‘The Man with the Bag’ Star Arnold Schwarzenegger Confirms He’s Working on a New ‘Predator’ Sequel

Nearly 40 years after he first went to war with an invisible hunter in the jungle, Arnold Schwarzenegger is still being asked whether Dutch will return to the ‘Predator’ franchise. The answer keeps getting more promising. The action icon has now given his clearest update yet on bringing Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer back to the big screen.

The franchise has been quietly setting the stage for this. An extended cut of ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ added an epilogue featuring Schwarzenegger’s Dutch and Danny Glover’s Lieutenant Mike Harrigan from ‘Predator 2’, along with Amber Midthunder’s Naru from ‘Prey’. The ending revealed that they were stored in suspended animation alongside other captives who had killed Predators.

Now Schwarzenegger has confirmed a live-action return is in the works. During his latest appearance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, he said he’s working on sequels to ‘Predator’, ‘Commando’ and ‘Conan’, but made it clear none of them will move forward until the scripts are ready. “I’m looking forward to seeing the scripts because that’s where the action is. What’s not on the page is not on the stage,” Schwarzenegger told Jimmy Kimmel.

The comments build on months of conversations. Earlier this year, Schwarzenegger shared that he was talking with director Dan Trachtenberg about bringing Dutch back for the next ‘Predator’ film, saying in an interview that FOX Studios had rediscovered him and that Trachtenberg wanted him in the next movie.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Confirms He’s Working On Sequels to ‘Predator,’ ‘Conan’ and ‘Commando’. “I’m looking forward to seeing the scripts because that’s where the action is, you know, what’s on the pages, not on the stage. So I just wait for the scripts to get perfected, and then we go and start shooting those things.”

— Tokyo (@Tokyo_pi1) November 12, 2026

The filmmakers have been hoping for this for a while. ‘Predator: Badlands’ producer Ben Rosenblatt previously confirmed that Trachtenberg had met with Schwarzenegger about potentially returning as Dutch down the line. At the time, Rosenblatt described getting Arnold back as the holy grail of ‘Predator’ movies.

Trachtenberg has been the driving force behind the franchise’s recent revival, having directed ‘Prey’, ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ and ‘Predator: Badlands’. The animated anthology’s ending gives him an obvious path for bringing Dutch back.

That extended ending is key to how a return could work. Ahead of the film’s release, Trachtenberg confirmed that people who defeat the Predator get captured and frozen, which laid the groundwork for the Dutch and Harrigan reveals. He also said during a Comic-Con panel that Schwarzenegger had given his blessing to use Dutch in future stories.

First hunt. Last chance. From the director of Prey, watch the brand-new trailer for Predator: Badlands, in theaters November 7. https://t.co/KrLZznPnL6

— 20th Century Studios (@20thcentury) July 21, 2025

Not everyone loved the idea at first. Some fans were mixed on the return of Dutch and Harrigan, arguing both characters already had good endings. A proper live-action comeback with Schwarzenegger himself could win over many of those doubters.

Schwarzenegger’s caution isn’t new. The script has kept Dutch out of a ‘Predator’ movie before, as Schwarzenegger turned down a part in Shane Black’s ‘The Predator’. He eventually voiced Dutch in the video game ‘Predator: Hunting Grounds’.

Until now, the original film has remained his only live-action outing in the role. Arnold Schwarzenegger played Dutch in John McTiernan’s original 1987 ‘Predator’, which still marks the character’s only live-action appearance in the franchise. He gave Kimmel no shooting date for any of the planned sequels.

Dutch isn’t the only classic role on Schwarzenegger’s mind. He previously confirmed that 20th Century Studios was interested in moving forward with ‘Commando 2’ and ‘King Conan’. As for ‘Commando 2’, all that’s publicly known is that a script exists.

In the meantime, fans won’t have to wait long to see him back on screen. Schwarzenegger’s next appearance will be in ‘The Man With the Bag’, which premieres globally on Prime Video on December 2.

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