The SXSW-edition of the Predators poster from Friday's first look event

Down the street from the Paramount and the premiere of Kick-Ass there was a different kind of buzz gradually building, as fans lined up for most of the day hoping to get into the Alamo Ritz to see Robert Rodriguez share a first look at his upcoming Predators. (Later, as began his presentation, Rodriguez admitted to driving past the theater several times that day to check on the line of fans, and he sincerely thanked them for their tenacity.)

Earlier in the day, most conversations I took part in and overheard centered on either Predators or Kick-Ass, and it had become clear that making the screenings for both films would be fairly difficult to do, especially given demand.  Luckily, I had gotten off the plane and headed directly to the Convention Center to wait in line for the few small batches of SXXPress passes that we released at intervals through the day, and managed to snag one, guaranteeing entrance as long as I got there 30 minutes before the screening . (A side note: I can’t stress strongly enough that getting up early and getting to the Convention Center to grab SXXPress passes is one of the best uses of your time here: you’ll know for certain that you get to see the movies you really want to, and spend less time standing in lines.)

Since I wasn’t able to get into Kick-Ass, I was able to get to the Ritz quite early, and checked out this line of fans waiting to see the revival of one of their favorite film characters.  Conversations ranged from wondering how much of the movie we’d see, to what the predators would look like, to locals comparing notes about bits of filming they’d seen happening around town (the film was shot mostly at Rodriguez’ Troublemaker studios and at various locales in Austin, with some pieces then filmed in Hawaii.)  The anticipation here was just as feverish, but had a different tone; excitement, tempered with a little bit of concern, as the Predator fans struck me as a protective, passionate lot who really want their favorite character returned to glory after a few questionable onscreen outings.

From the moment Robert Rodriguez took the stage, it was apparent that he was one of the biggest Predator fans of all, and he immediately reassured fans that he too wanted the Predator back in top form, and was just as passionate about making that happen as fans were about seeing it happen. He detailed the back story behind the film; how he had written the script back in 1994 and it had been set aside and pretty much forgotten, until Fox called him last year to say they’d read his script and wanted him to make the film.  Directing another project at the time, Rodriguez agreed that he wanted to get the film made, and suggested Nimród Antal to direct and he’d produce it, if they could film the project in Austin. The studio agreed, and they started filming the production at Troublemaker last July; Rodriguez’ excitement at walking out of his office and out to his studio lot where actors were suiting up was palpable when he said “I loved seeing predators in Austin” – the statement seemed to perfectly crystallize why he was so enthusiastic about the project; he could revive one of his favorite characters in one of his favorite places. He also mentioned that he had been a fan of Antal’s previous work, thought he’d be the best person to direct; he  knew for certain that they had the perfect director when, while filming a fight scene between predators and a piece of one of the predators’ blades broke off, Rodriguez saw Antal quietly pick up a broken piece of blade and sneak it into his pocket – just like any huge fan would do.

Then came the preview clip, which was around 2 minutes  long. The clip focuses on a group of soldiers (including Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Alice Braga) who wake to discover they’re not on Earth anymore. Plucked from their elite combat positions, the soldiers try to figure out what happened;  with some discussion, they realize that they’ve been specifically chosen and brought to the planet by as highly-skilled prey, to help the planet’s predators practice and hone their fighting skills. The tension of the clip was key; the fear inspired by the predators felt truly shrink-back-in-your-seat menacing, even in just the few minutes shown.

After the clip, Rodriguez and Antal took the stage, and talked about the process leading up to filming and the sense of urgency they both felt about bringing the energy and fear back to the predators, while keeping each one unique.  They also discussed the importance of casting strong actors in these roles of the soldiers, with Rodriguez quickly dismissing criticism of the casting Adrien Brody as a lead, stressing that you must hire actors capable of sustaining the tension and dread required, and that actors like Brody and Fishburne elevate the feel of the entire film. As they talked, character sketches from pre-production ran on a loop on the screen behind them, giving the audience a sense of what the newest predators may look like while not revealing their exact appearances – inspirations included dogs and a falconer.  They were then joined on stage by FX and makeup guru Greg Nicotero, the man who was part of the team that designed the original Predator and with whom both Antal and Rodriguez worked to design and create the newest predators. The three of them together reminded me of the most dedicated fanboys on earth, continously discussing and  thinking carefully through the design these new creatures, giving them fighting skills that complement their appearances, making them believable and frightful — their energy and attention to detail here was the biggest reassurance that the re-invigoration of the Predator series appears to be in the right hands.

Along with the focus on the new predators, the three also revealed a surprise to the audience: they said that the original predator would make in a appearance in Predators and brought along the animatronic head to the original predator for all of us to see. One interesting point revealed: Rodriguez did talk to James Cameron and asked him about the rumor that he had come up with the original predator’s mouth movement – Cameron confirmed that he did. They invited everyone to walk down to the stage and take a close-up look at him, and the folks next to me and I didn’t need to be asked twice:  let me just say that those infamous predator jaws, in action 5 inches from your face?  That’s the stuff that nightmares are made of, in very best way possible. Even up close, sitting on a stage not attached to the Predator body, that head felt more alive and real that it had any right to do.

The floor was opened to audience questions, and an impressive, thoughtful string of queries followed, making it apparent that the crowd was not there to blindly cheer anything.  They wanted to know as much as they could, a sort of concerned-but-hopeful group of citizens for the protection of the Predator, and it felt as though Antal, Rodriguez and Nicotero said as much as they could without revealing too much – they struck a nice balance between being informative and building suspense.

The filmmakers thanked the audience sincerely for their continued enthusiasm for this continuation of the Predator saga, and let us know that the trailer will debut in front of Repo-Man next week.  They also provided T-shirts, Robert Rodriguez signed posters and a 3-dot lazer pointer to each person in attendance – see the photo of ours above.