Prey producer John Davis has revealed why Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t in Predator 2.
Way back in 1987, the first Predator film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger hit theaters. The film was a big critical and financial success for 20th Century Fox and a sequel was quickly put into development. Like its companion series, Alien, however, the Predator franchise had trouble getting traction once the 90s rolled around. The second film in the Predator franchise, Predator 2 changed a lot from its predecessor. The setting moved from Central America to Los Angeles and focused on a team of cops rather than a group of special forces. The biggest change, however, was the lead character. In Predator 2 the lead character was played by Danny Glover. As it turned out, however, Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally set to return to the role
In a recent interview with Variety, Prey producer John Davis revealed why it was Arnold Schwarzenegger didn’t return for Predator 2. As is often the case with these things, it was a money issue:
“The Thomas brothers wrote that also, and Stephen Hopkins directed it. It was a really wonderful script. Arnold was gonna play [the lead] role. The studio was negotiating with him, and the whole deal fell apart over $250,000. And it was obvious: Joe Roth, who was the head of the studio at the time, just said, ‘I won’t go past this number’ and Arnold wanted this other number.”