We’ve got some good news and some bad news for fans looking forward to The Predator. The good news is 20th Century Fox seems bullish enough on the film to give it a prime summer release date. The bad news is it means we’re gonna have to wait even longer before we see the thing. Fox announced today that director Shane Black’s new Predator sequel has been pushed off of its February 9, 2018 release date and will instead open in theaters on August 3, 2018. That first week of August date proved mighty successful for films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad in the past, as it’s now become a kind of launching pad for more edgy/different blockbuster material.

The Predator was written by Black and The Monster Squad writer Fred Dekker, and while specific plot details are being kept under wraps, Black has confirmed that it’s a sequel to the original films (i.e. it doesn’t ignore what happened and thus isn’t a total reboot/remake) and that it will definitely be Rated R. Filming is currently underway in Vancouver, and Black has assembled a phenomenal ensemble that includes Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Jane, Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key, Sterling K. Brown, Yvonne Strahovski, Alfie Allen, and Edward James Olmos. Given that Black is a tremendously unique talent and has thus far only directed great movies, hopes are high for this one.

On the new August release date, the film will be opening directly opposite the Will Ferrell/John C. Reilly period comedy Holmes & Watson and a TBA Disney live-action film that's probably Aladdin. It’s also opening a week after Mission: Impossible 6, so there’s certainly some competition to be found there, but again I think Black is gonna be offering a wholly unique kind of blockbuster and that August date should give the film a high profile.

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Image via Shane Black
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Image via 20th Century Fox

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Image via 20th Century Fox