By Henry Hards
| Published
Sylvester Stallone is an action god. Rambo, Cobra, Cliffhanger, he basically invented the modern muscle-bound hero who punches first and thinks later. What people don’t know is that Sly’s also the unsung hero behind Predator, one of the greatest sci-fi action franchises ever. No, he didn’t star in it (yet, don’t tempt Hollywood).
Stallone’s relentless sequel-churning career lit the fuse for Predator to become an alien-hunting masterpiece. This is how it happened.
Rocky vs. Aliens? Yeah, It’s a Thing
Back in the ‘80s, Stallone was pumping out Rocky and Rambo sequels like a machine. By Rocky IV (1985), he’s duking it out with communism in the form of Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago. Hollywood insiders started cracking jokes like: “What’s next, Rocky fighting aliens?”
It was a sarcastic jab at Sly’s knack for beating up every human opponent on Earth. But that throwaway gag stuck with newbie screenwriters Jim and John Thomas. They didn’t laugh it off; they ran with it.
From Joke to Jungle Bloodbath
The Thomas brothers cooked up a script called Hunter, riffing on that Rocky vs. aliens idea. A gang of intergalactic weirdos (think Star Wars cantina rejects) hunting humans for sport, like a cosmic Most Dangerous Game.
They dialed it back to one badass alien stalking a commando team in a Central American jungle, a nod to the real-world violence tearing up the region. The script became Predator, and boom, a franchise was born. All because Sly couldn’t stop making sequels.
Writing Like Stallone
The Thomas brothers didn’t just stumble into this. They heard Stallone wrote Rocky in a feverish weekend, a rags-to-riches tale that screamed Hollywood dream. True or not (and let’s be real, Sly’s early days had some shady roles), that legend pushed them to bang out Hunter in a single weekend, chasing the same overnight glory. Without Stallone’s mythos, we might not have that cloaked, spine-ripping alien terrorizing Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Arnold vs. Sly: The ‘80s Action Showdown
Speaking of Arnold, Predator (1987) was his gig, not Sly’s. Ironic, right? Stallone’s rival got to flex as Dutch, mowing down jungle and alien alike, while Sly was busy with Rocky IV and Rambo II. By ‘87, Stallone had Oscar nods and was dabbling in comedies like Tango & Cash (a mess, but we love it).
Arnold? Still grinding in schlock like Commando. Predator was his glow-up, paving the way for Total Recall. And Sly’s shadow made it happen.
Sly’s Predator Legacy
Predator didn’t just launch a franchise; it birthed a legacy. It turned director John McTiernan into an action king and gave us comics, games, and that killer 2022 prequel Prey, which proved the series still has teeth. All this from a dumb joke about Stallone punching E.T. in the face.
So next time you’re watching a Predator rip spines for fun, tip your cap to Sylvester Stallone. He didn’t just shape action flicks; he accidentally sparked a sci-fi legend.
