With a February 2018 release date looming for Shane Black’s long-awaited reboot to the Predator series, things are getting dangerously close to where the film needs to start shooting. Obviously, it’s not a necessity, but with most Hollywood projects, the film should start shooting roughly a year in advance of its release, so that it has time to get the visual effects done, which is no small task. It’s November now, which only puts us a few months away from when the film should be shooting, and despite this, we still have only a few details regarding the movie.

Luckily for us, a new report from THR has given us a few key details. The first involves casting. Last month, Benicio del Toro had to bow out of the production, and was replaced by Boyd Holbrook. Now, the outlet is reporting that the production is in the process of locking down actress Olivia Munn in the lead female role alongside Holbrook. Her role is described is described briefly as “a scientist opposite Holbrook’s Special Forces commando.”

Also among new details is the basic setting, which will place a Predator in the middle of suburbia. I know, sounds a bit cheesy, and in your typical Hollywood hack, I might be put off by this revelation, but given it’s under the guidance of Shane Black, who has yet to make a bad film in my mind, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. 

Additionally, as per our speculation, it looks like a February start date for production is being targeted, which will put it right in the safe window to get it out on time. This is a lot of great forward momentum that I hope doesn’t get stunted in a couple months’ time.

Regarding Munn’s casting, I know there are a lot of fanboys who may scoff at this choice, but I think it’s a solid one. Munn has faced uphill battles from fanboys ever since her time on Attack of the Show where she was ridiculed for being a “fake gamer,” but in recent years, she’s proven to be a solid actress. Admittedly, if you were to look at X-Men: Apocalypse, I’d say to look elsewhere. Frankly, she wasn’t given enough to work with there. If you want to see her in a great role, however, I highly recommend checking out the HBO series The Newsroom, where she played a financial reporter for the fictional network ACN.

Given Shane Black’s style of comedy, and Olivia Munn’s ability to deliver on that dry sense of humor, I think this could be a pretty good fit for the female lead. Granted, The Predator isn’t set to be a full-on Shane Black comedy, but I imagine we’ll get little nuggets of Black’s trademark wit in there in the finished product.

What do you think of the casting and setting details? Let us know your thoughts down below!

The Predator hits theaters on February 9, 2018. 

Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page.

SOURCE: THR

RELATED: THE PREDATOR: SHANE BLACK GIVE SMORE DETAILS ON UPCOMING FILM