Blog Archives
Hunter — Predator 2
From a tropical jungle to one moulded in concrete, the new hunter in Predator 2 chooses Los Angeles as its hunting ground. “The fantasy I always had was to put the Predator in another kind of jungle,” said writer Jim Thomas. “An urban jungle.” The Thomas brothers returned to craft the story of the sequel. Many of their ideas and concepts for the first film could ultimately not be brought on screen. With Predator 2, the Thomas brothers had the chance to implement them into a new story, with the reassurance that — given a more appropriate budget and production schedule — they could actually be brought to life. “Because of the nature of the first film, we had a lot of detail and backstory about the Predator that we had to leave out,” said Jim, “but we’re including all those missing elements in this one.”
Harbinger of the End
Marcus Nispel — originally at the helm of End of Days — was fired from the project after various disputes regarding budgetary and creative matters. Replacing him was Peter Hyams (director of The Relic), with visual effects supervisors Eric Durst and Kurt Williams still attached to the project after Nispel’s dismissal. As a result of the situation, Hyams was allowed a short preparation time for the film — spanning only four weeks. Stan Winston Studio was hired to bring to life the film’s visceral portrayal of Satan, aided by Rhythm & Hues on the visual effects front.
She Creature
After the foundation of Stan Winston Productions in 1997, the company’s first project was a group of straight-to-video films for HBO, which developed completely original concepts based on the titles of certain films directed by Samuel Arkoff in the 50s. Among those was War of the Colossal Beast, whose title was changed, only after filming, to Mermaid Chronicles Part I: She Creature (initially implying the beginning of a trilogy), and later to simply She Creature — a title deemed “more appropriate.” Scattered references to War of the Colossal Beast, however, can still be spotted in the final film.
Monster Gallery: The Relic (1997)
Oct 20
This gallery contains 61 photos.
Special Thanks to Paul Taglianetti for providing invaluable pictures for this gallery! Main Article: Kothoga
Kothoga
“As the flashlight beam hits it, MBWUN roars and looks up. Now we see it clearly for the first time. The monster is MASSIVE, putrid, rank. Slit reptilian green eyes are rimmed in red. A ridge of stiff black hair rises on the creature’s buffalo-like humped back. The withers are muscled and covered with plates. A forked TONGUE licks out as purple lips draw back exposing razor sharp teeth. The claws raise up to fend off the light.”
-Amy Holden Jones, Relic script draft, 1995
Initially, the monster in the film adaptation of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Relic retained the original name — Mbwun, which means ‘He who walks on all fours’ — only to be successively renamed Kothoga, which in the novel is the name of the tribe that worships Mbwun. The reason for this change is currently unknown, but it is likely that ‘Kothoga’ was found to be more suggestive — or perhaps scary — as a name.
Peter Benchley’s Creature
Peter Benchley’s Creature is a miniseries based on Peter Benchley’s White Shark — published in 1994. The producer of the film, Richard Lewis was adamant about the title change. He explained to Fangoria: “I hated the title White Shark. I just felt it was misleading — it isn’t a shark, it’s an amphibious creature. So I respectfully disagreed with Peter’s publisher when I optioned the material and they wanted to sell it as White Shark. I think Peter Benchley’s Creature is a more accurate description of what it is.”
Monster Legacy 