I’m going to try something new here on SFB. This is something I’ve done from time to time myself ever since the series finale of The Sopranos -- examine an upcoming work from the perspective of a writer and within the context of similar and related works, applying everything we know about it, and try to determine how it will end (it should be noted that I failed horribly, as you can probably guess, when I tried this with The Sopranos). Because theoretically, unless the writers just go crazy nuts, it should be possible to figure these things out with some accuracy.

Let’s try it with Predators.

What We Know

We know the film follows eight characters that are all adept in some form of combat and are whisked away to the Predators’ planet to be hunted for sport. Based on Robert Rodriguez’s character profile videos, we also know that this is going to be a redemption story. The characters all seem to have past sins for which they need redemption, and they come to feel like the situation in which they have been placed is a sort of Hell that they are experiencing as punishment and absolution. The Predators tie-in comic seems to follow this same concept. Of the comic’s two main characters, spread across two independent plots, one’s past is not discussed. The other character, however, is Royce, the main character of the film, and his past is shown to be marred by at least one atrocious act. We also know from the comic and a character profile sneak peek that the character Noland (played by Laurence Fishburne) has been on the Predator planet for years, living in a bunker he has carved out for himself. Bottom line: These characters are being put in a horrible situation which will, in some way, give them the opportunity to redeem themselves for mistakes they have made.

Context

Let’s apply what we already know about the Predators themselves to this movie (Predator and Predator 2 spoilers in this paragraph). Predator followed half a dozen Green Berets as they were hunted by a Predator in a Central American jungle. In that film, the Predator killed almost everyone but was eventually defeated by the last standing man. Before dying, the Predator tried to take his opponent with him, setting off a nuclear bomb attached to his wrist. In Predator 2, a similar final showdown occurred in some buildings in L.A., but the characters ultimately wound up facing off on the Predator’s own ship. When the main character, Lieutenant Harrigan, defeated the Predator, a handful of nearby, onlooking Predators turned off their invisibility camouflage, approached Harrigan, and let him go. He won his match, so he was allowed to live. The Predators are generally fair fighters. Their biology and technology are superior to ours, but if you get the best of them and they are unable to kill you even as they die, the others will let you live.

Deducing

Three things seem almost certain to be true for this upcoming reboot. First, the Predators are recruiting some of the most skilled combatants they can find to give them the most challenging hunt possible. Second, these chosen individuals also (probably, but not necessarily, unbeknownst to the Predators) need to atone for past sins. Third, a lot of them will die. This is a trademark of the series, including the first two movies (I highly doubt the filmmakers turned to the AVP installments for reference) and the recent comic line. While Robert Rodriguez and Nimrod Antal are trying to reinvigorate the Predator franchise, they are also acknowledging its history and the reasons fans love it. It is safe to assume that these basic components of the mythology will remain true for their film.

How Will It End?

This is where speculation comes into play. Given that this is a redemption story, it would make sense that someone, possibly one single character (as is common in Predator films), has to survive. If no one were to live, it would be a pointless redemption story -- lots of bad guys thrown into a game hunt and killed because of their pasts, unable to achieve the redemption they have just begun to seek. It makes more sense that we would see the hardship that one of these characters has to undergo to attain that redemption so we can see how they are affected by the experience.

Here’s my call. Royce is going to survive. Given the nature of each character, the writers could have chosen any character to be the main character. They chose Royce to be that main character, and there is probably a reason for that. It would be more engaging to watch the development of a character that continues to undergo that development through the end of the film than it would be to watch a character grow and be killed, especially if a less important counterpart survived.

On top of that, Royce will be transported back to Earth. He will do something to prove to the Predators how powerful and skilled he is. They will then consider him a worthy opponent, like the Predators at the end of Predator 2, and transport him back to Earth. It will be like the abduction. He will be rendered unconscious and will suddenly wake parachuting down to Earth. He lands safely. The end.

On his way to whatever sort of victory he achieves over the Predators, Royce will receive some help. This help may come from numerous characters, but it will primarily come from Noland, who will help him out in some way that involves Noland's own remaining on the planet to help out individuals in the future. Noland has lasted this long, and he feels he can continue to survive on the planet. This will be a major event for Royce. The man who has made his living killing people will now be on the receiving end of the most selfless act imaginable. This will be part of the redemption process -- his coming to see what it is like to be helped by someone in such an altruistic way. It will cause him to rethink his life.

So, in the end, Royce will live and get sent back to Earth, and the only other surviving character, Noland, will remain on the planet. The redemption aspect of the story will be found not only in Royce’s fight for survival but in his experiencing others’ unexpected acts of kindness. The deaths of the others will serve as intensification for the dread Royce feels at his situation while he is on the planet and will emphasize his skill in coming out victorious.

Am I right or wrong? Any other guesses on how Predators will end?