Benicio Del Toro Up To Star In The Predator Reboot

It seems like Predator will find its new prey in the form of Benicio Del Toro. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor is in negotiations to star in the sci-fi reboot.

Directed by Shane Black, the upcoming Predator film will be overseen by 20th Century Fox with producers John Davis, Joel Silver, and Lawrence Gordon. Fred Dekker wrote the the script for the project while Black treated its revision. At the moment, the film is set to begin production next February and be released a year later in 2018.

Of course, both the studio and crew are keeping mum about the Predator's plot details. However, sources have indicated the film will be an ensemble piece centered around Benicio's character. Over the past year, rumors have run rampant about which actor would take on the leading role for Predator. Stars such as Ben Affleck, Tom Hardy, and even James Franco have been fan-cast for the film, but it seems that 20th Century Fox is keen on Benicio's inclusion.

Created in 1987, the original Predator franchise has become a staple title for the alien thriller genre. The film spawned a sequel in 1990 titled Predator 2 and several crossovers with the Alien franchise. Alien vs. Predator debuted in 2004 and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem rolled out in 2007.

The original series also featured Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead, pushing the Austrian actor into global stardom. The actor has teased he'd be interested in returning for the reboot, but there's been no official word about the actor's involvement.

However, if Schwarzenegger does star, it's likely that fans would see his character Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer aged up considerably. The film will not be revisiting its glory years in the 1980s and instead take place in present day. As for the film's tone, Black has hinted the Predator reboot will recreate the original franchise's intimate feel. And, of course, fans can expect plenty of extraterrestrial scares.

With Benicio tapped for Predator, the actor will be adding yet another franchise to his resume. The actor appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy as The Collector and is slated to star in Star Wars: Episode VIII.

Predator is slated to release on February 9 2018.

[H/T] The Hollywood Reporter