Benicio Del Toro may be best recognized for his supporting work in serious dramas, he's never been shy about dabbling in bigger tentpole movies. And lately he's been on something of a franchise streak with his turn as The Collector in Guardians of the Galaxy and his upcoming role in Star Wars: Episode VIII. He's also likely to headline a sequel to Sicario, a film he was unquestionably the best part of. Now he's landed another major role in a brand name film by joining Shane Black's Predator sequel.
Black has repeatedly stated that his film, titled The Predator, won't be a reboot or a remake of John McTiernan's action classic that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. THR continues to label it that, though, adding that Del Toro will play the lead character in an ensemble. And when you think about it that's exactly how the original movie was, with Schwarzenegger standing tall while guys like Jesse Ventura, Carl Weathers, and Black himself got torn to shreds by the lethal alien predator.
Negotiations are ongoing but having Del Toro in the lead role is a good start, and promises a very different kind of movie, perhaps more in line with Robert Rodriguez's underrated Predators. Shooting on The Predator begins in February.
