Predator: Billy’s Rumored Death Scene (& How He Died In The Novel)

Is there any truth to rumors of Predator deleting a death scene for Sonny Landham’s Billy, and how did the character meet his fate in the novelization? Predator was something of a change of pace for lead Arnold Schwarzenegger, since instead of being a one-man army – seen in the likes of Commando or Raw Deal – it depicted him working with a whole team of imposing actors. Schwarzenegger’s Dutch is backed up by an ensemble that included Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and – most bizarrely – future Lethal Weapon screenwriter Shane Black.

Dutch’s unit also featured half-Indian tracker Billy, played by Sonny Landham. Predator director John McTiernan has since revealed the actor was so wild, that to get him insured for filming the production had to hire a bodyguard. This wasn’t to protect Landham from somebody, it was to protect the crew from him. Despite this, the actor puts in an effective performance as the group’s tracker, who seems to have a sixth sense about the creature that’s hunting them and knows they’re probably doomed.

One of Predator’s most memorable scenes is when the survivors are frantically trying to outrun the hunter and make it to an extraction point. Billy, sensing his end is near, discards his rifle and equipment and opts to face the creature one on one with just a machete. He also draws blood from his own chest, daring the creature to a fight. Their battle isn’t shown onscreen, however, with only his piercing scream being heard in the aftermath. That said, some viewers insist they’ve seen a version that features the fight.

Reports also vary on this supposed deleted scene, with descriptions ranging from the predator forcing Billy’s machete into his stomach or ripping out his intestines. Most of these details are said to have come from TV viewings or rare VHS versions, but if Billy’s gruesome demise was filmed for Predator, there’s little evidence of it. No stills or footage have emerged and in a 2013 interview with Landham for The Arnold Fans, he was asked directly if such a fight was shot and he makes no mention of one.

The “deleted” Billy death scene from Predator appears to be a myth, though his demise is found in author Paul Monette’s Predator novelization. Sadly, he doesn’t last long, as the hunter swiftly dispatches him by “slicing through the Indian’s jugular and then zigzagging down his chest and belly like a mockery of some tribal blessing.” This novel was penned from a very early draft that features the original finale where Dutch fights the creature in its spaceship. The design for the hunter is much different and it has some shapeshifting abilities, while Billy himself is revealed to be a full-blown psychic whose ancestors once fought a similar creature.

About The Author

Padraig Cotter
(3484 Articles Published)

It’s pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. Now that’s out of the way, a brief introduction. Padraig has been writing about film online since 2012, when a friend asked if he’d like to contribute the occasional review or feature to their site.

A part-time hobby soon blossomed into a career when he discovered he really loved writing about movies, TV and video games – he even (arguably) had a little bit of talent for it. He has written words for Den of Geek, Collider, The Irish Times and Screen Rant over the years, and can discuss anything from the MCU – where Hawkeye is clearly the best character – to the most obscure cult b-movie gem, and his hot takes often require heat resistant gloves to handle.

See also  Blue Mountain State: The 10 Best Episodes, According to IMDb

He’s super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. He can be found as i_Padds on Twitter making bad puns.

More From Padraig Cotter