Shane Black confirms The Predator R-rating; first cast photo revealed

Production has begun today on Shane Black’s The Predator, the new reboot/quasi-sequel entry to the franchise that is set to hit cinemas next year. After words from Boyd Holbrook last week that we probably won’t see Arnold Schwarzenegger in the new film, some exciting news today from the production with Black taking to Twitter to confirm that the new film will be R-rated, not PG-13 as he explains below.

And to follow that a first-look at the cast assembled for the film have got together for the first official photo of them in costume prior to shooting today, which you can see below:

Holbrook (centre) leads the that also includes, from left to right, Sterling K. Brown (The People vs. O.J. Simpson), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Jacob Tremblay (Room), Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) and Keegan-Michael Key (Keanu). The Punisher star Thomas Jane (not pictured) also features.

Info on the film is scarce but producer John Davis previously told Collider back in 2015:

“Shane shot a movie and he’s doing a pilot now, but I’ve read a lot of his script and I think it’s genius. I think it’s genius and I think it’s entertaining, and what it did is recreate a famous franchise in a different, interesting way; looking at it from a different light. He’s just an amazing writer-director. He’s got a way of looking at this that makes you excited again. I love this franchise. It was the first movie I ever did. I remember in being in the jungle with Arnold [Schwarzenegger] as a 28-year-old and going, ‘This is a fun business!’… Shane’s amazing. He’s an amazing storyteller.”

The new film follows the 1987 original, which starred Black and Schwarzenegger, before Predator 2, starring Danny Glover, hit cinemas in 1990. A third film, Predators, was released in 2010 which starred Oscar Winner Adrien Brody.

The Predator opens February 9th, 2018.