predators

predators

The South by Southwest Film Festival officially launched on Friday night with the premiere of “Kick Ass,” a vibrant take on the superhero movie genre, but ultimately a local hero stole the show: Famous Austin-based filmmaker Robert Rodriguez showed up at the Alamo Drafthouse to reveal scenes from Fox’s upcoming “Predator” remake — aptly titled “Predators” — for which he served as a producer.

While director Nimrod Antal (”Vacancy”) also showed up to field audience questions about the production, Rodriguez made it clear that he had a lengthy history with it. Speaking to a crowded room that included die-hard “Predator” fans who had waited in line for hours to attend the sneak peek, he laid out the details: The “Desperado” director initially wrote a draft for a third entry in the “Predator” franchise in the mid-1990s, with the intention of including Arnold Schwarzenegger in a story set on another planet. When Schwarzenegger dropped out, the project went into limbo — until last year, when Fox contacted Rodriguez about resurrecting the project. While he passed on directorial responsibilities due to other obligations, Rodriguez suggested that his Austin-based Troublemaker Studios produce it. With Antal onboard, the new “Predators” finally came together hundreds of miles from Hollywood. “The coolest thing was to walk out of my office and see ‘Predators’ in Austin,” Rodriguez said.

In addition to discussing the project, which Fox plans to release on July 9, Rodriguez and Antal revealed a trailer, one fleeting scene and varied concept art used to flesh out the Predator’s home planet. While the sci-fi details looked extensive, the trailer — which Rodriguez expected to go public in a few weeks to accompany the release of “Repo Men” –  basically showcased the non-stop action.  As a series of humans evade the unstoppable Predators on their own turf, a series of title cards underscore the drama: “They’re the most dangerous killers on the planet. But this isn’t their planet,” we’re told. The leader of the bunch, played by a grave-looking Adrien Brody, concludes, “This planet is a game preserve. We’re the game.” And…scene! (The teaser is available for viewing on the official “Predators” Web site.)

The duo also screened a sequence allegedly taken straight from the edit room in which Lawrence Fishburne confronts Brody and his fellow soldiers in the jungle and reveals himself as “the one that got away” — meaning the only human survivor on the planet. But enough about humans; special effects wizard Greg Nicotero, a veteran of the 1987 “Predator,” was also on hand to discuss the handcrafted effects in the film (none of the Predators appear as CGI). Rodriguez lifted a veil on the stage, revealing the original Predator head, a mechanical construction that could be animated by remote control. Crowds flocked to the front of the room for an up-close glimpse of the creature’s multilayered jaws, while concept art for the new Predators played on a loop on the big screen. The artwork revealed a sleeker take on the Predator design, reflecting Antal’s decision to move from the “eight track Predator to the iPod predator,” as Nicotero described it.

But while the Predators have evolved, the violence remains intact. Antal and Rodriguez said they always intended for “Predators” to have an “R” rating, acknowledging that hardcore fans disapproved of “Alien Vs. Predator” and its sequel for softening the battles for PG-13 standards. Mainly, Antal said, they wanted to return the vibe of the first movie. “We both realized that sticking to the original and building off that was the best approach,” he said.