When it comes to Shane Black's The Predator, the film remains largely a mystery. We know it doesn't take place in the suburbs, we know it will be R-rated, and we know it harkens back to the character dynamics of the first film. And we also know the downright excellent cast lineup that includes Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Thomas Jane, Keegan-Michael Key, Sterling K. Brown, Jacob Tremblay, and Trevante Rhodes. And for a long time, there's been speculation that original stars Arnold Schwarzenegger or Danny Glover might pop up.

However, Holbrook recently spoke with We Got This Covered and he told the outlet that The Predator is "something totally new", not a sequel, and that means we're probably not going to see any familiar faces.

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Here's the full quote:

“I’m currently working on Predator. It’s not a sequel; Shane Black has made something totally new, somehow keeping within the realm of Predator [while also being] absolutely new in terms of the story that we’re talking about today, and rooted in something real. It’s real fresh. I don’t think you’re going to see [Arnold] Schwarzenegger. It would kind of make it a gimmick. It’s horror, science-fiction and a western.”

Personally, I'm relieved. Nostalgia and self-cannibalization are never as exciting and creative as reinvention. I'd much rather see Shane Black put his unique stamp on the material than try to replicate the magic of cinema past. It almost never works. It's Holbrook's description of The Predator as "horror, science-fiction and a western" that has me most intrigued. Black has done a lot of wonderful inverting of noir and action archetypes throughout his screenwriting and directorial career, and I'm super interested to see his spin on three genres he hasn't spent a lot of time on before.

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Image via Netflix

Collider's own Steven Weintraub also caught up with Holbrook recently for Logan and got some more details on his character. The actor revealed he's scheduled to head to Vancouver to kick off production in a matter of days, before heading to Mexico for a bit of filming. Here's what he had to say about his character and the tone of the film, which he says is comparable to Logan in some ways.

"I play a character named Quinn Mackenna who is an ex-sniper in the rangers. And I think you're going to get a similar dynamic, which was what really worked so well for Logan is that it's a relatable story. It's rooted in personal relationships. [Logan] is essentially a father-daughter story and I think you're going to get equal amount of quality out of Predator."

Black is directing The Predator from a script he wrote with Fred Dekker. The duo previously wrote The Monster Squad together. John Davis, Joel Silver, and Lawrence Gordon — the producing trio behind the original — return for Black's reinvention of the Predator mythos.

The Predator is slated to land in theaters on February 9, 2018.

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Image via 20th Century Fox
predator-movie-image
Image via 20th Century Fox
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Image via 20th Century Fox