The Predator is set to shoot later this year for a 2018 release date, so when Black stopped by the IGN office, we asked how the project was progressing, where it sits in the Predator time-line, and whether or not there will a role for the man who will soon be collaborating with Black on Doc Savage…

IGN: Where are you at with The Predator?

Shane Black: The train is rolling I should say. I think it's pretty clear now that this is the next thing I'm gonna do, is work on that. We're having a lot of fun. The idea is to take what has been a series of kind of modest knock-off type movies which all made a guaranteed return. Not bad movies but certainly not on the level of what Ridley [Scott] was doing with Alien and then Prometheus and now this very much lauded prequel/sequel coming up. How can I follow in the footsteps of someone who re-invents and brings that much event-ised quality to a pulp franchise. How do you get people to know about the Predator and buy their tickets a month before it comes out as opposed to just 'What are you seeing tonight? We can see a comedy or... oh, there's a new Predator.' No, no, this one we want to make people aware of - we've paid a lot of attention, there's even some more money spent.

Black continues: We're going to get a great cast and we really just write it and write and and write it - just keep writing it to make it as interesting and stuffed with ideas as we can and hopefully to re-infuse it with a sense of mystery. The worst thing you could hope for in one of these is a shot in bright sunlight of a field and the Predator just kind of walks on and 'hello' - you want to do... I keep going back to Ridley Scott, the way he captured the alien in that first movie. The sense of mystery and portent. If we could just cut into a little piece of that - that sort of vibe - and then I think there's humour to be had too. And tonal shifting. I'm just having a ball. I'm getting more excited by the day, 30 years later working on this damn thing. Who would have thought when we started out and they were saying 'Geez the costume doesn't work - throw this back to Winston and let him save the day!" Eight weeks later "I don't know, looks like dreadlocks to me!" Suddenly it's the most iconic costume ever. It's the most iconic movie ever. It's lasted 30 years and here I am god blessedly making a... it's just unbelievable to me.

IGN: I think you've said that the film will live in the same world as Predator 2 - will Predators exist in this universe?

Black: Well it seems to me if we set ours in 2018 which is when the film is set, then we can only be a prequel to that one, so you could say yes it exists, but people won't be discussing it really.

IGN: It's kind of irrelevant at this point.

Black: It's in the midst of the mythology. It's a movie that's set in our present-day. Or maybe the day after tomorrow.

IGN: Dwayne Johnson recently posted a picture on Instagram and stated he was reading an outline for something he was making with you - is that Doc Savage?

Black: I enlarged the screen to see the iPad and I believe it was. I wasn't sure but I think it is.

IGN: So we're not going to see Dwayne fighting a Predator?

Black: Oh! Um, well look, I'm meeting with him in a couple of weeks. Who knows?

IGN: If you could make that happen I'm buying my ticket now.

Black: OK - anything can happen in this crazy genre world.