With its release only four months away, fans have been anxiously awaiting any footage from The Predator. That wait is finally over. The Predator trailer dropped this morning so let’s just dive right into it …

When Is It Coming Out?

The Predator had its original release date changed. Currently, it’s set to hit theaters on September 14, 2018. If assume that release dates matter, then this isn’t a bad sign. Usually a late August release or the dreaded first weekend of September are used as a dumping ground. The mid-September release avoids the summer onslaught of tentpole releases and gets a leg on the “Oscar bait” film of the fall season, meaning The Predator shouldn’t have much competition.

Who’s Making It?

Shane Black is sitting in the director’s chair for The Predator. Black’s filmography includes The Nice Guys, Iron Man 3, and the under-appreciated Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. Iron Man 3 haters may disagree, but Black has a distinct directorial style that is very well-suited for action films. In addition, Black shares writing credits with Fred Dekker, who has some genre credibility from The Monster Squad and cult classic, Night of the Creeps.

Who’s In It?

• Boyd Holbrook (Logan) and Jacob Tremblay as Quinn and Rory McKenna (father & son)
• Jake  Busey (son of Gary Busey’s character in Predator 2)
• Olivia Munn,
• Sterling K. Brown (This is Us)
• Thomas Jane
• Yvonne Strahovski
• Keegan-Michael Key
• Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight)
• Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones)
• Augusto Aguilera

What Does the Trailer Tell Us?

Not much. It’s a teaser trailer that clocks in at just under two minutes, largely comprised of carefully edited action footage with just a few bits of potential plot information. In the opening seconds, the teaser introduces the audience to its suburban setting and Jacob Tremblay’s young Rory McKenna. He’s opening a package that looks like it’s addressed to his dad, Quinn (Boyd Holbrook), containing Predator technology. So we know why the Predators return to Earth – Rory plays with the technology and inadvertently sends out a signal. But we don’t know who sent it or why?

We get a few shots of the Predator’s ship crashing onto Earth before switching to what looks like a military compound. Boyd Holbrook’s Quinn is introduced and it looks like he’s being question about a possible alien encounter. We also get a quick shot of Sterling K. Brown’s agent who seems pretty invested in the encounter. It’s also hinted that some of Quinn’s men didn’t make it (“and your men … someone or something tore them to pieces”). The dialogue is interspersed with quick shots of Thomas Jane, Keegan Michael-Key, and Alfie Allen. Whether they are the soldiers killed in this encounter isn’t clear.

We get a couple more quick shots of the military compound and what looks like Olivia Munn’s character. At this point, we get the only real significant plot point as Munn’s character suggests that the Predators have been “attempting hybridization” by splicing the DNA from species they hunt with their own. The teaser shows a quick image of Predator helmets and the shoulder-mounted gun, thus confirming that the military is aware of the Predators’ existence. Does this mean we may get an Arnold Schwarzenegger cameo? It’s certainly no guarantee. A quick look the IMDb page for The Predator shows that Jake Busey’s character is only referred to as the “son of Peter Keyes”, Gary Busey’s character from Predator 2. This character connection may explain the military’s knowledge.

The remainder of The Predator trailer is a collection of slickly edited action shots, making it pretty much impossible when and where things occur. In other words, the teaser does just enough to whet fans’ appetite and remind film-goers that a sequel is indeed coming soon.