Is this a good idea? It looks like the Predator franchise may be gearing up for a major reunion, with Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly in discussions to reprise his iconic role as Dutch from the original 1987 film.
According to producer, Fred Rosenblatt, Schwarzenegger has already met multiple times with “Predator: Badlands” director Dan Trachtenberg to explore the possibility (via Deadline):
Obviously, the holy grail of Predator movies would be getting Arnold back in there. It’s always been in the back of our minds that it would be amazing to see him return to the franchise that he made iconic, and that in turn has made him iconic.
Rosenblatt described Schwarzenegger as “really wonderful,” adding that the actor is enthusiastic about the direction the franchise has taken so far. “Arnold and Dan have met a couple of times now. He’s a real fan of what we’ve done so far, from what I understand. After “Predator: Badlands” comes out, we’ll have more conversations. Hopefully, we’ll have a chance to do something with Arnold, because that would be awesome,” he said.
The upcoming film, “Predator: Badlands,” stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, and has already expanded the universe with an animated cameo of Dutch in “Predator: Killer of Killers” earlier this year.
How do you fit in a 78-year-old Arnold into the next instalment? Beats me. Don’t get me wrong, the man is still in tremendous shape, but you’d probably want his return to the franchise to feel organic rather than forced.
Arnold’s most recent film appearance was six years ago in 2019’s poorly received “Terminator: Dark Fate,” marking his last return to a major franchise. His return to the big screen is always welcome, but fans would love to see it in an actual good movie.