Tribal Predators, Classic Predators, Desert Nomad Predators, even an all new race of spiky, tusked, “Predator Hounds” – boy, do Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal have surprises in store for fans of the Predator franchise, which promises to return the film series to form with a summer sequel due this July. After snagging a seat at the sell-out presentation of Predators on the opening night of SXSW, FEARnet has a full report on the sneak peeks and concept art unveiled Friday night in Austin.

The basic plot of Predators goes like this: Adrien Brody is a mercenary who wakes up on a strange planet along with a ragtag band of killers and warriors who slowly realize that they’ve been kidnapped for a reason – the planet they’re on is an alien hunting ground, and a bunch of Predators want to use them as prey. With a script co-written by Rodriguez and the full support of his Troublemaker Studios, director Nimrod Antal (Kontroll, Vacancy) hopes to return to the Predators franchise a sensibility more akin to the original Predator than its gimmicky recent sequels (i.e. the AVP years).

Hometown filmmaker Rodriguez and Antal proceeded to win over the crowd first by sharing their old school approach to the material (it didn’t hurt that they also brought effects guru Greg Nicotero on stage, who in turn allowed audience members to play with the controls of an original animatronic Predator head used in the first film). As they spoke, a reel of concept character drawings projected behind them demonstrated the variety of alien life created for the world of Predators, which is so jam-packed with strangely beautiful, hideous creatures that it can almost be described as a bizarro version of Avatar’s Pandora.

Among the strange new creatures of Predators, there are muscular canines, spiked birdlike creatures, and strange flying insects resembling demented mosquitos and beetles. Among the Predator dogs, one breed in particular is so large and ferocious that it’s called the Predator Hound, used by some Predators as hunting animals. Antal even promises a Falconer Predator who uses Predator birds of prey.

Because there are two tribes of Predators (one includes the old school Classic Predator, who will make an appearance in the film), Nicotero has created an entire race of Predators that look and dress as differently as humans do, depending on their personalities (which in turn are dependent on their hunting methods). Although from the conceptual stages of production, a few slides revealed Predator creatures in unexpected situations, including one I like to call “Jesus Predator,” who appears nailed to a tree by its wrists with a trail of green blood seeping into the ground. Another sleeker Predator, dreads whipping around in a mid-motion pose, appears to be wearing gray and neon green body paint; I call him “PredaTRON.” Tuskan Raider Predator, it turns out, made an appearance in one of two clips Rodriguez played for the audience.

The first clip, a green band teaser trailer that Rodriguez promised no one else would see for weeks, opens on a starry night. “What’s the last thing you remember?” Adrien Brody’s Royce asks as a man’s body falls through a thick of trees, landing in a strange jungle. Royce, in military gear holding an automatic gun, Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien), Isabelle (Alice Braga) and more survivors wonder why they’ve all been taken. A montage of quick shots show different angles of the Predator, including one ominous shot holding a large knife. Topher Grace is stalked by an unseen force in a darkened ship hallway. Brody and his crew stand still in the jungle, looking beyond the camera to an unseen Predator. Slowly, a Predator laser sight (three triangular dots) makes its way up Brody’s body until it settles on his forehead; more and more lasers target his chest as a barrage of Predator guns train their sights on him. We see more quick shots: a dreadlocked Predator seen from behind, Alice Braga and cohorts snapped up in a net, and the title card. (Rodriguez announced the trailer would be attached to screenings of Repo Men, while the newly unveiled website here marks March 18 for the trailer debut online.)

A second clip revealed interesting character developments, though it only featured one Predator – sort of. Brody and Co. are tracking a Predator that Alice Braga has fired upon, coming upon the unseen body of a creature (not shown). Only Braga realizes her shot missed the target, and the crew begins to suspect they’re being watched. Circling with guns drawn, they scan the surrounding jungle for signs of the enemy, until we hear an automatic weapon being cocked directly behind Brody. He turns slowly to find a heavily clothed Predator standing behind him, weapon pointed directly at his head. Slowly, the Predator reaches for his helmet and pulls off his mask, revealing Laurence Fishburne in disguise! He’s been tracking the group, who have drawn a lot of attention to themselves. And if he can hear and smell them, so can the Predators. Before leading them off to safety, Fishburne tells them who he is: “I’m the one that got away. The one you don’t fuck with.”

Stay tuned for more coverage of Predators from SXSW and check out additional behind-the-scenes footage from Predators below.