Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger: they 'screwed up' Predator franchise

Arnold Schwarzenegger has given the sequels to his 1987 blockbuster Predator a skinning, saying the follow-up films – neither of which starred him – were not “satisfactory to the audience”.

When asked in a Q and A hosted by Reddit whether he would consider appearing in an upcoming franchise reboot helmed by Iron Man 3 director Shane Black, Schwarzenegger revealed that he has “not been asked”, but that Black’s talents as a “great” writer and director would ensure that “it would become a great movie”, even without his involvement. He went on to describe the first Predator as his “absolute favorite” of the series, and criticized the latter films implying that the the studios rushed them in order to make a quick buck.

“The sad story is that sometimes studios do a great job with creating sequels, and sometimes they really screw it up bad, and it all has to do with greed,” he said. “They sometimes want to do it really cheap and make as much money as possible, so they don’t hire the right cast or the right director.”

Schwarzenegger presumably does not feel the same way about the latest installment of the Terminator franchise. In Terminator Genisys he again returns to his best-known role as the titular cyborg, although that film has been received largely negatively by critics.

He has never shown the same devotion for the Predator franchise since starring in the original back in 1987, and turned down the offer to appear in 1990’s Predator 2 due to a salary dispute. The series has continued in his absence, spawning Predators in 2010, Alien vs. Predator in 2004 and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007.