Benicio Del Toro in Talks for ‘Predator’ Reboot Role

Benicio Del Toro is in talks to star in the Predator reboot. The 49-year-old actor is thought to be in negotiations for the lead role in the hotly-anticipated remake of the 1987 movie, according to Deadline.

While plot details remain thin on the ground, Shane Black is to direct the motion picture for 20th Century Fox after previously starring in the original. He played Rick Hawkins, who was the first to die at the hands of the titular character.

Black recently revealed the main character’s name in Predator would be Quinn McKenna. He said: “The hero of the film, the name I’ve given the guy, is Quinn McKenna. Quinn McKenna. Rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?”

The original movie starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as soldier Major Alan ‘Dutch’ Schaefer, who was hunted by an alien monster in the jungle along with his squad of commandos.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Del Toro has been wanted by the production team for months but there was an issue with his schedule. However, that now appears to have been resolved and a February start date is being muted. Joel Silver, John Davis and Lawrence Gordon will produce the movie.

It looks set to be a busy few years for Del Toro, who is to portray a villain in Star Wars: Episode VIII in 2017.

Last year, he played Alejandro Gillick in Sicario and has recently appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World as Taneleer Tivan/ The Collector.