekend. The Nun is tracking to make around $25 million in the next few days, but The Predator is projected to edge it out at the box office.

This weekend has no shortage of R-rated fare with White Boy Rick and A Simple Favor also debuting. White Boy Rick, the Matthew McConaughey film based on a true story, made $575K in preview screenings last night and is tracking at around $8-$10 million for the weekend. A Simple Favor boasts the best reviews of this weekend's new releases and made $900K in previews on its way to a weekend that should fall somewhere in the mid-teens.

Thursday night's $2.5 million isn't a bad start for The Predator, and if it lives up to the tracking, it will be well on its way to recouping its $88 million budget. That The Predator is looking to perform this well speaks to the nostalgia for the franchise and audience desire for this kind of movie. There are a lot of internal and external forces that you might think would make matters more difficult for The Predator's box office prospects but they do not appear to be doing so. The sex offender controversy that popped up last week has become a story around the film, and even ignoring that unfortunate situation, The Predator is not doing particularly well critically, sitting at 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. That said, some people really dug it. There is also the fact the East Coast is dealing with Hurricane Florence, but it looks like The Predator doesn't mind a little rain.

The Predator is now playing. Check out what we thought of the film and head on over to our release guide to see all the biggest movies still coming this year.

Shane Black's new movie The Predator is now in theaters but while some may be focused on the film, a lot of the buzz around the movie right now is surrounds what you won't see in it. Specifically, a scene that was cut at the last minute following the revelation that the actor in it was a registered sex offender. Since the casting of the man in question was done by director Shane Black, who had a personal relationship with the man, a lot of heat has come down upon him. Last night, at the red carpet premiere of The Predator, Black apologized to everyone for everything that came about due to what he called an "irresponsible" error in judgment. Check out his full apology below.

Shane Black tells the Associated Press that as director of The Predator he was the captain of the ship and ultimately responsible for everything that happened. And he does take full responsibility. He understands that he made a serious error in hiring his friend Steven Wilder Striegel and putting him in a scene in the movie. While he does say that there were things he didn't know about the situation that shocked him, he doesn't use that as an excuse, he says it was his job to make sure those things don't happen, and in this case, he failed, causing pain to people in his cast.

He's also upset because, due to his error, this situation is now hanging over the movie, which means the cast and crew that helped make it can't enjoy their success as much. He does say he hopes he learns from this experience. If this apology is as genuine as it sounds, he almost certainly will.

All of this transpired just about a week ago, when Olivia Munn, who shared the one scene that Steven Wilder Striegel appeared in, learned of his history as a sex offender. She brought the information to studio 20th Century Fox, who made the decision to cut the scene ahead of The Predator's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Frequently, we see public apologies like this get defensive or attempt explanations or justifications. We certainly don't see that here which is a welcome change of pace. Shane Black clearly understands he made a big mistake in the eyes of his cast and the public in general. While this is potentially a much bigger mistake than the average person makes on a daily basis, and an apology alone might not be enough to clear up the issue in everybody's eyes, the apology is an important part of making things right and it's an indication that Black understands what he needs to do to earn back the trust of others.

There's a trend in Hollywood as of late, where sequels continue from certain points on a timeline of a series narration, and overlook sequels -- continuity be damned. David Gordon Green's Halloween sequel does this, building right off of the story in John Carpenter's original film. And Shane Black's new The Predator takes its cues from the original, but absolutely acknowledges Predator 2 as being canon. So when we sat down with the cast at a recent press day, we asked which of the previous Predator movies they suggested audiences watch before going to this new one, and they told CinemaBlend:

It definitely would be strange to drop into Shane Black's The Predator without having seen any of the previous films. Without diving into any specific spoilers, there are lots of references to the original film, and a few nods to the sequels, that will play better if you understand this world, and what has come before it. As young Jacob Tremblay explains, the humor is somewhat rooted in the audience understanding the point of the Predator movies, and that traces back to the first film.

That being said, if you haven't yet seen Arnold Schwarzenegger facing off against an alien menace in the original Predator, what the hell is the matter with you? It's an action-movie classic. Rectify that nonsense, then grab a ticket to Shane Black's new film.

In The Predator, a military sniper (Boyd Holbrook) on mission in Mexico encounters a small Predator who is on a mysterious mission of his/her own. Caught up in a government investigation, Holbrook must now team up with a band of loony ex-soldiers and a curious scientist (Olivia Munn) to prevent an Ultimate Predator from causing even more harm.

The movie opened in theaters on Thursday night, and is poised to take the box office by storm this weekend.

The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for The Predator.

When the sequel to Predator was first announced, it looked like the film was planning to draw a direct connection to the original entry by bringing back Arnold Schwarzenegger in some capacity. The actor has gone on record to say that he was offered a role, but that he decided to turn it down. We don't know for sure what the original plan was for Arnold's appearance in the film, but The Predator is now in theaters, and having seen it, there is one obvious place where Arnold's character Dutch was probably planned to appear. The very end of the film, coming out of the Predator pod.

The story of The Predator is actually the story of two predator creatures. One, it turns out, came here to help humanity by providing us with something that we'll be able to use to fight off the aliens that like to hunt us for sport. The second, much larger predator, comes to Earth hunting the first one and killing whatever else happens to get in his way, in order to destroy this weapon.

While it appears at first that the Ultimate Predator is successful in destroying the weapon by blowing up the first predator's spaceship, after the dust clears, we learn that the item had automatically ejected itself prior to the explosion, and that it gets recovered. It looks like a metal coffin, oblong in shape but wider at one end. We're told the object is a Predator Killer, and it's easy to assume based on the pod shape that what's inside is some sort of creature, it ends up being a new piece of Predator technology that turns the wearer into a Predator. But was that always the plan?

That pod really looked like a person, or at least something humanoid, belonged inside it. Could it be that originally the Predator Killer was designed to be Dutch? Of course, it probably wouldn't have actually been Dutch, simply the older soldier in an alien pod for some reason, but something that looked like him. Either way, you'd need Arnold Schwarzenegger there to do the scene right. It could have been some sort of combination of Dutch and a Predator that had been genetically engineered, or perhaps, since we're introduced to a character who's an expert in cybertronics just a moment before, some sort of Dutch robot, maybe even, just for fun, something that looks as much like The Terminator as it does Dutch. The audience would have gone bonkers.

Arnold Schwarzenegger had said that the reason he decided against appearing in the new film was that the role for him wasn't very significant, and a cameo at the very end of the movie before the credits roll would certainly count. Shane Black said an Arnold appearance would "probably" have been just something at the end. If this was the plan, how drastically would they have changed the ending when it was determined that Schwarzenegger wouldn't be appearing? How much of the finale had already been filmed? The Predator Killer tech was all CGI anyway, so adding it into an already existing scene wouldn't have been too complicated if they had filmed everything but those last moments.

I can honestly say that the audience at my screening got the most excited by The Predator at the very end as we all began to wonder what was in the pod. You could tell the same idea had crossed everybody's mind. Even I, who follows these things professionally and was fairly certain Arnold would not appear, began to wonder very briefly if Shane Black had been able to surprise everybody. It felt like Arnold was meant to be in that scene. There was a clear "let down" feeling once everybody realized the thing they were waiting on wasn't Arnold.

Even if this isn't what the ending was supposed to be, it's what the ending should have been.

It's been eight years since the last entry in the storied Predator franchise. Now, Shane Black, who co-starred in the 1987 original, takes his turn behind the camera as the co-writer and director. How does the new entry in the series stack up against the previous installments? The crew here at CinemaBlend has seen the new action/horror title and while, like most things, we don't agree perfectly, the general consensus could be summed up as, "a fun time with a movie that has some serious problems." In my review of The Predator for CinemaBlend, I summed it up like this...

The Predator is an incredibly fast-paced movie, it moves so quickly from one action beat to the next, that it clearly had to cut out some of its own story to keep things from slowing down. It's clearly been edited with a machete rather than a scalpel. If, however, you're here to be swept up in the brutal kills and the non-stop one-liners, there is fun to be had in that.

CinemaBlend managing Director Sean O'Connell's feelings fell pretty close to my own. While he admits the movie has its issues is, mostly in the third act. He overall had a fun time with the movie and the parts that worked.

Our Events Editor Eric Eisenberg is probably the harshest critic of The Predator here at CinemaBlend. Whereas Sean overall had fun with the film but recognized some shortcomings, Eric recognizes some bright spots, but overall was disappointed.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Senior Contributor Mike Reyes probably enjoyed the film the most on our team. He thought The Predator was bloody, funny, and bloody funny.

In conclusion, it seems like The Predator is a funny and violent action movie with some significant issues with its storytelling. The question for the audience will be, do those bright spots overshadow the problems the movie has? For most of us here at CinemaBlend they did, but the audience will speak when The Predator opens tomorrow.

It's more than a little shocking how well the Predator franchise has endured over the years, considering how even some of its most ardent supporters will admit that most of the sequels and spinoffs haven't been very good. Yet, here we are, giving another sequel a try, though this time we have Shane Black, who coincidentally co-starred in the original Predator, trying to add his unique style to the brand. The result, simply titled The Predator, still isn't able to recapture whatever magic the original film created, but it is able to make for an entertaining enough sequel, which is a first for the franchise.

Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) is a military sniper on an assignment in Mexico when his operation is thrown into disarray due to the unexpected arrival of an alien spacecraft crash-landing practically on top of him. His unit engages with the Predator and, as one might expect, does not fare well. Only McKenna survives, and he escapes with some of the alien's technology. He's able to ship the material home before being apprehended by Traeger (Sterling K. Brown) and the organization he runs which has been studying the alien threat. Traeger, in turn, brings in scientist Casey Bracket (Olivia Munn) to aid in the study of the Predator they captured, while dumping McKenna in with a group of military "Loonies" (Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane, and more) so that nobody will believe anything he says about aliens. However, when McKenna's son (Jacob Tremblay) gets his hands on the alien tech mailed home by dad, well, bad stuff is going to happen.

If the original Predator successfully blended two genres together, that of action and horror, then The Predator takes it to the next level by adding a third: comedy. The film is surprisingly funny. Some of that comedy comes from Keegan-Michael Key's Coyle having a penchant for dirty jokes, and an uncomfortable amount of it comes from Thomas Jane's Baxley (he suffers from Tourette's Syndrome, so he randomly swears, which is funny, I guess). A lot of just comes from the sort of rapid-fire one-liners you would expect from a movie directed by Shane Black. While it's hard to say The Predator feels like a "Shane Black movie," it certainly feels like a "Predator movie," just one which happens to be written by Shane Black. The humor works, you'll find yourself laughing out loud at points, even just after watching a limb being torn from somebody's body.

Because make no mistake, The Predator is still an action-horror franchise. There are lots of guys with lots of big guns and no less than two alien hunters who are skilled at eviscerating whatever gets in their way. The Predator is as bloody a movie as the franchise has ever seen, jokes or no jokes. This movie earns its R-rating.

And it's where these two ideas come together that the movie starts to get lost. The "Loonies" are an interesting bunch of characters, far more so than Boyd Holbrook's "generic white male protagonist" to be sure. Whereas the military team from the first Predator was made up of slightly different variations of testosterone-fueled macho men, this time around our heroes are a group of guys who have been to war and come back broken. This subversion feels intentional, but the movie never stops long enough to deal with it in any meaningful way.

In fact, The Predator never stops for much of anything at all. It moves from one action scene to the next, one snappy quip to the next, without taking a break. It moves so fast that it's difficult to notice at first that there just isn't much story there. Characters seem to pick up information as well as equipment with no explanation where it came from, making it clear that pieces of this movie were left on the cutting room floor. Not too surprising, since we know that entire characters were cut from this film at some point, but the result is that what's left doesn't feel quite complete.

Still, in the end, while I can't say I loved The Predator, I also can't say that I didn't enjoy the hell out of The Predator. The action and the comedy combine well, and if you let the movie just take you for the ride, you'll probably enjoy the trip. I can't shake the feeling this movie wanted to be something more than it became, but I can't say I didn't have a good time with what it was.

The following contains some mild spoilers for the upcoming release, The Predator. So stop reading now if you want to go into the new movie totally unscathed.

Shane Black's The Predator bursts into theaters starting on Thursday night, and with it comes a fresh take on the Predator mythology, with not one but two different Predator creatures arriving on our planet with deadly missions. There are plenty of new characters ready to stand in the Predator's way, but one supporting cast member saw their scenes hit the cutting room floor before the final edit reached theaters. So, when we did interviews with The Predator cast in Toronto, we asked them who Edward James Olmos was supposed to play in the movie, and co-star Trevante Rhodes told us:

Short. Sweet. But it gives some deeper context into the role that Shane Black saw for Edward James Olmos. "Traeger" is the character played by Sterling K. Brown in the new movie. And yes, his introduction into the film is -- mysterious. He's certainly aware of the fact that the Predators have been visiting this planet since 1987. And Traeger recruits Olivia Munn's scientist character, Casey Bracket, into his quest to hunt down the Predator. But who he works for is... vague. And when he's at odds with Boyd Holbrook's hero, Quinn McKenna, we're not 100% sure why, when they both have a similar goal of stopping the ultimate killing machine, at whatever cost.

Perhaps there were scenes with Edward James Olmos that would have given more backstory into the purpose of Traeger's character. But for reasons only Shane Black knows, The Predator dropped all mention of Olmos, and the Mayans M.C. and Miami Vice star found himself out of the film.

Here's Trevante Rhodes, opening up a bit about his The Predator co-star:

And though we don't have Edward James Olmos bringing the intensity and heat to The Predator, the cast certainly isn't lacking for attitude and talent. Boyd Holbrook leads a band of crazies into battle against the Predator, including Thomas Jane, Keegan-Michael Key, Trevante Rhodes, Alfie Allen and Augusto Aguilera. Olivia Munn tags along, and they all fight to protect Jacob Tremblay, who might hold the key to stopping any future Predator attacks.

Shane Black's new movie will be in theaters on September 13.

With the trend of nostalgia proving endlessly popular, there is no property off limits for a reboot or long awaited sequel. This includes the horror genre, which will see new sequels for Halloween and Predator this fall. The latter is titled The Predator, and is directed by Nice Guys' Shane Black. Black is putting his signature comedy into the beloved franchise, while also crafting a new monster that would be able to destroy even the titular monster. It turns out that he also had a role in mind for original protagonist Arnold Schwarzenegger, before the actor turned it down. Although Black totally gets why. As he tells it,

Well, at least there's no hard feelings. While Shane Black would have liked Arnold Schwarzenegger to be present during The Predator's mysterious finale, the actor understandably wasn't interested in a cameo. Black's comments to Digital Spy indicate he understands how the cookie crumbles, so negotiations probably ended on a positive note.

Rebooting beloved franchises is a tricky game, especially when it comes to including its original stars. In this case there's usually two options: bring them back and make them a star of the movie, or give the OG star a mentor role for the new set of heroes. Harrison Ford did both with The Force Awakens and Blade Runner 2049 respectively. And while Arnold Schwarzenegger will return to the Terminator franchise soon, Predator fans will have to keep their fingers crossed for Schwarzenegger's character Dutch to return sometime in the future.

While Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't return for The Predator, the upcoming sequel does have some connection to the 1987 classic. Actor Jake Busey (Starship Troopers) is playing Sean Keyes, the son of Jake Busey's OG character Peter Keyes. It's especially powerful since they're father and son in real life, adding a special connection to the overall franchise.

It should be interesting to see how The Predator ends up doing at the box office. A scandal is currently surrounding the blockbuster, after actress Olivia Munn discovered a day player on the project was a registered sex offender. Poor timing, considering The Predator hits theaters this weekend.

The Predator will arrive in theaters on September 14th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

After a slower couple of weeks with new releases, the fall movie season really gets underway with some interesting flicks hitting the big screen this Friday. We've got the return of some famous aliens, the story of a young FBI informant, a strange disappearance, and a spiritual sequel. Get ready for The Predator, A Simple Favor, Unbroken: Path to Redemption and White Boy Rick.

Just remember, I'm not reviewing these movies, but rather predicting where they'll end up on the Tomatometer. Let's take a look at This Rotten Week has to offer.

I'll give this Predator species credit: no matter how many times they come to Earth with nefarious intentions and fail at the hands of some determined humans, the dreadlocked dudes just keep coming back for more. You really have to admire their tenacity, even if their results leave a lot to be desired. In this one, they enter a small town and a group of mercenaries are tasked with protecting the suburbs.

Shane Black is at the helm of fourth Predator movie after directing The Nice Guys (92%), Iron Man 3 (79%) and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (85%). Early opinions of his latest are generally positive with the Tomatometer sitting at 64% through 24 reviews. Some appreciate its attempt at tongue-in-cheek one-liners and over-the-top action, while others didn't really get fully into the spectacle. I suspect that means we keep seeing the score drop over the course of the week, but not to any great degree.

When I was 14 my primary issues were how to eradicate a tremendous amount of zits and avoid the attention of seniors who had little issue making life hell for underclassmen. It was a far cry from Richard Wersche's onset of teenage years featured in White Boy Rick when he first started a hustle selling guns, moved into heavy drugs, and became the youngest ever FBI informant.

White Boy Rick stars Richie Merrit as the titular character and Matthew McCounaghy as his father who gets caught up in all of the nonsense as well. Director Yann Demange has one other movie under his belt, 71 (95%). It doesn't look like his latest will finish anywhere close to his first work. Through 12 reviews it's sitting at 50% with critics generally enjoying the performances of the leads without caring all that much for a jumbled story. I suspect we see the score drop even more over the course of the week as it moves further out of Fresh range.

In A Simple Favor, a flick that seems to have a very Gone Girl feel to it, Anna Kendrick is a small-time blogger who's able to work her way into a friendship with a mysterious (and apparently rather wealthy) character - played by Blake Lively - who promptly disappears. The rest of the flick looks like one of those mind-fuck style whodunnits in which you don't even know if the missing person is playing some kind of scheme or there's really some bad stuff that went down.

Director Paul Fieg is generally known for his comedic work with films like Ghostbusters (74%), Spy (94%), The Heat (65%) and Bridesmaids (90%). This time he's exploring a much darker kind of film. It looks intriguing, and Kendrick appears to play a very different role than we're used to seeing. I suspect critics latch on to the style and performances and keep A Simple Favor afloat with a Fresh score.

Back in 2014 director Angelina Jolie brought us the film Unbroken, telling the story of runner-turned-solider-turned-POW Louis Zamperini in an amazing and harrowing story of perseverance. But while the movie ended with Louis returning home after being freed from the Japanese POW camp, the book the movie was based on, written by author Laura Hillenbrand, also describes his experience when he first came home. That's where Unbroken: Path to Redemption picks up.

Of course, it should be noted that this release is a completely different feature than its predecessor, as it features a heavy Christian bent - with much of the focus being on Zamperini dealing with inner demons and ultimately finding religion. The fact that this is directed by Harold Cronk, who also helmed God's Not Dead _and _God's Not Dead 2 (14% and 8%, respectively) has me with low hopes for the critical reception. It will for sure appeal to its direct target audience, but I can't imagine many other folks latch on.

Oh baby, did I ever blow it last week. Two movies were released and both were so, so, so far off from the predictions. Peppermint (Predicted: 52% Actual: 13%) turned into an unmitigated disaster. I should have seen this coming considering the timing of release. Movies coming out leading into Labor Day weekend tend to be ones studios are looking to unload rather quietly while folks enjoy the last couple days of summer. Critics panned the hell out of Jennifer Garner's vigilante turn. I don't see a franchise coming here.

Meanwhile, The Nun (Predicted: 59% Actual: 28%) suffered a similar fate with critics being not too happy with the fifth installment of The Conjuring franchise. The general consensus was there were some scares but the plot was meandering at best, nonexistent at worst. It was another release that I shouldn't have been so bullish on projecting.

Next time around we've got Fahrenheit 11/9, The House With A Clocks In Its Walls and Life Itself. It's gonna be a Rotten Week!

After a slew of unsatisfying Predator sequels, Shane Black's new take on the franchise offers fans a promising entry for the franchise. The talented director has brought well-received comedic-action flicks such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys to the screen in the past. As such, Black's role helming the new showdown is an exciting aspect of the upcoming release. But before it reached audiences, a small change had to be made to the film, as Fox deleted a scene that included a registered sex offender. This happened after actress Olivia Munn brought the information to the attention of the studio. Cast member Jake Busey recently addressed the incident at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the movie premiered. Here's what he said:

In the interview with Variety, Jake Busey's comments illustrate how the cast and crew of The Predator were unaware that actor Steven Wilder Striegel was a registered sex offender during production. Striegel originally played in a short three-page scene alongside Olivia Munn, where he reportedly hits on her character, Casey Bracket. Munn approached Fox in mid-August of the circumstances, leading them to delete the scene from The Predator within 24 hours. Striegel served six months in jail in 2010 after pleading guilty to charges regarding attempts to lure a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship via the internet.

While Olivia Munn and the rest of the cast has expressed their surprise of the situation, director Shane Black has been friends with Steven Wilder Striegel for 14 years, and was aware of the facts of the actor's history. Striegel also previously was cast in Black's other films including Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys. Shane Black apologized when the information was released to the public, admitting that he "personally chose to help a friend" by casting him in the project but showed understanding in the disapproval of his decision.

Jake Busey's comments comes as The Predator gets ready for its upcoming wide release. After its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival, critics have praised it for its fun, hyper-violent and hilarious approach to the franchise, with CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell calling it the sequel fans have been waiting for. The Predator is expected to have a strong opening when it hits theaters on September 14.

People have been waiting for a solid Predator sequel for a long time. Is Shane Black's new effort finally the one fans have been looking for? The Predator screened last night as part of the Toronto International Film Festival so attendees were the first to get a glimpse at this new generation of the alien hunter. Is this movie the one you've been waiting for? Maybe? Reviews are actually quite varied, but while the film clearly isn't perfect, it's not without its charms either. CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell was in the audience last night and he says it's the best Predator sequel so far, and that isn't only because all the other ones sucked.

If there is one common, and unexpected, thread running through the TIFF reactions to The Predator, it's that the movie is actually quite funny. Chris Evangelista with Slashfilm also recognizes the humor, and while he feels it may veer into the realm of stupid on occasion, it seems that overall that's not necessarily a bad thing.

While many responses are of the sort that would classify The Predator as, at the very least, "fun," not every response is quite as forgiving. Dread Central finds that some of the ideas in the new movie just don't work at all, though it doesn't think these will be deal-breakers for most viewers.

While most seem capable of finding something worthy of praise in The Predator, that certainly not the case for all. Variety finds the movie simply too busy, with so much going on that anything worthwhile simply gets lost, if it as ever there to begin with.

So, in the final analysis, is The Predator good? As is often the case, that will depend on the viewer. If you're looking for an over the top spectacle with Shane Black's trademark humor combined with impressive deaths at the hands of a killer alien, then there's probably something to enjoy here. If you were expecting a dark, violent, horror movie, you may need to adjust those expectations.

The horror genre has been on a serious roll recently, with high quality movies making tons of money at the box office. Now studios are turning their heads towards the classics, including Halloween and The Predator. The latter is directed by Shane Black, and has been building anticipation since the film's first footage dropped. The upcoming movie features Black's signature sense of humor, containing a strong cast that appear to be adding equal parts comedy and horror to their performances. The Predator also included 47 year old actor Steven Wilder Striegel, but he was cut from the sequel, after it was revealed he was a registered sex offender.

This shocking report comes from LA Times, which broke the story of Steven Wilder Striegel's cut role in The Predator. Strigel is reportedly a close friend of director Shane Black, prompting his cut scene with Olivia Munn's character Casey Bracket. It was actually Munn who is allegedly responsible for cutting Striegel out of the theatrical cut. After learning of his record as a sex offender, she went to 20th Century Fox to make sure The Predator distanced itself from the actor.

The editing process was likely prompt, as Steven Wilder Striegel was reportedly only in a three page scene of the script. Blockbusters leave sequences on the cutting room floor all the time, so that's not necessarily a strange practice. The key was the timing, as Olivia Munn allegedly wanted to make sure the situation was addressed before The Predator got a wide release.

According to the report, Steven Wilder Striegel plead guilty to allegations in 2010, after trying to solicit a minor into an online sexual relationship. After the story became public, 20th Century Fox made a statement about Striegel's casting in The Predator, saying:

While Steven Wilder Striegel was ultimately taken out of The Predator before its release, it's still possible that the controversy and potential scandal may plague its release-- if for no other reason than Shane Black is reportedly close friends with Striegel. The lesser known actor has gotten a fair amount of work after serving six months in jail, the first of which was actually Shane Black's Marvel flick Iron Man 3. But given the entertainment world's current state in the wake of sexual misconduct cases and the #MeToo movement, news of Striegel's past will have a much more active audience.

CinemaBlend will keep you updated on all things The Predator, as it gears up to hit theaters on September 14, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

The Predator started out 2018 as one of the year's most anticipated movies, but I think it is fair to say that the marketing for the film hasn't been overwhelmingly awesome as of yet. A few months back, CinemaBlend's own Mike Reyes argued that The Predator needed to hurry up and release a red-band trailer to show off the film's mature content. And although a red-band trailer has been released since, more is better. Now, in advance of The Predator's release in two weeks time, there is a new trailer and it's the best one yet, teasing an epic action movie that earns its R rating. Check out The Predator NSFW trailer below:

Now that's more like it. The focus here isn't on the kid or the stuff with the hybridization, but instead on the action and the humor. This trailer also makes it clearer than anything else that has been shown so far that The Predator is indeed a Shane Black movie and all the vulgarity that comes along with that will not be absent in this film. What's great is how this trailer manages to balance the intense action, the adult humor and the scariness of the Predators, and it all works. The team dynamic on display among the characters looks like it will be a real highlight of the movie and the Predators themselves look awesome, especially the super sized Ultimate Predator. There's also some fun, self-aware Shane Black humor when Olivia Munn's character comments that Predators should really be called sport hunters but Sterling K. Brown's character responds that "Predator is cooler," indeed it is.

It doesn't look like this movie will be holding back on the gore either. There are a couple shots that stand out showing just how violent and bloody facing off with extraterrestrial hunters can be. There is one very gnarly shot where the Predator shoots his spear through a guy and the blood drips off the chain, and towards the end of the trailer there is a shot where one of the Predators is just gutting a dude with his wrist blades and it is extremely badass. So, that R rating is no accident.

The Predator had to undergo some major third act reshoots to make the film's ending scarier, so we'll see how that turns out and, hopefully, this new film becomes a worthy entry in the Predator franchise. This trailer certainly shows off the kind of NSFW goodness we are hoping for from this movie. The Predator is tracking a $30 million opening when it faces off against A Simple Favor and White Boy Rick.

The hunt begins when The Predator opens in theaters on September 14th. Check out our release schedule for all the biggest movies still to come this year.

When September arrives, it feels like the end of summer; but considering the season doesn't really end until the month has almost left us, that's a bit of a lie. And, it certainly feels less honest when you take into consideration that this September feels like another one of those months that further proves that the cinematic "off season" is only shrinking further into non-existence. The following 10 films are ready not only to help you contribute to the financial institution of theatrical exhibition, they're also open to entertaining you as only they can.

The Nun

The universe of The Conjuring films is getting a little bit bigger, thanks to Annabelle: Creation's success in helping to continue the franchise within a franchise. Now, Valac, the demon turned possessed nun of The Conjuring 2 is taking the stage with The Nun. If you need a refresher on just how The Nun connects to The Conjuring universe, that's the sort of knowledge that's out there on the internet for you to read. What isn't out there is just how Taissa Farmiga and Demian Bichir's members of the Catholic church will fare against the origins of this dark presence. Looking at the franchise's history, it'll be a scary good time, but we might not want to get too attached to these folks.

Opens Sept. 7th

Peppermint

Much like Die Hard before it, the cottage industry known as the "Taken, but with __" genre hasn't slowed down a bit, especially if you read just the synopsis for Peppermint. That's all well and good, but there's two major factors that make this clone one to watch out for: the first being that the director is none other than Pierre Morel, the director of the first/best Taken. The second, and most important decision is how they decided to fill in that blank: "Taken, but with Sydney F'ing Bristow," as Jennifer Garner has returned to professional ass-kicking, and business looks as brutal as ever. Should this do well enough, it might be a good time to re-stoke the fires surrounding that Alias reboot, and turning it into a revival.

Opens Sept. 7th

The Predator

If you went back in time to 2010 and told us that, in the not too distant future, Shane Black would not only write a new Predator film, but also direct it, we probably would have still gone to see Predators, but also have formed an orderly line to see The Predator right after. Bridging the continuity between the older films and the Adrian Brody sequel, Black returns with co-writer Fred Dekker to bring Boyd Holbrook, Sterling K. Brown, and a ton of other familiar faces closer to a new breed of killer. Don't let the box office returns on The Nice Guys fool you, Shane Black has been on a hot streak. Fingers crossed that the dice land in his favor on this one, as it looks like the sequel everyone's been waiting for since Predator.

Opens Sept. 14th

A Simple Favor

When you think of writer/director Paul Feig, you're more likely to think of fast paced comedy rather than a twisted mystery. And, that's probably why he decided to make the noir tinged thriller A Simple Favor, which seemed to have come out of nowhere -- especially considering how Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are the film's leads. On the surface, this looks like a pot-boiler that sees Kendrick's character trying to find out what happened to her new, and now recently disappeared, friend. But, as any mystery buff or Gone Girl fan will tell you, the truth of the matter is probably going to take some digging, and we've got our shovels ready.

Opens Sept. 14th

White Boy Rick

Whiz kids exist in all sorts of lines of work, and the drug trade was certainly no exception. Just ask Richard Wershe Jr., the youngest FBI informant / drug dealer whose true story inspired White Boy Rick. Actor Richie Merritt makes his debut playing the titular character, with Matthew McConaughey playing his father, in a story that sees young Rick making money as fast as he made both friends and enemies, in a story that looks to play out like a Reagan-era version of The Social Network, just set in the criminal underworld of '80s Detroit.

Opens Sept. 14th

The House With A Clock In Its Walls

Not to be confused with Hotel Artemis, The House With A Clock In Its Walls looks like the sort of family friendly romp you'd see just before Halloween, and Amblin Entertainment's hand in helping this film out only cements that further. But what's most intriguing about what looks like a fantastic Goosebumps adjacent film, featuring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett in its cast, is the fact that Eli "Hostel" Roth directed it. It's a move that's reminiscent of Danny Boyle shifting from 28 Days Later to Millions, and if it's anywhere near as successful, this one's going to be as fun as it looks.

Opens Sept. 21st

Life Itself

So far, everything that's been selling Life Itself has been incredibly vague, yet at the same time very clear about what you're going to see. Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde are going to fall in love, this love apparently will affect other people (like Antonio Banderas and Olivia Cooke) throughout the world, and a lot of sad / uplifting stuff is going to happen. That said, This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman is the hand behind the story, as well as the director who'll be making his debut in said chair on Life Itself. So, if there's anyone you could trust to break your heart, and slowly piece it back together with some Oscar Isaac, it'd definitely be him. Kleenex, how are you not sponsoring this?

Opens Sept. 21st

Assassination Nation

Earlier this year, Sorry To Bother You took on Capitalism, and other societal mores / woes, and spun them into a story that's too outrageous to describe. In a very similar vein, Assassination Nation promises to take themes such as the high school experience and internet culture, and put them through the same ringer. Needless to say, this means that what looks like a slow, but brutal descent into madness and Purge style mayhem is pretty much a must see. Though when you think back to how this film was provoking reactions similar to those of Mandy and Hereditary at this year's Sundance Film Festival, it's not that big of a shock.

_Opens Sept. 21st _

Night School

Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish are two talents that have had meteoric rises in the world of comedy, so their teaming up was only a matter of time. In that respect, Night School isn't only a funny spin on the standard teacher/student inspiration film, it's also a film that was destined to be. With Hart as the student and Haddish as the teacher, mischief is a two way door, as Kevin's protagonist dishes it out with Tiffany's semi-antagonist more than happy to return it. If you want to play it on the nose in the month that typically heralds the return to school, you can't go wrong.

Opens Sept. 28th

Smallfoot

The kids may have gone back to school, but that doesn't mean you can't sneak them off to the movies on a random weekend for some fun. Warner Bros understands this, and they've made sure that Smallfoot will be there for you and your younglings when you feel the need for some animated thrills. Channing Tatum, Zendaya, Lebron James, and James Corden all star in a cast that includes too many big names to mention, in an equally large story about a Yeti, a man, and the bridge between our worlds. It looks silly, but so did Storks, and that actually turned out to be way better than anyone could have imagined. So, for Smallfoot, we're ready to believe.

Opens Sept. 28th

Each new piece of marketing for The Predator shows us something new about the upcoming film and the latest clip confirms he's not coming to Earth alone. A brand new TV spot for Shane Black's upcoming Predator movie shows that in addition to the inclusion of the Super Predator, we'll also see the lethal hunter's favorite hunting tool, the Hell Hounds. Check it out.

While the moments are pretty brief, the Hell Hounds are clearly going to make their presence felt in the new film. In an early part of the clip, posted by Platinum poop, we see them looking menacing but obscured by shadow alongside their master. Later we get a much better look at one looking very hungry. This is pretty bad news for anybody who gets in the way of the vicious beasts.

The clip at least implies that the Hell Hounds will make their appearance early in the film as they appear while one of the soldiers initially dispatched to investigate the alien crash is being interrogated about what he experienced. It is, of course, very possible that all these clips are not actually in sequence. We certainly haven't seen the Hell Hounds before and we've seen a fair amount of both the Predator and Super Predator characters in previous trailers, which would seem to imply that eventually, the hunting dogs won't be working alongside the Super Predator as one might expect. Of course, I'm guessing that considering how much of the new film has actually been revealed, there may be some significant things still being hidden behind the curtain. Either way, the Hell Hounds look pretty imposing here.

A lot of fans are looking forward to a new Predator movie that is directed by the well-regarded Shane Black. While the regular drip-feed of information has given us a pretty solid idea of what sort of movie we're in for, in the end, it's all dependent on what sort of action we get, and that has been only teased, so fans aren't quite sure what to expect. Of course, recent word that the film went out for another round of reshoots only recently means we really have no idea what the plan is at this point.

One thing we do expect is a rock-solid cast that includes Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, and Thomas Jane among others. The movie has gotten so big that Edward James Olmos was apparently edited out for time. The Predator arrives in theaters September 14.

A killer from another world is going to invade Earth next month when Shane Black returns to the Predator series for The Predator. The trailers for the film have seemingly promised a return to form, with intense violence and some pretty crude humor sprinkled throughout. Now that The Predator has received its official R rating, we can now confirm that these elements will help solidify its adult status. Specifically, the film has an R-rating for:

Most of these elements should not surprise longtime fans of the franchise. Predators are vicious hunters who kill, skin, and debone their victims without a second thought. Couple that with the fact that the film will introduce an elite team of special forces operators and an "Ultimate Predator" for them to face off against, and it becomes relatively clear that violence will play a significant role in this story. Then add in the fact that this is a Shane Black movie, and we can expect a lot of swearing and references to sexuality as well.

Of course, the rating laid out by Filmratings.com doesn't necessarily note that there are actual sexual situations or nudity in the film. With so much chaos accompanying the arrival of the aliens, it looks like the, "if your mom's vagina was a video game" gag from a recent red band trailer is the extent of it.

Given Shane Black's desire to bring the franchise back to the spirit of the films that opened the series back in the 1980s and 1990s (not to mention the fact that Shane Black was actually a star of the original Predator movie), we should expect something that leans much closer to John McTiernan's Predator than something as (relatively) family-friendly as Alien vs. Predator.

An R rating for The Predator seems to make plenty of sense, particularly when we look at how the franchise has endeavored to go back to its roots. Most installments in the Predator franchise (such as Predator, Predator 2, and Predators) have all been rated R, and the only film to delve into the realm of PG-13 was Alien vs. Predator, and while Alien vs. Predator: Requiem DID have an R rating, we still don't like to talk about that film.

The Predator will hit theaters next month on September 14. If you want to see all of the bloody violence and hear all of the strong language and crude sexual references, then make sure to check it out when it debuts -- just remember to leave the kids at home. Until the film makes its theatrical debut, you can also head over to our 2018 movie premiere guide to read up on all of the films that are going to hit theaters this year.

It's no secret that Shane Black's The Predator has undergone some major changes since it entered post-production. The release date has been pushed back multiple times, and earlier this year star Keegan Michael-Key revealed that the majority of the film's ending has totally changed. We may never know the full extent of the alterations (we'll have to wait and see what the home video strategy is), but according to Edward James Olmos, one element that has been totally cut out is his performance:

The Battlestar Galactica actor is currently doing interviews for his new series, Mayans M.C., at the TCA Press Tour, and while sitting down with SlashFilm he revealed the status of his part in The Predator. Edward James Olmos was originally cast in the movie to play a military general, but apparently the material he filmed will not be used in the theatrical cut.

Looking at the actor's quote beyond what it reveals about his character, it's surprising to hear just how much of The Predator is being cut. There is no question that we are living in an era when big blockbusters are getting longer and longer (perhaps to accentuate a difference between it and small screen serial storytelling), but the idea of 30-45 minutes being cut down still sounds like a lot. The official running time of the movie has not yet been revealed - it's possible they haven't locked print yet - but it will eventually give us an idea of how much got removed during the editing process.

What's kind of a bummer in this whole situation is that Edward James Olmos previously expressed a lot of excitement about his part in The Predator. He went on the record about his part in the film last November and while he admitted that he hadn't seen any footage, he was taken aback by how funny the material was when he was on set, and lauded the work of both Shane Black and the rest of the cast.

There are obviously a lot of big question marks surrounding The Predator at this point, but answers are coming soon. The movie will be hitting theaters next month, specifically on September 14, and we'll hopefully get the full rundown from the stars and filmmakers as they do press. For all that and more, stay tuned here on CinemaBlend, and if you need a refresher on everything Predator, be sure to check out our Newbie's Guide.

To put it kindly, the Predator franchise has experienced a few ups and downs over the course of its 31-year existence. Between five films in which the alien has appeared, there is a wide range in terms of quality, and each chapter has offered something very different to the official canon. Still, it's managed to persist as one of the most popular science-fiction franchises from the late 20th century, and soon theaters everywhere will be hosting the latest installment, Shane Black's The Predator.

As we count down the weeks until The Predator's release, we've constructed this guide to help you get to better know the movies -- motivated by anticipation. Below and across the next few pages we'll dive not only into each individual film, but also examine the various eras that the films have gone through. To kick things off, here's a rundown of all the titles we've seen in the franchise so far:

Predator (1987)

A team of commandos, led by retired US Army Special Forces Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), travels down to Central America when hired for a mission saving hostages in guerrilla solider-held territory. What they don't know, however, is that the jungle has another visitor: an insanely deadly extraterrestrial warrior that lives to hunt, kill, and take skulls and spines as trophies.

Predator 2 (1990)

Ever drawn to the combination of high temperatures and violence, the titular villain in Predator 2 finds itself drawn to the city of Los Angeles as the area is mired in both a gang war and a heat wave. As the alien goes on a rampage, the only thing standing in its way is Lieutenant Mike R. Harrigan (Danny Glover), a gruff cop who plays by his own rules.

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

In the year 2004, a team of archeologists make their way down to the south pole when their work uncovers a strange heat signal. Not only do they wind up discovering a hidden underground pyramid, but also a long relationship between Predators and the aliens known as Xenomorphs. The pyramid is used as a rite of passage for the former, tasked with finding and killing the latter, and the humans find themselves stuck in the crossfire.

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

The sequel begins with the creation of a new creature when it's revealed that a Facehugger impregnated a Predator, leading to the birth of the first Predalien. The spaceship it's on crash lands in a small Colorado town, and an alien infestation begins - leading to another Predator coming to Earth to try and stop it.

Predators (2010)

Rather than taking place on Earth, this is the first movie to take place on the Predator homeworld. A group of men and women selected as the best killers on Earth are abducted and brought to the violent planet, specifically to be tested to see if they have what it takes to survive against not only attacking Predators, but the dangerous flora and fauna.

The Predator (2018)

When former Army Ranger Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) encounters a Predator when on a mission in Mexico, the government tries to shut him up by packing him up and shipping him off with a bunch of ex-soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other emotional issues. As it turns out, however, this group may be the only thing standing in between the human race and total annihilation.

The Original Movies

Having made hits like the Conan films, The Terminator, and Commando, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a big deal by the time Predator came around - and in 1986 producers Joel Silver and Lawrence Gordon approached him about the project. The movie actually started as a joke about the Rocky movies; arguing that eventually there would be so many sequels that the eponymous pugilist would need to fight an alien. Well, screenwriters Jim and John Thomas took the nugget of that idea and ran with it. Originally titled Hunter, it was molded into the movie that we know today thanks to Silver's sensibilities, and to this day it remains one of the singularly best sci-fi action movies ever made.

Predator is a film very much of its era, built on a foundation of huge muscles and powerful guns, and even with its high-concept plot it manages to establish a history and canon for its titular killer alien. They are particularly drawn to hot environments, but far more important to them is the challenge of the hunt. The Predators are a prideful species, and specifically look to go after the most dangerous prey possible -- collecting body part trophies along the way. In Predator, the alien meets its match in Dutch, as while the creature is outfitted with a ton of high-tech weaponry and armor, their vision while in action is thermal-based. Dutch is able to exploit this weakness by using mud and cold water to drop his body temperature, and he successfully gets the upper-hand. Worthy of notice is that Dutch doesn't kill the Predator himself, with the extraterrestrial instead performing its own kind of seppuku by activating an explosive device on its wrist.

In a vacuum, Predator isn't really a story begging for a sequel -- given that most of the ensemble cast is killed, and there are zero unanswered questions. However, the film was a worldwide smash hit (pulling in $98.3 million, unadjusted for inflation), and so the movie gods demanded a follow-up.

What fans got was 1990's Predator 2: a blockbuster with very little actual connection to its predecessor. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't return as Dutch due to a contract dispute, and Stephen Hopkins took over for John McTiernan in the director's chair. Set seven years in the future, the sequel replaced the jungle setting of the original with the urban landscape of Los Angeles -- specifically during both a heat wave and a violent gang war. The Predator starts going crazy on the street toughs, and stuck in the middle of the whole thing is Danny Glover's Lt. Mike R. Harrigan (Glover clearly being a very different protagonist than Schwarzenegger, but having notable history with Joel Silver via the Lethal Weapons features).

Unfortunately, Predator 2 got more than a few unkind reviews, and failed to put up numbers anywhere near its predecessor -- ultimately making about half the money globally. Because it was deemed as a disappointment, the Predator franchise went into hibernation... but it always had an ace in its back pocket. After all, Predator 2 includes a shot featuring the head of a Xenomorph, which kept speculation open for years about the possibility of a crossover movie.

And then it happened.

The Alien Crossovers

Weirdly, the concept of Alien vs. Predator pre-dates the release of Predator 2 by nearly a year, as the idea was launched in comic book form. Published by Dark Horse Comics as part of their Dark Horse Presents series, the conflict between the two titular extraterrestrials played out over three issues, and was possible thanks to 20th Century Fox being in control of both franchises. Still, while fans spent years begging for a film adaptation, it wasn't really in the cards thanks to the on-going success of the Alien series independently. That came to an end in 1997 with the release of Alien Resurrection, and in 2004 the die-hards finally got the movie that they had been begging for... kinda.

Director Paul W. S. Anderson was coming off the success of the first Resident Evil when he signed on to make Alien vs. Predator - the filmmaker's resume including 1990s features like Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon and Soldier. Despite the fact that it had been established that Predators prefer warmer climates, the adventure took the movie's ensemble (Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen and Ewen Bremner) to Antarctica to try and discover an ancient secret. Instead, they wind up getting caught in the middle of a centuries old ritual that finds Predators come to Earth and face off against Xenomorphs as a test, with humans included as sacrifices. Notably, it's the first title in the film to portray Predators as protagonists, as they essentially wind up teaming with the scientists, drillers, and mercenaries when the situation with the Xenomorphs gets out of control.

Alien vs. Predator was ultimately crazy successful both at home and abroad, making $172 million by the end of its run, but not everyone was super pleased with it. Not only did it get roasted by critics, but many were quick to complain about the film's rating - as it took two very R-rated creatures and stuffed them into a PG-13 package. The studio attempted to fix this with a follow-up three years later, 2007's Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, but things still didn't exactly work out perfectly.

Fox put the future of two of their most powerful brands in the hands of Colin and Greg Strause, who were notably first time directors when they were given the gig. The primary reason they were hired is because they were founders of the visual effects company Hydraulx, and with that expertise they could help keep the budget low without sacrificing production value. Sadly, the results of Alien vs. Predator: Requiem suggest that it probably wasn't the right call.

The movie is weirdly the first title in the Predator franchise to pick up where the last story left off -- specifically with the birth of the Predalien: half-Predator, half Xenomorph. Clearly the idea of having such a creature running around wild is absolutely nightmarish, which is why it becomes a serious problem in the movie when the space ship it's on crash lands in Colorado. More Predators come down to our planet to try and stop the menace (once again taking our side), and there is a hell of a lot more bloodshed, but still the film registered as a disaster, and remains the worst-reviewed title in either franchise.

It's worth noting that while it's only been a little more than a decade since the release of Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, history has not treated the movies incredibly well. Specifically, Ridley Scott totally nixed the titles from the Alien canon with both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant; and it doesn't look like it will register in the work that Shane Black is doing on The Predator. But, who knows? Ten years from now some genius filmmaker may crack the code to make this concept work, and deliver something that buys back some credibility.

The Modern Era

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem didn't light the world on fire, but at the very least it did wind up inspiring a new generation of Predator titles -- though not anything as consistent as a regular series. Rather, the folks at 20th Century Fox recognized that there still remained a lot of potential in the brand -- which is what led to a partnership with Troublemaker Studios and writer/director Robert Rodriguez.

Funny enough, Rodriguez wrote the script for Predators all the way back in 1994 when he was filming his second movie, Desperado, but the approach was turned down because the studio believed it would cost too much money. The world of filmmaking changed a lot in fifteen years, however, and so the filmmaker was given a new opportunity to create his vision of a Predator movie. With Rodriguez producing, Alex Litvak and Michael Finch wrote new versions of his screenplay, and directing duties were given to Nimrod Antal.

As noted earlier, Predators takes the franchise away from Earth for the first time, and features an impressive ensemble including Adrian Brody, Mahershala Ali, Walton Goggins, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, and Lawrence Fishburne. In addition to introducing the homeworld of the titular creatures, the movie also designates different kinds of predators, including Trackers, Falconers, and Berserkers. There is a strict hierarchy in the society, which makes sense when you consider the emphasis the culture puts on trophies and honor. It ends on a semi-cliffhanger, as more Predator captives are shown parachuting down to the planet's surface, but it doesn't look as though we will ever get to see a super conclusive ending to that story.

Predators earned solid/mixed reviews, but its bigger issue came when the film hit theaters. While made for a modest-by-blockbuster-standards $40 million, it only made $52 million domestically. It made its budget and marketing expenses back with international tickets, as it made $127.2 million worldwide, but the performance was mediocre enough to leave the franchise in stasis for nearly another decade as the studio tried to figure out what else they could do with the brand.

Now, the drought of Predator movies is coming to an end, however, as writer/director Shane Black -- who was actually an actor in the 1987 original -- will be delivering his new feature, The Predator, to cinemas this fall. There remain some big questions about why the aliens have returned to Earth, and it's been confirmed that we will see some dangerous genetics work, but we'll have to wait until September 14th to see what the full film has in store.

Originally slated to release in February of this year, Shane Black's continuation of the Predator franchise was delayed until August and then moved to its current release date in September. Reportedly, these delays were made to allow for retooling, with some reports saying that the entire third act of the film needed to be scrapped and redone. Although we have known that The Predator had reshoots, what exactly the reshoots changed about the movie has been unclear until now. Writer and director Shane Black has revealed that the reshoots were really about making the Predator scarier, and part of that involved changing the setting of the climax, as he explained:

So it sounds like there were two elements in play that went hand in hand that weren't really working in The Predator, thus necessitating the reshoots. One of them seems to have been the plot. Shane Black mentions trying to jam too much in and having to streamline the plot. He doesn't elaborate on what exactly needed to be streamlined, but perhaps the plot was simply too intricate or overstuffed with ideas resulting in a messy film. The reshoots changed that and also allowed for them to correct the other issue: making the film scarier by shooting at night. As Shane Black said, the all-important climax of the film was set during the day for purely practical and budgetary reasons. Unfortunately, the Predator didn't have the same menacing effect during the day. That was obviously a huge problem for a character that is meant to be a horror villain and an unstoppable killing machine. So they reshot parts of the film at night in order to make the movie, and the Predator, scarier.

In his interview with Collider, Shane Black also mentioned how knowledge of what the Predator looks like is perhaps what diminished the effect of seeing the Predator during the daytime. He noted that you could see a fairly convincing Predator walking around Comic-Con and he's probably right. This isn't a new monster, and while seeing a Predator during the daytime would be terrifying in real life, the harsh lighting combined with the comfort of the theater and the character's permanence in pop culture has diluted his ability to be scary onscreen in that context. By enveloping him in darkness, you make him frightening again by emphasizing the other things that make him scary, like his movement and actions.

We won't know until we see the final product exactly how well these reshoots worked, and there are reports that more reshoots are still on the way. However, the reasoning for the reshoots and the desire to make the film and the Predator scarier is a good one. We want the Predator to be awesome, badass and scary, and hunting his prey under the shroud of night helps to achieve that.

The hunt kicks off when The Predator hits theaters on September 14. Take a look at our premiere guide for all of the biggest movies still to come this year, and for all the latest on why 'reshoot' isn't necessarily a dirty word, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

The world of sci-fi action-horror is about to get a huge boost this fall when Shane Black returns to the Predator series with The Predator. The long-awaited sequel to the original Predator continuity looks amazing, but it turns out that the film isn't quite finished yet. In fact, while we only have a handful of weeks left until the movie actually hits theaters, it looks like The Predator may be going back for some reshoots.

Despite the fact that it's set for its big debut in September, a new report from Production Weekly says that The Predator is actually already heading back to Canada for even more reshoots. We have no idea what these potential reshoots could be for, as the film has already released multiple trailers and looks done, but it seems that there's more work to be completed.

This is far from the first time that The Predator has had to go back and tweak its story ahead of its release. Shane Black has made no secret of the fact that the team behind the Predator sequel has had to go through retooling throughout its production, with some reports even noting that The Predator scrapped its entire original third act. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as reshoots have sometimes been known to save movies at the last minute, but it's arguably quite odd to see just how close these reshoots are cutting it to the actual release date.

As of right now, it's anyone's guess as to what the reshoots for The Predator are for. They could be anything, ranging from simple pick-ups to fill in some holes in the movie, to complete retooling of specific sequences. One other idea that has been thrown around (which by no means has received confirmation) is the idea that Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch may be added to the film, though the film was initially written with Dutch included, and the Austrian bodybuilding icon turned it down due to the small size of the part.

Finally offering up the true sequel that many fans have been waiting for, The Predator takes place decades after the events of John McTiernan's original Predator. The United States government is aware of the Yautja hunting activity on Earth and has devoted a special unit to investigating and studying them. However, when an enhanced Predator arrives on Earth, a special forces team is dispatched to go head-to-head with it (in particularly brutal fashion) to take it down and save countless lives.

CinemaBlend will bring you more information about The Predator as more information is made available to us. The movie is still set for a September 14, 2018 release, so mark down your moviegoing calendars accordingly!

When 20th Century Fox took over Hall H at San Diego Comic Con on Thursday, they needed only one movie to capture everyone's attentions: Shane Black's The Predator. The upcoming sequel has shown off a few trailers that suggest the presence of Jacob Tremblay and Olivia Munn, and have hinted at the camaraderie of the military team led by Boyd Holbrook and Keegan-Michael Key. But the hook of the Hall H footage today was the appearance of the Ultimate Predator. And he was a total badass. When asked what the Ultimate Predator brings to the screen, Key elaborated:

It was so much power, that the Ultimate Predator -- who towers over the smaller Predator he fights -- ripped his antagonist through a wall, slammed him down onto a car, punch a hole in his skull, and then beheaded him. Brutally.

How the human cast is going to fend off this Predator is beyond me.

The cast of The Predator had other things on their mind, though. During the Hall H panel, the cast told an hysterical story that I had them recount in CinemaBlend's video suite. Apparently, while filming the movie, the cast would gather in Keegan-Michael Key's trailer, and watch old Blaxploitation movies. And they took lines from vintage flicks like Dolemite, then attempt to work them into Shane Black's movie. I'd quote the line, but you really need to hear it from Key, himself. It's hilarious:

Shane Black's The Predator dominated Hall H with an outstanding presentation. The movie will be in theaters on September 14, and stars Olivia Munn, Boyd Holbrook, Keegan-Michael Key, Trevonte Rhodes, Thomas Jane, Sterling K. Brown, Jake Busey, Alfie Allen and Yvonne Strahovski. We will have more from our exclusive interview with the cast of The Predator, and LOTS more from Comic-Con, in the coming weeks.

The Predator franchise features one of the most iconic alien designs of all time, with the Yautja hunters becoming legendary figures in the realm of pop culture. That said, the series is about to get a boost of adrenaline by introducing the ultimate predator in Shane Black's The Predator. But where did that design come from? As Black explained in a recent interview, the creature was created by taking cues from actual predators that didn't look like humans in suits. The Iron Man 3 explained:

As Sterling K. Brown's character says in a recent trailer for The Predator, "They conquered space." This is an advanced alien species that's faster and stronger than any man on earth, and the franchise needs to find a way to reflect the Yautja's physical and intellectual superiority. As Shane Black explained in his recent interview with EW, The Predator pulled that off by creating a design for the ultimate predator that was far sleeker, more agile, and more predatory in nature. It's not just a guy running around in a rubber suit; it looks like a wild animal on the loose.

Of course, that obviously raises questions about the continuity of the Predator franchise and the specific creatures that the Yautja stole genes from in the creation of the hybrid. After all, as many fans of the Predator franchise already know, the Alien series' Xenomorphs have often served as prey for these expert hunters. Does this mean Xenomorph DNA could show up in The Predator? There's no way of knowing at this point, but it definitely seems like a very intriguing possibility.

No matter what happens, we can rest easy knowing that The Predator looks like a true sequel that fans of the franchise have waited to see for decades. The Predator will finally hit theaters later this summer on September 14, so make sure to mark down your calendars and check out our movie premiere guide for more information on all of the films set to debut this year!

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If you're excited for the evolution of the Predator franchise, then Shane Black's upcoming film looks to have everything you need. The newest trailer has plenty of alien killing action, and a bit of humor too. Each new trailer for The Predator has shown us significantly more of the new movie than the one before, and this one is no exception. While it stops short of any major reveals, it does give us more of the fight between human and Predator that looks like just what fans are waiting for. Be aware, while this trailer isn't given an MPAA red band, it is not safe for work.

The new trailer puts the spotlight on the character played by Sterling K. Brown, who we haven't seen a great deal of up to this point. He acts as a sort of narrator for the trailer. We learn that he already knows a great deal about the Predator creatures, including that they "conquered space," so his knowledge even goes beyond this planet. He also knows something about the "other" Predator, which he calls the Ultimate Predator. It's existence was revealed in the previous trailer for The Predator. There will be at least two of the creatures in the movie and they're not necessarily on the same side.

While most of the action that we get in the trailer is out of context, much of what we see has not been part of previous trailers for The Predator. We see a lot of military and other personnel getting sliced up good. There's lots of blood spray all over this trailer, showing that The Predator will clearly be the R-rated action movie fans are looking for. If the violence wasn't enough, you have Keegan-Michael Key's dirty "yo momma" joke and an F-bomb dropped near the end of the trailer that confirms nothing about this movie is meant for kids.

While there's no major reveal in this trailer quite on par with showing off the bigger, badder Predator from the last trailer, there are a few interesting moments, including showing the kid from the very first trailer actually inside the downed Predator ship. It looks like the ship may be where the final battle in the movie takes place.

The Predator is avoiding the crowded summer movie season and will instead debut in September. While the film clearly has the action to find a home in the summer, since the movie will be rated-R, and thus will be limiting its audience to some degree, it likely decided to wait until the theaters calm down a bit so that everybody who can go to the theaters to see this one is a bit more likely to do so.

Fans of the Predator franchise are no doubt excited to see Shane Black's take on the subject. Now, a new trailer gives us a bit more information, and a much better look at the creature, or, should I say creatures because, as it turns out, there's actually more than one. Check out the newest trailer for The Predator now.

At just over a minute long the new trailer doesn't have that much to it, and it does reuse some footage, but since it doesn't spend a lot of time dealing with a kid opening a box, it focuses on the parts that most fans are looking forward to. An alien monster trying to kill a bunch of humans, and vice versa.

We're formally introduced to Boyd Holbrook's character as a Marine sniper who is part of the team that makes first contact with the Predator when it crashes to Earth. He appears to be the only one to survive the initial encounter. From there, he ends up on a bus with a few other people, including Keegan-Michael Key, who laugh at the idea that he fought an alien, before said alien attacks the bus. From there, the trailer goes into action montage mode with blades slicing and guns firing everywhere. However, it ends in a very interesting place, as we see the scene where Holbrook's character gets thrown up against the wall from the first trailer, but here, the scene continues on to show a second, larger, Predator, break through the wall and throw the first creature into a car.

Why there's a second Predator that looks intent to beat the hell out of the first one isn't clear, but what is clear is we're going to get some serious Predator versus Predator combat in this film. Whether or not one of them is a "good guy" or if Earth will just play host to an intergalactic grudge match, who knows, but it won't really matter if the action is solid.

It's a testament to the strength of the Predator character and the original movie that the creature has remained popular after all these years considering the fact that every successive sequel and spinoff has met with mixed reviews at best. Fans are certainly looking for The Predator to be the sequel they've always wanted, something with the same action and excitement that the original film had. It's difficult to say from the trailers if that will be the case. There really hasn't been much of a "wow" factor to these trailers, but it's possible that the good stuff is being held back in order to make the movie itself more surprising.

We'll find out when The Predator arrives in theaters in September.

Shane Black has worked on his fair share of Hollywood franchises over the years, but this summer will see him return to the Predator series as the director of The Predator. Black is no stranger films full of outlandish personalities, so it raises the question of why he decided to tell a story about a mostly mute alien invader. That said, during a visit to the set of The Predator, director Shane Black opened up to CinemaBlend and other outlets and explained that a significant draw to work on the film involved working with an alien creature who had a discernable personality. Black elaborated:

So while the Predators seldom speak in any of the Predator movies, that doesn't mean that they don't have their own unique personalities. These hunters come from a proud and traditional race of alien badasses known as the Yautja, and Shane Black was excited to dig into that side of the mythology. As far as the sense of humor was particularly concerned, Black liked the idea of showing the hunter's disbelief when humans try to fight it. It's not just a feral animal like the Alien Xenomorph; there's tradition, personality and character to it.

It's worth noting that the sense of humor element feels particularly relevant. The Predator series has long thrived on a strong sense of foreboding dread and a creepy atmosphere, but the emphasis on something funnier feels like a change of pace. In fact, while speaking with CinemaBlend about Coco last year, Edward James Olmos similarly noted how funny the film is, so it seems that Shane Black isn't the only member of the crew to hone in on the humor element.

That sense of humor feels perfectly in-line with the type of writer and filmmaker that Shane Black has become over the course of his career. After achieving fame with Lethal Weapon, Black eventually went on to become one of Hollywood's go-to creatives for the action-comedy genre. He has applied those chops to several different projects over the years, such as Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys, and what we have learned about The Predator seems to suggest that he's going to do the same on this film as well.

The Predator focuses its story on a young boy named Rory (Jacob Tremblay) who accidentally summons a new Predator to earth using alien technology. When a new hunting party begins, a group of mercenaries (led by Boyd Holbrook's Quinn, Rory's father) team up with a scientist (Olivia Munn) to uncover the secret behind the Predators and the genetic changes that have taken place in the species.

This new Predator's personality will be on full display later this year when The Predator hacks and slashes its way into theaters on September 14.

Last week, our first look at Shane Black's The Predator was something that sent shockwaves through the internet. Unfortunately for Black and 20th Century Fox, the wavelength of that message ranged from "eh" to "meh" on the anticipation meter, which is not very comforting when you take into account that this is the writer/director's return to the franchise he helped start as a writer on John McTiernan's 1988 original. So surely what's good for Arnie should be good for this new crop of warriors, right? Well, that's exactly what we think, and there's one way that Fox can right the ship ASAP: they can cut together and release a red-band trailer for The Predator to show off the new movie's more mature elements.

After watching the trailer for The Predator, there was one problem that glared out of the audience like the trademark tracer laser of the titular creature's armor: it doesn't look or feel like a Predator movie in this trailer. Starting with Jacob Tremblay playing with pieces of said armor that cause a Predator ship to crash land on Earth isn't exactly something that screams "time to take Old Painless out of the bag." Mix that with the beats of Olivia Munn's hybridization plotline, and you begin to feel like you're watching a trailer that's more at home in the Alien vs. Predator universe, and not the Predator films of the late 80's/early 90's. Not to mention, this trailer is too clean looking for a Predator film, giving the whole affair an antiseptic sort of air to it.

Now how does a red-band trailer fix that? As it turns out, it can do so rather simply. The Predator is part of a franchise where violence and hardcore action are the bread, butter and ammunition of what's going down at the end of the day. So taking out the hybridization aspect would not only give us more room for the violence and profanity-laden cream that this coffee needs, it also would save a nice surprise for the audience that hasn't watched that first trailer already. It's no secret that this new sequel is being made to look up to its destructive predecessors, so why hide all of the fun stuff? The best part about this is that it's not terribly hard based on the material in the first trailer.

Making those cuts leaves you with the perfect base for a more mature look into The Predator to work off of. Taking out the more sci-fi aspect of the film leaves room for more dreadful mystery, carnage filled action and earmuff-friendly wise cracks to provide a true R-rated look into Shane Black's latest action masterpiece. To be frank, that's what your main audience for this film is going to be looking for, and there's already a trailer that best shows what truly marketing a film with Black's unique talents should look like. Take a look at the red-band for The Nice Guys below and see what we're talking about.

There's a lot of stuff that The Nice Guys marketed right that The Predator didn't. It shows Shane Black's poetic usage of profanity and action violence that you wouldn't get away with showing in a standard green-band trailer, with the former shining especially in that trailer. You know that some of these scenes with Holbrook and company are going to have off-kilter dialogue that isn't exactly safe for work, and you especially know that if they brought Black back for a Predator sequel, he's going to tackle it with the same level of humor and peril he did with that first film. So why not show off some of the fresh, quotable dialogue that the man is going to sell to audiences come this September? Since this is an obvious teaser, it doesn't have to be a lot, but a more substantial taste would do wonders.

As for the violence, that kind of ties into a note we had about the current trailer. Now, after his performances in films like Room and Wonder, the fact that Jacob Tremblay is going to be the child lead in this film isn't scary. The young actor clearly knows how to handle himself in movies like this, so it's not like he's going to be the stock "so precocious he ruins the movie" lead. Again, this is a strength of Shane Black's, which is also shown in the Nice Guys red band trailer above. While his character is going to be an important part of this film's story, a more mature trailer could showcase the film's young child lead in some R-rated peril, without betraying his character. There's a hint of this with the moment between Tremblay and Olivia Munn when she protects her young co-star from a Predator's aim, and if there was maybe a little more of a leaning into that scene, it would have helped immensely.

Every film needs a gree- band trailer to sell to a wide audience, and The Predator is no exception. That doesn't mean that a red-band version couldn't have been cut first, then sanitized for a green-band replacement, leaving both versions able to be released at the same time. However, we really should let Shane Black speak for himself about why an R-rated trailer for The Predator is such an important thing, and he did just that indirectly in the following tweet:

Whoever gave notes on this should be given a copy of the original film and made to try again once they've seen what they're truly dealing with here. Fox, if you know your talent and your business, you should be hot on getting a Predator trailer with all of the blood and swears we know and love from this franchise. Deadpool 2 hits theaters this Thursday, and with the notes above, you could have some serious marketing muscle to promote The Predator's September 14th release date. Even if you can't make that date, the sooner you can push this puppy out, the better, because in terms of selling this franchise, this trailer is one ugly motherfucker.

When the new Predator movie was announced in summer 2014, writer/director Shane Black stressed an important point about the project: it wasn't going to be a reboot. Instead, the film would serve as an in-continuity sequel, picking up on elements from previous movies in the canon. These elements have mostly been kept a secret, but when I was on the set of The Predator last year, Boyd Holbrook admitted to one of the blockbuster's connections while talking about his character's reaction to meeting an alien:

Last spring I joined a small group of film journalists for a trip up to Vancouver, Canada for a visit to the then in-production set of The Predator, and it was during this junket that we had the opportunity to sit down with Boyd Holbrook. The actor talked a lot about his role, mercenary Quinn McKenna, and it was towards the end of the roundtable interview that I asked about how Quinn felt about seeing an alien for the first time. It turns out that he won't be too surprised by it, because he has heard stories of the creatures existing from other people in his line of work. And while he wouldn't exactly say what his character has seen, it evidently ties back to the Central America situation from 1987's Predator.

In The Predator, based on a script by Shane Black and Fred Dekker, Quinn McKenna is a mercenary and estranged father who finds himself in serious trouble when a mission he's on is interrupted by an alien encounter. The government, trying to keep the situation under wraps, tries to bury him, and it winds up leading him to meet a group called the Loonies: a group of soldiers with a wide variety of mental and emotional issues. They definitely aren't the best team, but they are the people at Quinn's disposal, and together they wind up being the line of defense between humanity and a deadly alien invasion.

Unlike the original jungle-set Predator, the new movie will be bringing the action back to suburban America, but it will be interesting to see just how far the connections back to the original go. For your first taste of the film, you can watch the teaser trailer that was released this morning below:

Boyd Holbrook plays the lead in The Predator, but he's joined by a fantastic supporting cast that includes Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Jacob Tremblay, Alfie Allen, and Thomas Jane. The movie will be out in theaters on September 14th, and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of my set visit coverage!

The Predator franchise has been sleeping for a while, but Shane Black's new entry in the franchise is on the way and this morning we got the first look at the first trailer for the new project. It does a solid job setting up the story and introducing all the new characters, especially the alien creature that is probably going to kill most of them by the end of the film. Check out the trailer below.

The trailer starts out sort of slow, with a great deal of it focusing on a kid opening a package which appears to contain some Predator tech. We get shots of him playing with the thing that is clearly not a toy along with images of an alien spacecraft crashing. From there, however, we move into some action. The music gets much tenser, and we're introduced to the various characters, soldiers andscientists it would seem, who will make up the cast.

Based on the description of the plot that has been released, the kid playing with the alien tech is actually the thing that brings the creature "back" to Earth. As has been reported, The Predator isn't a reboot of the franchise, but instead a direct sequel to previous films in the series. One has to wonder if the thing the kid is playing with is actually a piece of the Predator killed by Arnold Schwarzenegger back in the 1980s.

We also learn that this Predator has been upgraded from the earlier ones we've seen as the species has begun to take aspects of other aliens that it finds useful and has incorporated that into itself. This will give the alien hunter new weapons and abilities, which means new fun and gruesome ways to kill things, but then, that's why we go to see Predator movies. It also will likely be part of the explanation as to why this Predator, while it looks a lot like the classic version we're familiar with, isn't perfectly identical. It looks different because it is different.

For fans of the Predator franchise, Shane Black's The Predator is probably pushing a lot of the right buttons. It's clearly keeping a lot behind the curtain for now, but what we see of the Predator itself certainly shows that it will be a deadly threat. Shane Black is almost always a creative writer and director making his movies worth seeing. I'm certainly curious to see what he's brought to The Predator.

For those of you keeping an eye on the statuses of some of our favorite scary franchises, the last few days have been incredibly busy. Not only did Universal show off some footage from the upcoming Halloween reboot at CinemaCon yesterday, but today saw 20th Century Fox show off footage from Shane Black's The Predator after a number of teases from the director. Now audience reactions have started to hit the web, and it looks like opinions are decidedly mixed. CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell was in attendance to see the footage, and he took to social media to confirm that the film looks merely fine. He wrote:

So, while Shane Black's The Predator doesn't necessarily look bad, Sean O'Connell's Twitter response to the footage seems to indicate that it's not necessarily a showstopper. The Predator sounds like a fine follow-up to the films that preceded it, but our reaction to the footage isn't necessarily glowing yet. As far as the plot is concerned, the film features Logan's Boyd Holbrook as a soldier whose squad comes under attack by the titular hunter, and X-Men: Apocalypse star Olivia Munn as a scientist with a deeper understanding of the Predator species.

That opinion of The Predator footage largely seemed echoed by the reaction of io9's Germain Lussier. In fact, in his post-presentation social post, Germain similarly explained that the film looks fine enough, but tempered his opinions with the reminder that he has faith in Shane Black and Fred Dekker to do the source material justice. Lussier wrote:

Of course, there were more positive reactions to the footage as well. In fact, The Globe And Mail editor Barry Hertz took to social media after the screening to note his excitement for the material and the abundance of humor present in the footage, particularly involving one notable scene with Room star Jacob Tremblay. He specifically said:

Finally, we round things out with the reaction from Slashfilm editor Peter Sciretta, who shared Barry Hertz's largely positive response to The Predator's footage and noted a strong sense of optimism for the film's bloody, jungle-based action. Sciretta wrote:

So with those reactions in mind, it looks like we still don't know exactly what to expect from The Predator just yet. The film hasn't won over everyone who has seen footage just yet, but it also seems to have earned enough fans to pique our interest and get the excitement turned up a bit more. Now it's mostly a matter of waiting to see how causal members of the mainstream audience respond to footage when it finally hits the web.

On that note, CinemaBlend will bring you more details related to The Predator as news pertaining to the film breaks. Until then, mark down your calendars and watch out for its September 14 theatrical release.

Had things gone as they were originally planned, Shane Black's The Predator would have come out two months ago. It was originally scheduled for February 9th of this year before moving to August, and now it's set up to be released in mid-September. It hasn't been made entirely clear exactly why these delays have happened, but according to star Keegan-Michael Key, it's because the film has totally overhauled its ending:

Earlier today I participated in a roundtable interview with Keegan-Michael Key and Kathryn Hahn at Sony Pictures Animation, and while most of the discussion revolved around their work on the upcoming Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, I took the opportunity to ask Key about The Predator developments. I specifically asked how the recent reshoots were going, and he not only explained that they had just finished, but that the work that was done was fairly extensive.

It's surely isn't the most exciting thing you can hear about an anticipated blockbuster, but there is a bright side. As common place as reshoots are in modern Hollywood, there are some that develop poorly in post-production and don't go to the proper lengths to fix it. Clearly The Predator had some issues with the resolution to its story, but thankfully it sounds like we won't be seeing those issues on the big screen this fall. Hopefully the work that's been done will provide a better ending to the action, and what could have been just gets relegated to the Blu-ray extras.

Based on a script by Shane Black and Fred Dekker, The Predator will center on a group of shell-shocked soldiers who position themselves as the first line of defense against one of the titular killer aliens. Keegan-Michael Key stars as one of these soldiers alongside Boyd Holbrook, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, Trevante Rhodes, and the cast also includes Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Yvonne Strahovski, and Jacob Tremblay.

Going further with his answer, Keegan-Michael Key's positive comments about Shane Black didn't stop with the compliments found above. He shared a story about a recent personal encounter with Black following a private get-together, and it apparently left him in awe of the writer/director. Said Key,

Clearly the wait has been long, but it won't be too much longer until we see the finished result of that wonderful experience -- with The Predator scheduled to arrive in theaters on September 14th. Between now and then you can catch Keegan-Michael Key reprising his role as Murray the Mummy in Hotel Transylvania 3, which will be out on July 13th.

The Predator franchise has been laying low since Nimrod Antal's Predators back in 2010, but the cinematic return of the legendary extraterrestrial killer is imminent. In the summer of 2014, 20th Century Fox announced that they were going to be bringing the series back, and now we find ourselves less than a year away from the finished product's release. But who is involved? What will it be about? Those are questions that we are here to directly address.

As we do here on CinemaBlend with all major upcoming films, we've constructed the guide below to provide you with all of the latest details and news about The Predator. We will regularly update this feature as more information comes in and we get closer to the release date, but for now, here's what we know so far:

What Have We Seen From The Predator?

Through early 2018, the answer to this question was: not much. But, on May 10, 2018 a teaser for the new film finally dropped, and it showed off some important aspects of what we can expect from The Predator, while subsequent trailers did an even better job of letting audiences know what's in store. Of upmost importance will be the fact that, while this creature will look much the same as the others we've seen on the big screen, apparently the race has begun co-opting bits of tech or biological factors that they find useful among the races they encounter on the planets they visit. Meaning, of course, that there will be some surprises afoot for audiences when our heroes begin to fight the alien this time around.

What Is The Predator Release Date?

Given that John McTiernan's original Predator was released in 1987, it would have been nice if the latest addition to the franchise was able to come out in 2017, celebrating the sci-fi/action classic's 30th anniversary. Sadly, this was a ball that was kind of dropped by 20th Century Fox, but the ultimate good news to take away is that fans will be seeing The Predator in theaters on September 14, 2018.

While September 2018 isn't a complete dead zone, the month isn't exactly packed with potential blockbusters, either, meaning that The Predator has a pretty good chance of finding and keeping an audience in that slot. The dark suspense film A Simple Favor, starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, and directed by Paul Feig, debuts the same day. Meanwhile, The House with a Clock In Its Walls, with Jack Black, Cate Blanchett and Kyle MacLachlan, will open a week later. The last weekend of the month will see the animated Smallfoot, starring the voices of Channing Tatum, Gina Rodriguez and Zendaya, and the comedy Night School, with Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, hit the big screen. Can any of these films take potential viewers away from The Predator? We'll have to wait and see.

What Is The Predator Rating?

When it comes to movies about the Predator, audiences have really only seen a slight fluctuation in the ratings department. With the exception of Alien vs. Predator, which was given a PG-13 pass by the MPAA, every other film in the continuity/series -- including Predator 2, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, and Predators -- has been rated R. This is thankfully a tradition that will continue with The Predator as well.

While official decisions about ratings typically aren't made until a film has put together a theatrical edit to show the MPAA, we already know about The Predator's rating because the blockbuster's director has been very open about it. As production on the movie was starting up in February 2017, writer/director Shane Black took to his personal Twitter account and wrote, "And, just to be clear... PG-13 is for pussies. Spines bleed... a lot" (a reference to the fact that the titular alien species collects spinal columns as trophies). Basically, this is a feature that is not being made with young kids in mind as the target audience.

What Will The Predator Be About?

Writer/director Shane Black and screenwriter Fred Dekker haven't written a script together since 1987's The Monster Squad, but the duo is back in action writing the script for The Predator -- which most definitely fits within the continuity of Predator, Predator 2 and Predators and is absolutely not a reboot. The movie will be set in the present day -- which is to say the year 2018 -- and much like the original, it will primarily feature soldiers as its central protagonists.

Full details about The Predator plot haven't been revealed yet, but we do know that the story will center on Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook), a former marine who discovers evidence that a Predator is on Earth. Unfortunately for him, nobody actually believes his claims, leading him to personally try and do something about it -- part of which is assembling a team that can help him out. And, from what actor Thomas Jane revealed about the plot a few months ago, it sounds like putting this team together won't be as cut and dry as it usually is in these types of films.

Actor Keegan-Michael Key also told us that reshoots on the film earlier this year actually rewrote about three-fourths of the final act, making it sound like something was amiss with the film's resolution. And, reports at the end of July indicated that even more reshoots were underway. While this doesn't sound good for a film that's due in theaters in just a few weeks, at least the team seems dedicated to getting it right. As you can see, though, the setup alone is pretty wild, which leads us to believe that The Predator will really be something special to behold.

Who Is The Predator Director?

Shane Black made a huge splash in Hollywood as the young hot shot writer of Lethal Weapon, and after spending years establishing himself with consistently great action/noir scripts (like The Long Kiss Goodnight, and The Last Boy Scout) the turn of the century saw him make the transition into the director's chair. He made his debut in 2005 with the cult hit Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and has since followed it up with both Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys -- and now he's making his return to the blockbuster world with The Predator.

While Shane Black's talent should be enough to get anyone excited for the sci-fi feature, it's also funny to note that the project is a homecoming of sorts for the director. Back in the late 1980s, 20th Century Fox tried to get Black to work on rewrites for the original Predator -- and this eventually led them to offer the young filmmaker the part of Hawkins -- one of Black's very few performances as an actor. Given that Hawkins wound up suffering a rather awful death in the movie, we probably shouldn't expect him to reprise the role in The Predator.

Boyd Holbrook

Boyd Holbrook's rise in the film industry has been slow, but certainly notable. He started by getting small roles in movies by talented directors, such as Gus Van Sant, Rob Reiner, Scott Frank and David Fincher, and then made a significant move in 2015 taking on a big role on the Netflix series Narcos. More recently, however, he's been starting to take on a bigger blockbuster presence, and after playing a critically-acclaimed villain in James Mangold's Logan, he will be playing hero Quinn McKenna in Shane Black's The Predator.

It's been widely reported that Boyd Holbrook was not the first choice for the lead role, as offers first went out to both James Franco and Benicio Del Toro -- but the young actor is certainly at a place in his career where it is time to test out his abilities as a leading man. Given what we've seen from him, we definitely have confidence in his skills, and it doesn't hurt that he's surrounded by a stellar supporting ensemble cast.

Trevante Rhodes

Buddy characters have been a staple of Shane Black movies from the very beginning. After all, he is the man who introduced Riggs and Murtaugh to the world, and since then basically all of his films have been built around the two hander approach. We can't say for certain yet if this will be the case with The Predator, but it certainly looks like the movie is being set up to have Boyd Holbrook's Quinn McKenna have Trevante Rhodes' Nebraska Williams as his sounding board.

Rhodes broke out in 2016 thanks to his brilliant performance in the Best Picture-winning Moonlight, and The Predator will be his first experience working on a blockbuster. When we spoke to him in early 2017, he described Nebraska Williams as a "Special Forces cat" who winds up becoming best friends with Quinn McKenna. Thanks to his military background, we can definitely expect that he knows what he is doing around a gun, which means that he should be a significant ally in the battle against the eponymous alien threat.

Jacob Tremblay

Jacob Tremblay may only be 10 years old, but he has already managed to capture the attention of cinefiles the world over. After taking on a few smaller roles, the young actor blew critics and audiences away starring in the dark drama Room opposite Brie Larson (who won an Oscar for her performance). Since then, Tremblay has become one of the most in-demand young actors in the industry, but easily one of his biggest upcoming projects is The Predator.

At this stage we don't really know how Jacob Tremblay will fit into the larger narrative of the blockbuster, but we do have a few character details. Specifically, we know that he will have a close relationship with Quinn McKenna, who is his father. Adding an extra twist to the part is that the young kid suffers from a form of autism -- an aspect of the role that we have full confidence in Tremblay to portray.

Olivia Munn

While small details have leaked out about a few of the main characters in The Predator, the role set to be played by Olivia Munn is being kept an interesting mystery. When the actress first signed on to the project, the only description of the part provided said that she is a scientist - though we have no idea what field she is working in. The good news is that there are many scientific areas of study that could be helpful in taking down a Predator.

Many will remember that Olivia Munn got her start as a host on the video game network G4, but she has spent the last few years building up her resume as an actor starring in movies like Magic Mike and Ride Along 2. In 2016 she landed her first superhero role playing Psylocke in Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse, but we're definitely hoping that The Predator has more for her to do than that film.

Keegan-Michael Key

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have spent years tied at the hip in popular culture - starring in everything together from Key & Peele to Fargo to Keanu - but now their work is taking both of them in interesting separate directions. Peele recently made his incredibly successful directorial debut with the horror movie Get Out, and soon fans will be able to see Key on the big screen taking up arms against The Predator.

At this point, very little is actually know about the part that Keegan Michael-Key will be playing in Shane Black's upcoming blockbuster - but judging from the gun he's handling in the first look image, he is very likely another character with a military background ready to kick some serious ass. Given the tone of past Predator movies, the role could very well wind up being one of the most serious on the actor's filmography, but that doesn't mean we still don't expect him to crack one or two jokes within the movie's runtime.

Sterling K. Brown

When it comes to antagonists in The Predator, we fully expect that the titular creature will rank as the biggest threat in the movie - but that doesn't mean that the film is totally without humans trying to stand in the way of the heroes. Specifically, it's been reported that when Sterling K. Brown is first introduced in the movie, he won't be playing for the good guys, as he'll be a government agent who stands in Quinn McKenna's way. Fortunately, he winds up having a significant change of heart when he realizes the gravity of the situation the world finds itself in.

While Sterling K. Brown does have a fair share of movie roles on his resume, the actor has spent the bulk of his time on the small screen. Truth be told, the actor has actually gained a significant amount of popularity in recent years due to his work on television - namely on The People vs O.J. Simpson, and the on-going series This Is Us. That being said, Brown actually has two huge blockbusters in theaters in 2018, as he is not only a part of the Predator ensemble, but also the cast of the hugely successful Black Panther.

The Rest Of The Cast

So far in this guide we've introduced you to the main ensemble featured at the center of The Predator - but the movie's cast extends even beyond all of those awesome names. We don't really have much information about the individual parts that they will be playing within the film's narrative, but it has been reported that the rest of the cast will include Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck), Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Augusto Aguilera (Chasing Life), Edward James Olmos (Blade Runner 2049) and Jake Busey (Starship Troopers).

Will Arnold Schwarzenegger Be Back?

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch was the first cinematic hero to go toe-to-toe with a Predator and survive, and yet we really have no idea what happened to the character after his adventure in the jungle. Because of this, there has been some question as to whether or not The Predator will offer up some answers. Sadly, it doesn't sound like that will be the case.

Boyd Holbrook has gone on the record about the possibility of Arnold Schwarzenegger showing up in The Predator, and he made it sound pretty clear that a cameo won't be happening. In explaining this choice, he noted that having a cameo from the original Predator protagonist would be a "gimmick" that might undermine the seriousness of the horror/sci-fi/western that is being constructed.

Of course, the biggest hint we have that Dutch showing up in the new film will be a no-go is confirmation from Schwarzenegger himself, who said:

So, unless something's changed in the months since Schwarzenegger revealed this info, it looks like The Predator will be an Ahnold-less affair.

This was always going to be a crowded year at the box office. Avengers: Infinity War, Ocean's Eight, and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald are just a few pf the blockbusters on our radar. But there are some who are on our watch list that still haven't given us a proper trailer, or even a single look into what's going on with their production. It's those films we're here to discuss, and the following 10 pictures are ones we're really looking forward to scoping out, yet we'd be even more excited about them if we could see some actual footage. (Hint hint, Hollywood.)

The First Purge

While we've gotten an announcement trailer for The First Purge, there was no real footage on display in the riff on a standard political ad. With the prequel nature of the project in play, as well as the surprise unveiling of cast member Marisa Tomei in the film's cast, it'd be nice to see both of those aspects at work in a longer form trailer.

The Equalizer 2

For as steadily as The Equalizer 2 has progressed in its production, we haven't even been given a look at the film's poster, much less any footage. Considering Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington's latest reunion was shifted to the rather bullish release date of July 20th, you would have thought a small teaser would have been in the can, at least. Here's hoping we see something soon, otherwise we might start to worry about this one.

The Meg

A giant prehistoric shark versus Jason Statham and a team of experts. That's what The Meg is promising movie-goers who may not be familiar with the Steve Alten authored series of sci-fi adventure novels. But to those who have read the books, there's the typical anxiety of how the world of these stories will be brought to live in cinematic color. Both camps are waiting to see a trailer in action, and both have really good reasons to do so.

The Predator

There's still plenty of time for The Predator to start its engines and tease its fans into an absolute frenzy, as September 14th will see the film's debut. But when your fans are a strong and long line of devotees that find themselves excited for the return of Shane Black's writing to the franchise, you can bet that the sooner you show off some action and dialogue from The Predator to the public, the stronger the buzz will begin to grow.

The Nun

For as young as The Conjuring franchise is, it's certainly wasted no time putting out two different spin-offs into the world. While Annabelle is two films strong at the moment, The Nun is just starting with this summer's offering. With an extremely profitable franchise still in action, the excitement for a glimpse at Corin Hardy's follow-up centered around the titular menace featured in The Conjuring 2 only needs some tangible visuals to deliver this film into a rather lucrative debut.

Goosebumps 2

The jury is kinda still out on Goosebumps 2. We don't know whether or not Jack Black's R.L. Stine will be back for the ride. We're still waiting for confirmation that the film's new subtitle is Goosebumps: Slappy's Revenge (or the rumored: Goosebumps: Horrorland). And since news has been a bit scarce as of late, we're wondering if the film's still on course for an October 12th release.

Halloween (2018)

If director David Gordon Green's Halloween sequel were just another entry in the canon's continuing adventures, we'd still be pretty interested. That said, it's the fact that Green and co-writer Danny McBride have wiped the slate clean and crafted a direct sequel to the original film that really has folks talking about this new return to Haddonfield. Seeing Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode alive and well again in a movie theater, even if it's just for a sneak peek, is something that is also all the more exciting because of this daring decision. Now, let's see a teaser!

First Man

About this time last year, Damian Chazelle and Ryan Gosling were among those who saw La La Land's dreams of taking home the prize for Best Picture both become realized, and ultimately dashed. So naturally, with their Neil Armstrong biopic First Man slated for release this October, they're going to want to leave as best of an impression on the future awards voters as they can. Putting out a killer teaser in the next couple of weeks could be the thing that does the trick, as they'd be getting ahead of most of the competition by doing so.

Creed 2

While we're still shaky on whether or not Creed 2 will make its 2018 release date, we're still amped to see the son of Apollo Creed face off against the son of Ivan Drago in the ring. As Michael B. Jordan is currently blazing a trail on screens as the sympathetic villain Killmonger in Black Panther, you can bet fans thoughts will turn to when the first look at this flick will be hitting our screens.

Holmes & Watson

A decade ago, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly last wowed audiences with their anarchic brand of comedy in Step Brothers - a movie still held in good regard to this day. And yet, it's taken them so long to make another film together, with the drought ending in the release of Holmes & Watson this Christmas. Obviously, the sooner this trailer debuts, the sooner you can stop people from blasting "Boats N' Hoes" on repeat ad infinitum.

It's a new year, which means another 12 months of new movies. While you certainly won't find any shortage of superhero or horror movies in the 2018 lineup, science-fiction isn't taking a backseat either. 2017 saw some excellent films in the genre, from smaller flicks like Colossal and Life to gargantuan releases like Blade Runner 2049 and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. 2018 will have plenty to offer, and to help you make sense of it all, I've collected some of the films you're going to want to save in your calendar.

The beauty of sci-fi is that it comes in all shapes and sizes. While some films may focus entirely on making you think or using the genre to make a point, others are just want to entertain with sweet laser battles. I think sci-fi is at its best when it's trying to do both. While it remains to be seen how any of these movies will be received critically, based on what I do know, you'll at least need to check them out. Here are 11 sci-fi movies to look forward to in 2018, in no particular order.

God Particle

You might know this one better as the third movie in the Cloverfield anthology series. Indeed, it seems like the movie isn't even going by God Particle anymore. Little is known about the movie other than that it features a group of astronauts making a horrifying discovery aboard their space station. After 10 Cloverfield Lane, people are excited to see the latest movie in the series, but, unfortunately, it keeps getting pushed back; it's now expected to arrive in April (hopefully).

Annihilation

Based on the book of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation follows a biologist (Natalie Portman) who volunteers to venture into an "environmental disaster," to put it lightly. It's actually an anomaly where the laws of nature don't apply, resulting in some seriously trippy creatures and events. The logline is impressive enough, but a big draw is the fact that Annihilation is written and directed by Alex Garland, who was behind the phenomenal Ex Machina, as well as some other sci-fi gems. The man knows the genre, to put it bluntly.

Pacific Rim Uprising

Guillermo del Toro's big robots vs. monsters nerd-fest is under new management, but the sequel at least looks like it still as all the love that was devoted to the original. Pacific Rim Uprising is bigger, more colorful and looks to deliver lots of action by doubling the number of characters, jaegers and kaiju. Charm-factory John Boyega leads the sequel in what will hopefully be a franchise starter. The response to this movie thus far seems to be a bit muted but we'll see what happens as it gets closer to the release date.

The Predator

The Predator franchise isn't exactly known for its high-quality sequels, but this is the first one that's looked promising in a long time. Not a remake or a reboot, The Predator is written and directed by action guru Shane Black. Black actually had a supporting role in the original Predator, but was not involved with it creatively. Now years later, he's writing and directing a new movie that's set in suburbia with the classic storyline of a group of soldiers going up against a killer alien.

Replicas

Keanu Reeves' return to sci-fi is enough reason to pay mind to Replicas, especially once you consider what he did to the action genre not so long ago with John Wick. Replicas tells the story of a brilliant biologist (always with the biologists) who, desperate to revive his dead family, bends the laws of science, making himself an enemy of the state. If the title hasn't clued you in, it likely involves cloning and even robots. Replicas is directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff from a screenplay by Chad St. John.

Mortal Engines

Peter Jackson and his Lord of the Rings writing team return for an all-new CGI-heavy adaptation of a popular book series. This time, it's Mortal Engines. Set in an apocalyptic, steampunk world, the last remnants of humanity live in giant motorized cities -- literally. They took London and they put wheels on it. The smaller towns are preyed upon by the bigger cities, and the story follows Hester Shaw, an assassin and fugitive who forges an unlikely alliance. The concept alone catches the eye, as there's not much else out there that can compete with fighting cities on wheels.

Captive State

So often we watch sci-fi movies that try to prevent a global alien invasion. Captive Space picks up a decade after the aliens have already won and taken over Earth. The film is set in a Chicago neighborhood and tells the story from both sides of the conflict. That's a fascinating (and refreshing) concept, and it doesn't hurt to have a nice cast and creative talent. Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) directs the sci-fi movie, while Vera Farmiga and John Goodman star.

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Well of course I had to include a Star Wars movie, even if this particular Star Wars movie is something of a question mark. We can debate whether we needed an origin movie about Han Solo until the opening crawl passes, but we're getting one all the same, and it's proven itself to be a curiosity from a filmmaking perspective. The original directors were fired a few weeks before shooting was completed and Ron Howard stepped in to finish the job. As of this writing, we've yet to see a trailer or any official promotional material despite the release date in May. It'll very interesting to see what happens with this one.

Ready Player One

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see Chun-Li and Lara Croft run across a battlefield together while a Gundam flies overhead and Chucky slits the throats of his enemies? Well, do we have a one in a million movie for you that is literally the nerdiest dream scenario possible. Steven Spielberg directs Ready Player One, based on the hit novel of the same name. Spielberg's involvement is a good sign for this movie, but one does worry about sheer easter egg overload when every shot is begging your eyes to look all over the place.

A Wrinkle In Time

Based on hit novel written by Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time follows a young girl who must rescue her father from a universe-spanning evil by teaming up with her intelligent younger brother, her classmate and three astral travelers. The film comes from Disney, which may already be an indicator of its box office destiny. But it's also directed by Ava DuVernay, with Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Chris Pine starring. That's a lot of talent packed into one creative-looking movie, and the fan buzz on this has been high ever since the first trailer debuted.

Alita: Battle Angel

At long last, James Cameron's mission to bring Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita manga to the big screen is about to be released. Cameron has been interested in making this movie ever since he was first introduced to the manga by Guillermo del Toro. Robert Rodriguez directs with a screenplay written by Rodriguez, Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis. The story follows Alita, a cyborg heroine who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and becomes the target of powerful adversaries. Creepy anime eyes aside, the film appears to have style, and though there is plenty of reason to be cautious of Hollywood adaptations of anime or manga, Alita: Battle Angel is interesting enough that you should dedicate some attention to it.

It certainly had its fair share of duds, but 2017 was a pretty impressive year, and 2018 looks to be potentially even more exciting. There are franchise starters, highly-anticipated sequels, and new works coming from some of the best filmmakers currently working in the industry. The entire year's schedule is filled with titles that make the heart of the average cinephile beat a little faster.

Out of the multitudes of films heading to your local theaters, however, there are some blue chip prospects on which you definitely need to be keeping an eye. There are many you've probably already marked down on your personal calendar, but some of these titans might not be on your radar, as they're coming out in the later half of the year. With that in mind, please enjoy the following rundown of the 25 films you'll definitely want to catch in the next year. And if you want the full blast of what's coming, check out our full 2018 release schedule.

Fifty Shades Freed - February 9

The Fifty Shades series has been sweeping its fans off of their feet for some time now, so the news that this February's installment in the series is going to be the big finale might dismay some movie fans. But it looks like Anastasia and Christian's happy ending is going to get a bit more complicated and dangerous than either of them could have guessed, as Fifty Shades Darker set up a common enemy for the happy couple. It might be the end, but it looks like the series will finish out with a bang.

Black Panther - February 16

After Captain America: Civil War, there were two new heroes folks were dying to see more of on the big screen: Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man and King T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther. With Parker's adventures already coming to theaters in this past summer's Spider-Man: Homecoming, it's now time for the new ruler of Wakanda to take the throne at the box office. Director Ryan Coogler is bringing mysticism, royal intrigue, and hot action and music beats to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and each new look at this flick looks better than the last.

Red Sparrow - March 2

While Fifty Shades of Grey's trilogy may be wrapping up at the box office, a new three part epic of sexy danger is heading to theaters just in time to fill the void. In Red Sparrow, Jennifer Lawrence plays a foreign operative who's trained to kill, but also to seduce. Her target is Joel Edgerton, a CIA operative whom she's tasked with subverting with her particular set of skills. But, of course, she has second thoughts as she starts falling for him, and if the two subsequent novels have anything to say about it, things between the two won't be easily settled by the end of this film.

A Wrinkle In Time - March 9

It's kind of amazing that Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time hasn't already become a major motion picture trilogy already, considering the books have held such sway with sci-fi fans for decades. Thankfully, director Ava Duvernay has taken up the task, and has the first installment heading to theaters early in 2018. With a cast that includes newcomer Storm Reid playing adventurous lead Meg Murry, and an all-star supporting line-up that includes Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Resse Witherspoon, and Chris Pine, there's a lot of firepower behind this film. Don't be surprised if A Wrinkle In Time becomes a sleeper hit in its March release date.

Tomb Raider - March 16

Making a video game movie is similar to trying to hunt for ancient treasure: it's dangerous, a lot of people are out to see you fail, and each obstacle is more perilous than the last. But Alicia Vikander's Tomb Raider reboot looks like it takes after its video game equivalent, as it too dumps a lot of the ridiculous nature of the previous incarnation, and amps up the brave action in its place. Plus, how can you say no to Walton Goggins as a charismatic villain?

Pacific Rim: Uprising - March 23

The industry said it would never happen: that Pacific Rim would fall into the same bin as Hellboy and never be resurrected for one more ride. Well, the doubters have some humble pie to eat now, as not only does Pacific Rim: Uprising exist, it looks like it's poised to kick more Kaiju ass than its predecessor. With John Boyega, Cailee Spaeny, and Scott Eastwood all on board as a new trio of Jaeger jockeys, and some new and exciting abilities that some Kaiju have adapted since their last appearance, the apocalypse looks like it's far from cancelled.

Ready Player One - March 30

There exists a phenomenon known as the "Spielberg Double Play": a place in time in which legendary director Steven Spielberg cracks the bat twice in the span of a year, and delivers a prestige picture and a blockbuster at the same time. We've seen it before, and after The Post has excited critics and awards guilds all over this past month, Ready Player One will thrill audiences on a massive scale only four months later. Ernest Cline's pop culture-fueled novel is the sort of thing the director excels at bringing to the screen, and with what's been shown so far, it looks like we're all in for a hell of a ride.

The New Mutants - April 13

Take the essence and rules of the X-Men universe, but sculpt it as a John Hughes-infused horror film. That's what Josh Boone's The New Mutants is aiming to do, as the latest spin-off from the X-Men franchise looks very experimental as a comic book movie. With the help of Stranger Things' Charlie Heaton, Game Of Thrones' Maisie Williams, and Split's Anya-Taylor Joy, this horrific tale of mutation and rebellion has a lot going for it... though you may need to watch this one with the lights on.

Avengers: Infinity War - May 4

Have you heard about Avengers: Infinity War, the indie sensation set to light the world on fire next May? Chances are you probably haven't, so we'll just give a quick rundown. Almost every hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking on Thanos, an intergalactic warlord that wants all six Infinity Stones to himself. Should he get them, the universe is done for, but we'll have Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Pepper Potts, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, and The Hulk helping protect the universe. And helping them out is Doctor Strange, Black Panther, War Machine, and a ton of other characters. So yeah... that sounds like something exciting people would watch, right?

Solo: A Star Wars Story - May 25

The Star Wars empire is chugging along quite well, with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story helping open a new avenue of action besides the episodic adventures in that galaxy far, far away. But the franchise enters uncharted waters when Solo: A Star Wars Story centers its entire story around a major character we all know and love: roguish smuggler Han Solo. It might sound intimidating, but Star Wars is certainly having a good run right now.

Deadpool 2 - June 1

Great power, no responsibility, and tons of snark - that's what the still-untitled Deadpool 2 promises the world. And considering how big of a hit the first film was, the pressure is on for David Leitch's X-Men spin-off. This sequel is flipping the bird to expectations, and going for another round of balls to the walls weirdness, with all of the swear words and explosions you could ever want. This is probably a good time to remind the world that yes, Deadpool 2 isn't exactly something you'd take your kids to.

The Incredibles 2 - June 15

After 13 years of waiting, fans of The Incredibles will finally see the next chapter in the adventures of the Parr family! Not much is known about Brad Bird's return to Pixar, except the following: it takes place right after the finale of The Incredibles, with Helen taking the front seat for the action, and Bob staying home to help take care of Jack Jack - who's developing powers of his own. Excited isn't even the word to describe how anticipated The Incredibles 2 is, but it's a good start.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - June 22

Take The Lost World: Jurassic Park, mix in some of the better parts of Jurassic Park III, and set it after the events of Jurassic World. That's basically the insult free recipe for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, as it looks to be taking bits and pieces of the sequels and incorporating them into a new, thrilling adventure. With Owen, Clare, and a team of operatives trying to save the dinosaurs of the failed theme park from an active volcano waiting to blow, the danger couldn't be greater. Let's just hope everyone's favorite raptor, Blue, hasn't gone too feral in the three years since Jurassic World.

Ant-Man and The Wasp - July 6

Despite some set-backs that threatened the first film, Ant-Man turned out to be quite a thrilling ride when it crossed the finish line. Now it's time for a fresh start for director Peyton Reed and all involved in the adventures of Scott Lang. Enter Ant-Man and The Wasp, a sequel that not only sees Evangeline Lily's Wasp team up with Paul Rudd's Ant-Man for the first time, but also sees the original Wasp returning to the fold as well. Michelle Pfeiffer is set to play the OG Wasp, and the idea of seeing her with Michael Douglas's Hank Pym is just as compelling as any of the Marvel action we'll expect to see in this follow-up.

Mission: Impossible 6 - July 27

The Mission: Impossible franchise is a beautiful beast, simply because it seems to get better as it goes on. However, Mission: Impossible 6 is interesting for a really important reason: it's the first time a writer/director has returned to make a second installment. Christopher McQuarrie is back at the helm continuing what he started with Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, with Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson teaming up with Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg as they continue hunting down The Syndicate. If you ever wanted to know how to keep a franchise fresh after six films, the answer is apparently to make history and add a mustached Henry Cavill to the mix.

The Predator - August 3

Shane Black, albeit as an actor, helped originate the Predator franchise under tight, but successful, circumstances back in the '80s. While the brand has been active here and there over the past couple of decades, it's safe to say nothing has hit as powerfully as that original film, with the Predator facing off against a special ops team in the jungle. Now Black is back to take The Predator to suburbia as a writer/director, with a new team of badasses ready to show that ugly mother who's boss. We could go on, but the fact that Black has written and directed a new Predator movie is pretty much all you need to know to get hyped about this one.

Venom - October 5

The new Venom movie is looking to expand Sony's Spider-Man brand by using one of the most infamous baddies in the series' canon and give him his own film. With Tom Hardy playing Eddie Brock this time out, and an R-rating possibly given to the film, this is a far cry from when Topher Grace played the character in Spider-Man 3. With the success of Deadpool and Logan as precedent, an R-rated Venom could mean fantastic news for both Sony and the fans lining up to see some Hardy infused carnage (pun definitely intended).

X-Men: Dark Phoenix - November 2

Bringing the X-Men: First Class saga into the 1990's, X-Men: Dark Phoenix will see another change in director as producer/franchise stalwart Simon Kinberg is taking the helm this time out. It will also see the return to the big screen of one of the most beloved storylines in X-Men history: the Dark Phoenix saga. With Jessica Chastain playing the villain to this new piece, it cannot be understated that this film will be punching in a new weight class, as Chastain's gravitas only amps up the excitement this film brought by its mere existence. Also, Chastain vs. James McAvoy vs. Michael Fassbender? How do you pass up that title match?

Mulan - November 2

Disney's been doing some impressive work with its live-action remakes of animated classics, and their new version of Mulan looks to be no exception. While the musical nature of this new film is still in question, director Niki Caro and star Liu Yifei are on-board to bring the action of the animated modern classic to life. In a post-Beauty and The Beast world, this film only looks more and more exciting for true Disney fans.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - November 16

At the end of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Gellert Grindelwald basically promised he'd break out of custody only to commit further unspeakable acts. Well, the wizarding world is about to get a little more dangerous, as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is fulfilling that promise, with the titular baddie making his way into the world again. This time around, magizoologist Newt Scamander will have some old friends and relations around to help out. In particular, we'll see his brother Theseus, and his mentor Albus Dumbledore, grace the screen to lend a hand.

Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 - November 21

Upon its initial release, Wreck-it Ralph was a pleasant surprise that took the world of video games at the local arcade and gave it the Roger Rabbit treatment. So what should a film like that do for an impressive, stakes raising encore? It's time to take to the internet! With Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-it Ralph 2 springing the giant heel turned hero and his pint-sized accomplice, Vanelope Von Schweetz, into the world wide web, there's a lot of trouble and heroism the two can get involved with. And seeing as every Disney Princess will be involved, that just makes this next chapter all the more amazing to behold.

Mortal Engines - December 14

When Peter Jackson lends his name to a production, that usually means that film will get a healthy bump in attention. So, naturally, we are keeping a close eye on Mortal Engines - an adaptation of Phillip Reeves' YA novel of the same name that Jackson is producing. An adventure that takes place when roving cities are dominating a post-apocalyptic landscape, this is another literary series that's looking to fill the void left by franchises such as Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games. To be completely honest, telling a story where giant moving cities can "eat" other cities is a pretty good start.

Aquaman - December 21

Everyone's been craving an Aquaman stand-alone adventure ever since Jason Momoa first made a cameo appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now that Justice League has introduced the audience to even more of his rebellious personality, folks are more keen to see the would-be Atlantean king. Not only does director James Wan share that enthusiasm for the character, but he has the power to deliver the DC Extended Universe its next break-out hit, putting Arthur Curry on the same pedestal that Diana of Thymescira a.k.a. Wonder Woman currently stands on.

Bumblebee - December 21

Five films, and countless Transformers later, Bumblebee is the first film in Paramount's Transformers Cinematic Universe that branches the story out into spin-off territory. With a 1980's setting and a female protagonist in Hailee Steinfeld's Charlie, the most loyal Transformer of them all will get into all sorts of trouble in a pre-Sam Witwicky era adventure. Depending on how well this film hits, we might see any number of the 13 other outlined stories the studio has in store for us. For now though, the fate of the Transformers franchise rests with Bumblebee.

Mary Poppins Returns - December 25

With all of the talk about returning franchises and source material being mined for more accurate film content, no other title on this list matches up to the hype that Mary Poppins Returns has been generating. With Emily Blunt taking over the role of the titular nanny 53 years after Julie Andrews made her famous, this new adventure sees the Banks children grown and with families of their own, but once again in need of Mary Poppins' help. Sequels like this can be frightening, especially with several decades of fandom to please, but something about Mary Poppins Returns feels amazingly right.

With Shane Black's return to the Predator franchise, a lot of folks have been wondering just how The Predator would fit into the lineup of sci-fi action adventures. But now, we know exactly where next year's sequel will fit into the pecking order, and it's right between Predator 2 and Predators. You can thank cast member Jake Busey for filling in that information gap, as well as for the following details he also provided:

Three films already exist in the Predator canon, but there's plenty of room for The Predator's suburban romp to make its own way in the series that has seen the titular character tearing things up in the jungle, in the city and even on its home planet. Busey also reminded us that his character in Shane Black's new entry into the canon is the son of a character originated in Predator 2: Gary Busey's Peter Keyes. So not only are we going to see how the world of the Predators has grown in the period between the later two films in the series, we'll also see how the human side of the equation has changed as well.

Rather than run counter to the pieces of canon that he wasn't involved with, Shane Black's work on The Predator has been all about uniting the franchise, fitting everything together into one cohesive package. In a market that tends to loosely reboot, or sometimes disregard the original source wholesale, seeing Black trying to keep the series intact is something spectacular. Not to mention that should the inspiration hit the folks behind The Predator, this preserved continuity could mean that there's a chance Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch could possibly return after all.

But at the moment, Jake Busey's remarks to Pop Culture indicate that his character will be the big link between franchise past, present and future; and for those who are fans of the underrated Predator 2, this is probably the best news to come out of The Predator since Shane Black's return. While the series has never truly had a horrific low point like other series of its stature, save for the Alien vs. Predator duology, the entire Predator series has always felt like it never really had its due in pop culture. Through the younger Busey's character, and Black's doubling down on continuity, that day may finally come with the arrival of this new and exciting entry in the franchise.

The Predator hits theaters on August 3, 2018, but if you're looking for what's hunting audiences throughout the rest of the year, check out our 2018 release schedule.

The Predator franchise is one of the most violent and brutal film series in existence. After all, it's a universe of badass humans fighting the galaxy's most lethal hunters, so you can always expect plenty of blood and gore. However, I recently sat down with Edward James Olmos during the press junket for Pixar's Coco, and when the conversation shifted to his work on Shane Black's The Predator, he explained that the long-awaited sequel (don't call it a reboot) would actually be as funny as it is violent. Olmos explained:

Previous Predator movies have typically relied on a very stern and severe sense of machismo to set the tone of their stories, particularly the original, which has one of the more somber Schwarzenegger movie finales. However, it now sounds like Shane Black wants to inject some humor and fun into the franchise as a pairing with all of the blood and gore. In fact, Thomas Jane recently came out and explained that the sequel would actually revolve around a group of "shell-shocked" soldiers (something corroborated by Edward James Olmos' comments), and it sounds like the instability, and generally wacky personalities of these soldiers will be played for laughs whenever appropriate.

One other significant thing worth noting about Edward James Olmos' comments is the fact that Shane Black will continue to lean into his buddy-comedy chops and let the film's cast run wild. Edward James Olmos continued in our discussion of The Predator and said:

By dividing the group of six heroes into three pairs, Shane Black can explore different permutations of personalities. It sounds like the one shared between Keegan-Michael Key and Thomas Jane will deliver some of the best laughs, and we can expect all of them to provide the types of dynamics seen in films like Iron Man 3 or The Nice Guys. Even in the film's more serious scenes, Olmos found himself ruining takes because of the hilarious back-and-forth between these performers. Now, all we need is a Christmas setting, and it will feel like a perfect Shane Black adventure.

Shane Black's The Predator is currently lining up for an August 3, 2018 release. Check out our handy Predator guide to keep up with everything we know about the project, and make sure to catch Edward James Olmos in the considerably more family-friendly Coco when Pixar's latest outing debuts in theaters later this month on November 22.