Predator actor Bill Duke recently confirmed Jean-Claude Van Damme's claims that he was fired from the 1987 sci-fi film because he kept being dehydrated.

"We were in the jungles of Puerto Vallarta and Palenque for a long time," Duke recalled on a new episode of the Murder Master Music Show. "I don't know if you know this story or not, but the Predator that you saw was not the original Predator."

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Duke went on to explain that the original Predator was supposed to be played by Van Damme and described the alien as "a much smaller creature." He also revealed that filmmakers planned to put special effects on Van Damme's body in post-production to create the finished look.

"So he had a stealth suit on and they put him on wires and he flew up in the trees with the wires on his back like he was flying," the actor, who portrayed Mac in the film, explained. "He had passed out twice from dehydration, and the producer came over to him and said, 'If you pass out again, I'm gonna fire you.' And the guy said, 'I'm not passing out on purpose! I'm dehydrated!'" Duke added, "Two weeks go by, and the guy passes out. The producer goes over and fires him. That person was Jean-Claude Van Damme."

Directed by John McTiernan, Predator follows a skilled military rescue team led by Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who are tasked with rescuing a group of politicians in South America. Upon arriving, however, the team learns the entire plan was a ruse, and that they are being tracked by an alien hunter who can camouflage himself.

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While the Predator franchise is one of the most celebrated sci-fi film series of all time, it's also experienced its fair share of drama. Beyond Van Damme's exit, the screenwriters behind both 1987's Predator and 1990's Predator 2 filed a lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company earlier this year. Specifically, Jim and John Thomas filed a suit in California federal court "seeking confirmation of successfully recapturing rights to the franchise." The lawsuit was a direct response to Disney gaining the rights to the Predator franchise as part of its acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019.

At the time, Disney responded with a lawsuit of its own, claiming, "This action is necessary because defendants are improperly attempting to prematurely terminate 20th Century's rights to the Hunters Screenplay, at the very time that 20th Century is investing substantial time, money, and effort in developing another installment in its successful Predator franchise."

The case was transferred to the Central District of California in Los Angeles in June but isn't set to kick off until April 2022. In the meantime, Disney is currently filming a Predator sequel film called Skull, which is also expected to bow in 2022.

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Source: YouTube, via JoBlo