POTD: ‘The Predator’ Has An Easter Egg Referencing JCVD’s Original Role As The Predator
The Predatoris available on home video, which means fans are starting to notice certain details they missed the first time around. One of those details includes an Easter egg referencingJean-Claude Van Damme’soriginal involvement in the movieas the film’s titular jungle stalking creature.
That’s right, the legendary JCVD was originally the man who was meant to be in the creature suit as the titular alien hunter inPredator, but the creature design ended up being drastically changed after the suit ended up looking positively terrible. We know that because of behind the scenes footage revealed the original suits used on set, and one of those suits used for visual effects reference ended up as aThe PredatorEaster egg.
First of all, here’s an explanation about Jean-Claude Van Damme’s original role inPredator:
Steve Johnson, who appears in the above video, was the make-up effects supervisor for Boss Films at the time, and he was responsible for the Predator in the movie. He explains how JCVD ended up being disappointed in his role in the movie, which ultimately led to his departure from the project:
One of the suits was this skin tight red suit that looked more like a giant lobster. It was bright red in order to contrast with the green of the jungle so visual effects could create the cloaking effect easily. And that’s the suit that was used for an Easter egg inThe Predator, as confirmed by cinematographerLarry Fong:
Fun fact: a few of us were intent on having a JCVD Easter egg. Finally I called our costume designer Tish Monaghan and asked if she could make a little version for the halloween sequence. She nailed it!https://t.co/gSpqSwMeiR
— Larry Fong ASC (@larryfong)July 18, 2025
So when you’re watching the Halloween scene with Jacob Tremblay trick-or-treating in the Predator’s helmet and gauntlet, keep an eye out for Jean-Claude Van Damme’s red lobster version of the creature. Maybe enjoy it while having some of that new Predator bourbon whiskeyavailable for pre-order right now.
