For 40 years, Predator fans have been asking a single question: where is Dutch? The character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in John McTiernan’s seminal 1987 classic, Predator, quickly became one of the action hero’s most beloved characters, right alongside the likes of the T-800 and Conan the Barbarian. And yet, while those other characters got reprises (some several times over) from Schwarzenegger, Dutch and the Predator franchise did not. Despite the fact that there have been a multitude of sequels, prequels, spinoffs and more over the years, the actor consistently denied requests for him to return in one capacity or another. However, according to recent statements, it looks as though Arnold is finally coming back, returning to the role of Dutch in an upcoming Predator sequel that will see him collaborating with director Dan Trachtenberg.
On the surface, this seems like incredible news that fans would be overjoyed about, right? The actor they’ve been begging to return to the Predator series for years is finally coming back and working with the filmmaker who has been responsible for completely re-energizing the franchise in recent years; a definite win-win. And yet, one of the predominant responses online has been just the opposite of this, with fans instead now asking the question: is it too late for Dutch’s return?
Not to state the obvious, but the central concern relating to this issue seems to be Schwarzenegger's age. Obviously, the man is human and in the real world, there are no cryosleep chambers to put him in; he is now 40 years older than he was when he made the first film. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, it could be this new Predator sequel’s greatest asset.
To be clear, Schwarzenegger is in no way, shape, or form, out of the game. He is still working as an actor, still making action-centric projects, and still in absolutely phenomenal physical shape. On top of this, he seems to be very much present both mentally and emotionally, coming off as quick-witted, introspective, and articulate in public appearances and interviews alike. All of this to say, Arnold’s age hasn’t made him any less Arnold; if anything it’s made him more Arnold.
Whether he ultimately returns as a de-aged version of himself in this upcoming film (the character of Dutch was briefly seen in Dan Trachtenberg’s the animated film Predator: Killer of Killers, comatose in a hyper-sleep chamber in his circa-1987 appearance) or as Dutch at his actual age (which could also be possible, given the convoluted timeline-hopping hijinks of this series), the excitement for me is in seeing this version of Schwarzenegger return to this character with the amount of insight and life experience he now has, all while teaming with an incredibly talented filmmaker.
In many ways, this is the same reason that the recent news that Schwarzenegger is returning for a new Conan film, which will see him collaborating with writer-director Christopher McQuarrie (of Mission: Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick fame), is so exciting to me. Getting to see Arnold Schwarzenegger return to these characters is nice, but the idea of him giving performances within the context of these auteur-powered spectacles is what really gets me going.
Ultimately, I’m kind of happy that Schwarzenegger hasn’t returned to the Predator franchise until now. As cool as it would have been for any of the many times his return has been pitched over the years to have come to fruition, it’s far more invigorating to think of what a filmmaker like Trachtenberg has the potential to do with this character and this performer.