Although many film fans recognize Arnold Schwarzenegger as the no-nonsense but somewhat charming T-101 model in the Terminator franchise, it was his memorable portrayal of Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer in the first Predator movie that landed him on the radar as a leading man and bonafide action film star. The premise of the sci-fi thriller occurred in the jungles of Guatemala in 1987 when the United States government hired a military tactical team comprised of mercenaries led by Arnold Scwahrzengger’s character to rescue hostages. However, once the team arrived in the jungle, they unknowingly encountered an extra-terrestrial hunter from the planet of Yautja Prime. Equipped with invisibility, infrared thermal vision, advanced weaponry, and the power to mimic the voice of any person it came within close proximity of, the predator started to hunt and kill members of Dutch’s military tactical team, one by one, until only Dutch remained, setting up a glorious fight throughout the jungle that culminated in bloodshed, boobytraps, explosions and a wild chase to “the chopper.” The Oscar-nominated movie remains a classic to this very day. 20th Century Fox tried to capitalize on the film’s success with a sequel (Predator 2) that took place a decade after Dutch’s run-in with the colossal alien, but much to the dismay of film’s supporters, Arnold Schwarzenegger did not appear in the storyline whatsoever. In the following decades, his character would never be seen again in any of the franchise’s spinoffs or reboots, such as Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Predator (2010). Initially, every film within the Predator franchise failed at the box office and amongst several critics, except for the original starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. But that all changed in 2022 when 20th Century Studios released the critically acclaimed film Prey.
Unlike the film’s cinematic predecessors, Prey took place centuries ago, on “The Great Plains” during the colonial period in the United States. Co-written by Patrick Aison and Dan Trachtenberg ( he also directed the movie), Prey starred an ensemble of Native American Indian actors and actresses such as Amber Midthunder (Naru) and Dakota Beavers (Tabee), who play a pair of sibling hunters from the Camanche tribe. Nuru, a hunter who was often overlooked and dismissed by her fellow tribesmen, spots the predator first after noticing suspicious killings in the woods. Much like the Dutch in the original, the premise of this story climaxed with an epic battle between an outmatched protagonist in Naru and an overpowering alien–the result played out in a similar manner. Prey set viewership records on Hulu and has been nominated for multiple Prime Time Emmy Awards. The film certainly left the door open for the possibility of a sequel, something that Amber Midthunder openly admitted that she has discussed with the film’s creators. The 26-year-old even said she would be on board for a sequel if 20th Century Studios gives the director, Dan Trachtenberg, the green light.
In a recent interview with Variety, Dan Trachtenberg addressed speculation about a possible follow-up to Prey by indicating that fans might also be treated to the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character, Dutch–a fan favorite (along with Danny Glover’s character from Predator 2).
“I did learn there was an attempt to have Arnold in Predators. All I’ll say is — there’s still time for those guys. They’re still around, and wouldn’t that be awesome?”
If Trachtenberg were to cast Schwarzenegger in Prey 2, that would potentially set up a “team-up” between Dutch and Naru, who existed in two completely different timelines in the “Predator Universe.”
Source: Cinemablend
