After years of being mostly known as a serious actor in very serious films like “Traffic” (which he won an oscar for), “Che” and “21 Grams,” with only the occasional “Excess Backage” for levity, Benicio del Toro has been embracing sci-fi in a big way of late. First, he played Space Liberace (i.e. the Collector) in “Guardians Of The Galaxy” and next, he’ll play a major role, reportedly a new villain, in Rian Johnson’s “Star Wars: Episode VIII.”
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Between those films and his scene-stealing turn in surprise hit “Sicario” (he’ll likely headline in a sequel to that film), del Toro’s arguably hotter than ever, and has now boarded another sci-fi franchise, with The Hollywood Reporter revealing that the actor is now in talks to star in Shane Black’s “The Predator,” his reboot of classic sci-fi “Predator.”
Though rumors had linked James Franco to the lead role in that picture, it’s del Toro who’s bagged it —the film is apparently an ensemble picture anchored around his part. Interestingly, we believe that del Toro was actually Robert Rodriguez’s first choice for “Predators,” the last time the series was unearthed. But this is a much more appealing proposition with Black at the helm. Filming will apparently begin in February, ahead of a 2018 release, and we imagine we’ll hear news on who else will be filling out that cast soon.