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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Paul Speed

Prequel to classic 80s Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi action-flick drops on Disney Plus this Friday

There was nothing quite like the 80s for big blockbuster action flicks – with legendary actor Arnold Schwarzenegger leading the charge in macho must-see popcorn fodder.

Alongside the likes of classics such as Terminator and Commando came 1987’s Predator – an unashamedly all-guns blazing, testosterone-fuelled, alien-hunting jungle brawl that still stands up today.

Its plot was fantastically simple.

Arnie and a squad of commandos were air-dropped into a Guatemalan jungle to rescue a load of politicians.

But after finding a string of dead bodies, the crew discovers they are being hunted by a brutal 7-foot plus creature with superhuman strength and the ability to disappear into its surroundings.

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Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Dillon (Carl Weathers, left) in 1987's Predator. (Corbis via Getty Images)

With a healthy 7.8 rating on IMDb and widely regarded as one of the best films of the 80s, the franchise inevitably spawned a load of sequels – some good, some not so good.

And now, some 35 years later, Predator has its very own prequel – Prey, and it's landing on Disney Plus this Friday.

Prey: The Plot

In Predator 2, which starred Danny Glover, it was established the titular alien had been frequenting earth for a spot of hunting for centuries; treating it all as a macabre sport played for honour and prestige.

To flesh this premise out, Prey delves back some 300 years before events in the original film.

But instead of hunted commandos, we have a hunted Native American Comanche warrior and her entire tribe.

The official synopsis says: "Prey is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior.

“She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people.

“The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries."

Prey’s story, acted out by nearly all Native actors including Amber Midthunder (The Ice Road) and Stormee Kipp (Sooyii), is reassuringly similar in concept to the 1987 original, so should keep fans happy - and there's bound to be a few twists in store.

Predator prequel Prey (Disney Plus/Hulu/20th Century Fox)

Written in the stars, a million miles away

The intriguing concept of an alien mooching around 18th century North America was the brainchild of Prey director Dan Trachtenberg back in 2016. The script is penned by relative unknown Patrick Aison, who has worked on episodes of Jack Ryan and Treadstone.

So omens are good for Prey to fly high, as Trachtenberg has a more than decent CV - after having directed a string of critically-acclaimed ventures such as dark superhero TV series The Boys and Charlie Brooker's bleak dystopian sci-fi show Black Mirror.

He was also at the helm for taut, claustrophobic thriller 10 Cloverfield Lane - which concerned a potential extra-terrestrial onslaught.

Ample grounds, then, for Prey to shoot high among the stars.

*Prey launches on Disney Plus this Friday, August 5.

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