There was a lot of speculation about who would be cast as the lead in Predators, the Robert Rodriguez-produced, Nimród Antal-directed follow up to the classic John McTiernan / Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick Predator. (Do I really have to spell all that out? Probably not.) When Adrien Brody was announced, more than a few people (including me) went, ‘huh?’ Now, for the first time since the project began, Antal is talking about the film and his casting choices.

Speaking to ComingSoon, Antal says of Brody:

“I think when we cast Adrien, there were a lot of people going; ‘What?’ But at the same time, if we cast a Vin Diesel in that role or if we cast anyone who is Arnold-esque, we would have been attacked for doing that…He plays a mercenary in the film and if you look at the guys in Iraq and Afghanistan today, they’re not ‘yolked-out’ Schwarzenegger-looking guys. They’re all very wiry and thin guys, and I think it’s going to play well.”

There’s definitely something to be said for that. While the movie version of the action hero is more or less defined by the Schwarzenegger / Stallone physique of the ’80s, actual special forces guys are often lean and wiry, as Antal says. It should really come down to intensity; if Brody can push that aspect of his character, the performance should work just fine.

Antal also hedges around the question of an Arnie cameo in the new film, saying “time will tell,” when asked about it. It’s gotta be better than the crappy one in Terminator: Salvation if it happens.

Meanwhile, io9 has a photo of one of the Texas locations that will be part of the Predator planet in the new film, augmenting footage the crew shot earlier this year in Hawaii. It’s a great vista; wonder if it’ll be CGI-enhanced or blended into a jungle ’scape, or stand as is. Read a description of the setup at KGNB.