The intense sequel to the Horror and Science Fiction classic “Predator 2” has for years been the subject of a persistent rumor about an alleged rough cut that featured more story and more violence, to the point that it had to be cut 20 times to avoid an “NC-17” rating.
Rushed production.
It is officially known that production on “Predator 2” began in February 1990. Director Stephen Hopkins had hoped to release it in the spring of 1991, but Fox moved the release date up to November 1990, leaving him an incredibly short amount of time to finish the film.
After an initial editing phase, Hopkins submitted a workprint of what would become the film’s first cut, featuring explicit scenes, unfinished effects, and no soundtrack, which was sent to the MPAA for rating. This led to the film earning the historic distinction of being the first to receive the newly created “NC-17” rating, following the elimination of the stigmatized “X” rating.
It was then that 20th Century Fox decided to hire outside consultants (experts in MPAA guidelines) and seated them directly in the editing room alongside Hopkins and his editor, Mark Goldblatt, where the tortuous censorship process that would earn them the coveted “R” rating took place.
Unpublished material.
Discussed in fan communities and various online forums since the 1990s, the rumor claims that this workprint currently exists, stored on VHS, and contains an earlier version of the film. While there are various deleted scenes known from descriptions in different draft scripts, the workprint is said to contain the following scenes:
- Extended scenes of the shootout at the beginning of the movie and the Predator's massacre of the drug traffickers.
- Extended news segments by journalist Tony Pope.
- Extended scene depicting the voodoo murder of Ramón Vega and the Predator's massacre of the Jamaicans.
- Expanded subplot about Leona's pregnancy.
- Extended scene depicting the murder of King Willie and the creation of his trophy skull.
- A graphic depiction of Officer Danny Archuleta's death and a scene from his funeral.
- Extended scene in which the Predator discovers Leona's pregnancy, disarms her, and lets her fall.
- Extended scenes of the subway massacre, including the murder of Jerry Lamber and the removal of his skull and spine.
- Peter Keyes's drawn-out death, with his upper body falling to the ground after being cut in half by the Predator.
- An extended chase scene between Harrigan and the Predator following the attack in the subway.
Lost?
Following the film’s release and its mixed reception from audiences, the original workprint and the rest of the unused footage were set aside and stored in the production company’s vaults. During interviews marking the film’s 30th anniversary (in late 2020), Hopkins confirmed that throughout 2019 he was in direct talks with the studio to gain access to the vaults, locate the boxes containing the trims and the original negative, and reassemble that "NC-17" cut for a special re-release. Unfortunately, the project was canceled purely for financial reasons following the box office failure of "The Predator" (2018).
Although the “NC-17” workprint of “Predator 2” is not officially considered “lost,” as of today there are no plans to release it to the public.
Evidence of the discarded sequences.
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