For some time now, fans have been looking forward to the reboot to the Predator franchise. Ever since the first one hit decades ago, there have been a couple more swings at the character, and both have had underwhelming reception. Predator 2 took things to a silly level, and while 2010’s Predators was all sorts of awesome, it didn’t really do enough business at the box office to warrant a follow-up. Filmmaker Shane Black seemed like a good fit for the franchise. Not only does he have experience with action, but his dark humor fits like a glove, and if that wasn’t enough, he was in the first film.

Shane Black has been talking about this project for years now, though no matter how much he talked about it, he never promised audiences that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be in it. The closest he came to saying that was back last May, when he gave us an update on the timeline.

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Back then, he stated:

“[Predator 2] all happened in 1990, but now it’s 25 years later. So in other words, if Arnold [Schwarzenegger]’s in it – which I’m not allowed to discuss [laughs] – he would be old Arnold.”

In the months since then, it’s been confirmed that Schwarzenegger would indeed, not be in the film, and in a recent interview with Yahoo!, the actor discussed why he turned down the role.

“They asked me, and I read it, and I didn’t like it — whatever they offered. So I’m not going to do that, no. Except if there’s a chance that they rewrite it, or make it a more significant role. But the way it is now, no, I won’t do that.”

Wow. He’s a pretty blunt dude. However, I wouldn’t be disheartened if you think this means that the script is no good. It’s worth clarifying that the statement from Schwarzenegger more implies that there wasn’t enough for his character to do in order to justify his involvement.

That’s also Black’s take from the statement, as mentioned on Twitter.

While it is a shame that we won’t have a chance to see Dutch again, we have confidence that Shane will help to shift this franchise back in the right direction. Hell, even if the film bombs at the box office, it’s still likely that Black’s take will be enjoyable for those who venture out to the theaters.

Are you disappointed we won’t be seeing Schwarzenegger return to the Predator franchise? Let us know in the comments down below!

The Predator hits theaters on February 9, 2018.

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SOURCE: Yahoo! Movies