The film “Predator”: hidden details and behind-the-scenes facts that many viewers missed (26 photos + 2 videos)

In 1987, the fantastic action film “Predator” was released, directed by John McTiernan, based on the script by the Thomas brothers. The plot centers on battle-hardened commandos and a lone hunter who deliberately arrived on Earth from another planet in order to “profit to his heart’s content.”





I bring to your attention a selection of interesting details and behind-the-scenes facts that many viewers missed when getting acquainted with the film “Predator”. Enjoy reading!

“Where is my parachute?”



When at the beginning of the film the heroes are heading for the jungles of Central America, the helicopter is bursting at the seams with the song Long Tail Sally performed by Little Richard playing with might and main. Upon arrival at the landing zone, the fighters are lowered down the cables.

John McTiernan thought of filming this scene differently, but the budget did not allow it.

According to the director's idea, the plane (not a helicopter) in which the brave men were located found itself under fire from enemy fighters. The pilot tried to escape pursuit, but Alan “Dutch” Schaeffer put a gun to his head and demanded that he strictly follow the instructions. Next, the commandos grabbed the parachutes and left the aircraft one by one (along with the pilot).

“It’s better not to anger an Indian”





Sonny Landham, who played Billy Saul, had such an explosive temper that studio bosses even hired a bodyguard for him. The big guy followed the actor on his heels and made sure that Sonny didn’t fight with anyone on the set.

As John McTiernan said in an interview after the film's release: “The two-meter giant was constantly next to Landham while filming was going on. Sonny could not be left unattended for a minute, as he could get into trouble out of nowhere.”

“We know firsthand what war is”



Jesse Ventura and Richard Chavez are Vietnam War veterans.

Jesse Ventura (James George Janos), who plays Sergeant Blaine Cooper, served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War.

After leaving the army, he connected his life with wrestling for a long time. He performed in the WWF both as a wrestler and as a commentator, acting in films along the way.

“Predator” is Ventura’s film debut. By the way, he got the role of Blaine thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who put in a good word for him with John McTiernan.

In 2004, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Jesse Ventura is also known as a political activist. From 1991 to 1995, he served as mayor of Brooklyn Park. Subsequently became Governor of Minnesota (January 4, 1999 – January 6, 2003).

Richard Chavez, who played Jorge “Poncho” Ramirez, served in Vietnam with the 196th Infantry Brigade (1970-1973).

Returning home, Richard began to think seriously about an acting career. Chavez's film debut was the film “Fire on the Mountain” (1981).

However, “Predator” and the television series “War of the Worlds” made him famous.

“Who will get the bottle?”



One day, when Jesse Ventura was preparing for an upcoming shoot, the costume designer told him that his biceps were larger than Arnold Schwarzenegger's.

Ventura, without thinking twice, suggested that Arnie compare his biceps, and Schwarzenegger agreed. The men made a bet. The winner received a bottle of champagne.

Ironically, Arnold was the winner. It turned out that he had agreed in advance with the costume designer to help him play Ventura.

“I can’t control myself”



Bill Duke played Sergeant Mac Elliott. In the story, when Mac got nervous, he started shaving.

Feeling the presence of the Predator nearby, he even broke a razor on his cheek. The idea with the machine belonged to Duke.

A fake thing was made especially for this scene, which, when pressed into the cheek, left a “bloody” mark on the skin.

“At-two, left-right!”



To match their on-screen characters, the actors underwent intensive training under the guidance of Gary Goldman, a military consultant.

When meeting Gary, John McTiernan told him this: “These guys look like ballerinas. Make them sternvyh fighters.”

And Goldman took over the physical training of the commandos. Men had to:

- walk more than thirty kilometers through the Mexican jungle;

- run in the mountains;

- work both with your own weight and with weights.

Richard Chavez later shared a funny story in an interview: “Once I lay down to rest in the middle of a workout right on the ground. And when I got up, I couldn’t contain my emotions—hundreds of ants surrounded me. In horror, I rushed to run wherever I could, tearing off my clothes.”

At the end of filming, Jesse Ventura commented on the joint training with his colleagues: “I definitely wouldn’t go to war with them. But I have to admit: on the set we gave it all the heat!”

"Protect the environment!"



The commandos really came out hot. Remember the scene when the fighters led by Dutch (Dutch) stormed the rebel camp in the jungle?

It took the film crew two weeks to build the set and prepare the “springboard” for the explosions.

The filmmakers did not cut down the trees, since two years earlier the jungle had already been badly damaged during a fire. But the stumps were painted black.

It was assumed that three hundred Mexican extras would take part in the filming, but a hundred in the end turned out to be more than enough.

Be that as it may, each of the extras received a monetary reward.

“And why did you take it off?”



You will be surprised, but the scene with the destruction of the rebel camp was not filmed by John McTiernan. It was directed by Craig R. Baxley, supporting director.

When McTiernan saw the result of Baxley's work, he did not feel much joy. According to him, everything turned out too artificially.

However, producer Joel Silver was impressed after watching it, so he insisted that the scene be included in the film.

“You can’t hide from me”



While tracking warm-blooded prey (in particular, people from Dutch’s squad), the alien hunter navigated in space thanks to “snake” (infrared) vision.

A thermal imager was used to simulate such vision, since infrared film did not register the temperature of human bodies.

“John, welcome!”



Before John McTiernan was asked to join the project, Predator was planned to be directed by Jeff Murphy, nicknamed the “New Zealand Spielberg.”

Murphy's most famous films: “Young Guns 2” (1990), “Immortality Inc.” (1992), “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory” (1995).

Alas, due to “creative differences” with the producers and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jeff Murphy soon left the project.

John Davis suggested that his colleagues consider the candidacy of John McTiernan, who by that time had announced himself as the director of the film “Vagabonds” (1986). By the way, the script for “Vagabonds” was also written by McTiernan.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Joel Silver really liked this thriller.

You know the outcome.

“I’m angry and scary... King Kong”



“Predator” was significantly influenced by such film masterpieces as “Alien” (1979), “Aliens” (1986) and “The Thing” (1982).

John McTiernan initially assumed that the film would be in the spirit of the King Kong story.

“A group of guys set out to explore a mysterious island in the hope of finding a monster that is the stuff of legends. Unfortunately, the monster turns out to be much more dangerous and larger than the heroes thought. They have to flee, although all paths are cut off...” (excerpt from interview).

“We will endure. Despite everything"



John McTiernan, fearing to catch some kind of infection, ate only the food that he brought with him. This also applied to water.

Following a forced diet, the director lost as much as eleven kilograms by the end of filming.

Unfortunately, his colleagues were less prudent, and they paid for it with their health. When the hotel's water purification system failed, many of the actors came down with stomach upsets.

Arnold Schwarzenegger did not escape an evil fate either. It almost didn't end in hospitalization.

“You can kiss the bride”



On April 25, 1986, filming was temporarily suspended. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver were getting married.

Joel Silver rented a private jet for Arnie so that he could get to the wedding venue with maximum comfort.

On April 26, Arnold and Maria got married. Their “honeymoon” lasted only three days.

Filming for “The Predator” resumed on May 12.

“I’ll drink for courage”



While the commandos on the screen were fighting an alien creature, the film crew was fighting a very real threat - snakes, leeches and countless insects.

The film was shot on a hilly area, which, according to Arnold Schwarzenegger, caused considerable inconvenience to the entire creative team.

The climatic conditions also left much to be desired: the sweltering heat gave way to frost as night fell. To warm up at least a little, filmmakers used special lamps.

Arnold, in turn, drank “hunter's mulled wine”: a mix of tea, honey, schnapps and red wine.

During the filming of the final battle with the Predator, smeared with mud (in real life - pottery clay), Schwarzenegger drank mulled wine three times more often than usual.

“Never fight an alien while you’re a date,” he sneered later in an interview.

“Here you go, Karl. Enjoy"



It's no secret that Arnold Schwarzenegger knows a lot about cigars.

Seeing how happy Arnie took a puff of fragrant smoke, Carl Weathers decided to keep up with his colleague.

“Unbeknownst to me, I became addicted to smoking tobacco. One day Arnold invited me to smoke with him, and I couldn’t refuse. When filming came to an end, Schwarzenegger proudly handed me a box of luxurious Cuban cigars...” (from the memoirs of Carl Weathers).

“I’m a star of the first magnitude, okay?”



Jean-Claude Van Damme was the first to be offered the role of an alien hunter. The idea was for the actor to act like a ninja thanks to his fighting skills.

It's funny, but Van Damme only spent two days on set. There are several versions of why he left the project. Here are some of them:

1. Jean-Claude complained constantly. In an already tense situation, Van Damme’s lamentations were completely out of place, so the “universal soldier” was quickly fired. Arnold Schwarzenegger even jokingly nicknamed him “the tireless complainer.”

2. Van Damme allegedly couldn't stand the heat. From an interview with Bill Duke: “Jean-Claude was forced to wear a full-body alien suit in 40-degree heat. He passed out twice from dehydration. Joel Silver later set a condition for him: “Either you adapt to the local temperature regime, or we break up.” Van Damme soon collapsed again and was fired."

3. Van Damme didn’t like the alien’s “head” (it was really ugly). When the actor was dressed in an alien costume, he could not restrain himself and smashed it on the floor. The damage caused to film makers amounted to twenty thousand dollars. No one began to quarrel with Jean-Claude, but the contract with him was still terminated.

4. Van Damme wanted to make the Predator a kickboxer. When Joel Hynek, the special effects supervisor, asked Jean-Claude to moderate his ardor, he replied: “That’s exactly how I see a killer alien.” Joel, becoming furious, muttered through his teeth: “Get out of here.” Comrade Van Damme was not at a loss here either. With a slight Belgian accent, he whispered: “Settle my sucker.” Rumor has it that this phrase ended up in the film “Red Heat” just after that incident.

5. According to John Davis: “We have come to the conclusion that the Predator cannot be 178 centimeters tall.”

However, one scene that they managed to film with Jean-Claude was still included in the film. Remember the moment when Mac notices a barely visible alien next to Blaine's corpse?

“Kevin, how tall you are.”



Following Van Damme, Kevin Peter Hall was invited to play the role of the Predator.

Hall fit the role of an alien killer perfectly because:

1. He was tall (220 centimeters);

2. He has previously played all sorts of monsters in films.

Interesting fact: in the same 1987, the wonderful family comedy “Harry and the Hendersons” was released, where Kevin Peter Hall played the good giant - Bigfoot Harry.

Concerning“Predator,” Hall, as one might expect, had a hard time filming. The weight of the suit was ninety kilograms. The actor moved with great difficulty (not without outside support).

The heat was quite exhausting. But that's not so bad.

Nothing was visible in the Predator's mask!

Kevin Peter Hall assessed his surroundings in advance so that he could then move “blindly.”

At the end of the film, he also played one of the helicopter pilots.

“Destructive power is in my hands!”



Even though Blaine Cooper, played by Jesse Ventura, died a heroic death, he was the first of the team to try out a minigun - the coolest weapon in the film.

The multi-barreled machine gun was initially absent from the script. To use it in “Predator”, the technicians had to work hard.

Since the minigun was battery-powered, a power cable was passed through the actor's trouser leg. Also during filming, a special support was used to prevent Ventura from being knocked over by the recoil.

The machine gun's rate of fire was significantly reduced - from six thousand to one thousand two hundred and fifty rounds per minute. Otherwise, the rotation of the barrels would not have been shown on the film.

“Rocky vs. Alien? Yeah, it's funny"



As the excitement surrounding the premiere of Rocky IV (1985) died down somewhat, a joke circulated around Hollywood that “Rocky Balboa on Earth has already achieved greatness.” They say that all he has to do is fight with the alien from Steven Spielberg’s film “The Extra-Terrestrial,” and then he will “gain universal popularity.”

According to many people, Jim and John Thomas, the screenwriters of Predator, based the script on a Rocky joke. However, this is a misconception.

The brothers began working on the script back in 1983. They were inspired by the science fiction horror film “Caution” (1980).

“We definitely can’t cope with a team of aliens”



Before studio bosses from 20th Century Fox approved the script for the future film, the Thomas brothers wrote out more than one draft.

The script was called “Hunter”. True, it was soon changed to “Predator”, since since 1984 in the USA the series “Hunter” had been broadcast on TV with might and main.

In the original version of the script, instead of one alien killer, there was a whole team of aliens.

“Let’s leave the manuscript at the door”



Since the Thomas brothers had no connections in Hollywood, they had no choice but to sneak into the 20th Century Fox film studio and leave their script at the door of the office of one of the executives.

The brothers were incredibly lucky: the script fell into the hands of John Davis.

The producer liked the reading so much that he couldn’t help but share it with Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver.

Silver, in turn, sent the script to Arnold Schwarzenegger. After reading the text, Arnold agreed to take part in the filming.

From that moment on, the career of the Thomas brothers skyrocketed.

“Shane, do you have any ideas?”



Lethal Weapon screenwriter Shane Black is also interested in the project. Having decided to test himself in the acting field, he asked Joel Silver to assign him a small role.

Silver met Black halfway, but with the condition that Shane, if necessary, would help make adjustments to the script during the filming process. Black was happy with this arrangement.

Shane Black played Rick Hawkins, a comedian from Dutch's team, in Predator.

According to Black, his services as a screenwriter were not really needed. The most he contributed during the filming stage was to come up with a couple of obscene jokes for his character.

“What an epic soundtrack!”



Joel Silver wanted the score for Predator to be written by Michael Kamen, with whom he worked together on Lethal Weapon. Alas, the composer was then passionate about another project - “The Adventures of a Nanny.”

John McTiernan recommended that Joel Silver talk to Alan Silvestri, whose scores perfectly complemented films such as Romancing the Stone (1984), Flight of the Navigator (1986) and Back to the Future (1985). That's what they decided on.

Alan Silvestri did not disappoint.

“What’s wrong with his head?”



Early drafts of the script called for a stealthy, ninja-like creature that could move through trees.

To make the idea a reality, the filmmakers turned to Richard Edland and his team from Boss Film Studios for help.

Some time has passed. John McTiernan filmed all the scenes without the alien hunter, and was already quite nervous due to the fact that the alien suit was still missing from the set.

When, finally, the huge wooden box with the treasured contents reached the filmmakers, none of them could even imagine WHAT EXACTLY would be inside.

From McTiernan’s memoirs: “We took crowbars and opened the box. It was so exciting. But when we pulled SOMETHING out of the box, we immediately looked at each other in bewilderment. With a straight face, I said: “Looks like we have problems...”.

Arnold Schwarzenegger recalled that incident with laughter: “The alien’s body resembled a lizard, and its head resembled a toothy duck! Haha!”

“Stan, you are our hero.”



Bigwigs from 20th Century Fox agreed that the alien monster costume did not live up to its stated requirements. They paused work on the film to allow Richard Edlund's team to remake the alien.

Joel Silver, doubting that the guys from Boss Film Studios would cope with the task, suggested that his colleagues from Fox hire other people. They agreed.

Stanley Winston, a master of visual and technical special effects, came to the aid of Silver and the entire creative team.

Stan was the best at what he did. For the film “Terminator” (1984), he designed the T-800 endoskeleton, and for his work on “Aliens” (1986) he received an Oscar.

Stanley Winston's fee for assistance in the filming of “Predator” amounted to one and a half million dollars. Stan's alien hunter turned out to be truly sinister.

“Don't forget the mandibles”



On his way to a meeting with representatives of the 20th Century Fox film studio, Stanley Winston met James Cameron on the plane.

Winston shared his ideas for the Predator design with a friend, to which Cameron replied: “You know, a monster with mandibles has been my old dream. I think it’s time to make it happen.”

"Mr. Krabs, your way out"



In order for the alien hunter on the other side of the screen to move in stealth mode, a bright red suit was used. Due to the sharp contrast with the green color of the tropical forests and the blue sky (using chromakey), the illusion of “empty space” was created.

Then they filmed the take again. This time - without the participation of actors. The jungle from the second take “filled” the outline of the alien.

To make the monster “shimmer” in stealth mode, a wider lens was used in the take where there were no actors.

The Predator's head was equipped with nine servos, which were responsible for the facial expressions of the alien killer. Kevin Peter Hall moved the mandibles using his mouth.

The villain's green blood is the result of mixing a luminescent substance from glow sticks and ointment.

The predator is voiced by Peter Cullen, inspired by the funny sounds crabs make.