The upcoming Smooth will mark a major turning point for her Predator franchise largely because of its setting. Instead of taking place in the present, or even the not-too-distant future, Smooth it sets it back three hundred years to the 1710s. There’s one other thing that Prey does differently than any other film in the franchise, and that’s something they did with the actual Predator suit on the set of the movie. Speaking in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com at San Diego Comic-Con, Smooth Director Dan Trachtenberg talked about making a practical Predator costume for the film and what they did differently.
“It was a couple of people driving (the mechanisms in the mask),” Trachtenberg said. “There are two versions of the face, there was a stunt version that didn’t have movement, it was a little safer for Dane (DiLiegro, The Predator) to work with. And there was another version that was just heavier for Dane because he had all the animatronics in. And one of the things that we added in this movie that was strangely not, I don’t think was in the other Ptedator movies, was goop. We brought in some alien goop, the stuff that we’ve seen in the Alien movies. So the mandibles and the face and all that stuff felt a lot more violent and vulgar.”
DiLiegro also said he wears the suit, noting that when you wear it all it does is add to your performance when you’re on set. “It’s interesting, you know, you’re not just a guy in a monkey suit. (They) did a hell of a job making that suit, but you walk in and you’re not human anymore, you’re invincible and you’re this trophy hunter from another planet and you transform into him and it’s the whole story and, Kevin Peter Hall (the late actor from the first two Predator movies) and following in his footsteps was an incredible experience for me. Like I said before, it’s still sinking in, I still can’t believe it.”
Smooth will debut on Hulu on August 5th. The film features a cast made up almost entirely of Native and First Nation talent, including Amber Midthunder (“The Ice Road,” “Roswell, New Mexico”), newcomer Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp (“Sooyii ), Michelle Thrush (“The Journey Home”), Julian Black Antelope (“Tribal”).
Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, Smooth is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has grown up in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters to roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey he pursues, and eventually confronts, turns out to be a highly sophisticated alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.
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