Prey may be the Predator movie of the moment, but 35 years ago, the original Predator arrived to become a blueprint for many action-filled, testosterone-fueled blockbuster movies of the late 1980s. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role of Dutch, who finds himself pitted against an invisible alien in the jungle as his team is picked off one by one, Predator was a huge hit and another memorable role for Schwarzenegger, but according to producer John Davis, the movie started out as a script that was secretly snuck ‘under somebody’s door” at Fox.
John Davis has produced all of the Predator movies so far, so his investment in the 35-year-old franchise is second to none. While discussing the history of the Predator movies with Variety, Davis recalled the unassuming birth of the original movie. He said:
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“The Thomas brothers snuck the script onto the Fox lot and under somebody’s door. We got there on Monday, and there was this script. I was an executive at the time, and I had been working with Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was a really good friend of mine. We were always both trying to figure out how we could work together. And so I’m the executive on this movie at Fox, and what happened is I became a producer. I auditioned to become a producer. And Arnold says, ‘Well, you’re becoming a producer now. You need to actually produce this movie and come to the jungle with me. Let’s go make this.”
Predator Ran Out of Money Before They Could Film the Movie’s Ending
20th Century Fox
During the same interview, Davis also discussed how the film was not an easy ride, and certain films have a fair amount of luck to make it to the finish line, with Predator being one of them. At one point, the film actually ran out of money and it was only the intervention of a new studio head that ended up getting Predator to the big screen. Davis said:
It is clear to see that someone was smiling down on the movie, and it has certainly paid off in the long run, with the Predator becoming one of the most iconic alien creatures to ever be put on screen and the franchise still being hugely popular over three decades on.
“We ran out of money, so we didn’t shoot the end and then a new head of the studio, Leonard Goldberg, came in. And he saw three quarters of the movie and he said ‘Okay, it’s pretty good. Why don’t you guys just go finish it.’ And I met [John] McTiernan somehow. I saw one movie he had done before and I said, ‘This is the guy to direct this movie.’”
Where the Predator story goes next is still unknown, but with Prey having reinvigorated the franchise in a way that previous sequels haven’t quite managed, there is now a whole new playground opening up with several possible continuations being viable at this point. The real question is just which way it goes once the green light for the next Predator outing is given.
