The original concept of this film would not have been as satisfying as the film we got.
In the original draft, there was no group of mercenaries. There was only Dutch and The Predator. Not that Schwarzenegger couldn’t pull it off, I just believe that it would not have been all that engaging. Having a team was Schwarzenegger’s idea.
The original Predator was Jean Claude Van Damme…..in a suit. Van Damme either quit or was fired (there are conflicting reports). After Van Damme left the project, Kevin Peter Hall (standing 7′2 (2.2m) was cast. The height alone was probably one of the scariest aspects about the Predator.
There was initially not going to be much gun usage. This doesn’t make much sense if they are mercenaries attempting to rescue American diplomats in Guatemala…