Carl Weathers fronted an underseen action gem as his follow-up to Predator, and it’s one that really should have sparked a franchise. Carl Weathers passed on February 1st, 2024 at the age of 76, which led to an outpouring of tributes from friends and collaborators, including Sylvester Stallone and Adam Sandler. In recent years, the actor had become best known as Greef Karga from The Mandalorian, a recurring ally of the titular bounty hunter. Of course, Weathers left behind an incredible body of work across his decades-long career.
After starting his career with appearances in Dirty Harry sequel Magnum Force or blaxploitation films like Friday Foster, Weathers landed the role of Apollo Creed in Rocky. This performance would make the actor’s career, and he would reprise the role in the next three sequels. He would go on to a healthy run of movies and TV roles, including Force 10 from Navarone, Adam Sandler comedies like Happy Gilmore or his heavily memed appearance as himself in Arrested Development. He also voiced Combat Carl in Toy Story 4 and the short Toy Story of Terror.
Carl Weathers Dies At 76
Carl Weathers, the Emmy-nominated star of the Rocky and Predator franchises, as well as The Mandalorian and Happy Gilmore, has died at the age of 76.
Action Jackson Finally Gave Carl Weathers A Star Vehicle Following Rocky & Predator
The 1988 action movie promoted Carl Weathers to leading man status
Another famous Weathers role is Predator’s Dillion, who is essentially the co-lead alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch. Weathers infused his turncoat CIA agent with a lot of depth, with Dillion also having a memorable demise at the hands of the alien hunter. Weathers’ appearance in Predator led to Action Jackson being greenlit, with the film being inspired by the blaxploitation movies of the ’70s. Action Jackson casts Weathers as the titular Detroit cop, who is framed for murder by an old enemy and has to go on the run to clear his name.
Action Jackson lacks the bombast of the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Sylvester Stallone action movies of the era, but it’s very much in that vein. Weathers has the ripped physique and salty one-liners of a classic ’80s action hero, but he also brings vulnerability to the main character too. Jackson isn’t destined to win every fight or always come out on top, but his greatest asset is that he never gives up. Reviews for the 1988 film were mixed, but many still praised Weathers’ leading man turn.
Action Jackson Reunited Weathers With Most Of His Predator Crew
Action Jackson was one big Predator reunion
According to a Q&A with Weathers (via Renegade Geek), Action Jackson was born out of a conversation with Predator producer Joel Silver. The latter has a vast array of action favorites to his name – including Commando, Die Hard and The Matrix – and it was his love for blaxploitation cinema that led him to ask Weathers to come up with a unique spin on the genre. Weathers says he penned the story while filming Predator, and it was overhearing a crew member saying “I was in like Action Jackson!” while talking about a date that led to the title.
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Outside of Silver producing and Weathers starring, Action Jackson’s crew was made up of Predator vets. Jackson’s angry boss is played by Bill Duke – who portrayed Mac in Predator – while a henchman the title character battles is played by Sonny Landham, who was Billy in the 1987 sci-fi actioner. Action Jackson was also helmed by Predator’s second-unit director Craig R. Baxley, who brought his flair for large explosions to the film. Even Predator’s editor Mark Helfrich returned to cut the Carl Weathers movie.
Why Action Jackson 2 Didn’t Happen Despite The Original Being Such A Hit
Action Jackson should have become a franchise
Action Jackson grossed $20 million during its initial theatrical run (via Box Office Mojo), and an estimated $45 million on home video. In all, Action Jackson made a reported $65 million on a budget of $7 million, which are the kind of numbers that would inspire most studios to pursue a sequel. The movie doesn’t exactly end on a cliffhanger, but there’s nothing to say Jericho “Action” Jackson couldn’t have gotten involved in another wild case. While the movie received all-around poor reviews, that’s rarely been a roadblock to studios pursuing sequels either.
In 1990, Weathers would co-star with Billy Dee Williams in TV movie Dangerous Passion. The movie itself was poorly received, but it speaks to how popular Action Jackson was overseas that in some European countries, Dangerous Passion was sold as Action Jackson 2. Needless to say, the two have nothing in common in terms of plot or characters, but this underlines how much of a demand there was for a sequel during this time.
Weathers followed up with the similar action movie Hurricane Smith, a U.S./Australian co-production, which saw Weathers’ oil field worker heading to Australia in search of his sister. The script was written for a white lead donning a cowboy hat, but to make it more commercial, it was rewritten for Weathers to capitalize on Action Jackson (via FilmInk). Hurricane Smith itself was planned as a potential series, but according to director Colin Budds, “It came and went in a week at the cinemas.” Arriving in 1992, Hurricane Smith was just too late to cash in on Action Jackson’s success.
Action Jackson Is Now A Cult Favorite
The Carl Weathers action flick is primed for rediscovery
Unlike Rocky or Predator, Action Jackson has largely faded from memory. The film has an incredible cast – including Craig T. Nelson, Sharon Stone and Robert Davi – and all the trimmings of a Joel Silver blockbuster, but it never reaches the same heights of a Lethal Weapon or a Road House. Action Jackson’s tone can veer from wacky comedy in one scene to brutal violence the next, and many gags fall flat. Outside of a fun chase involving Jackson running after a cab, it’s lacking in a killer setpiece too.
Action Jackson’s faults aside, it gave Carl Weathers a great star vehicle and is worth watching for him alone. It’s a solid guilty pleasure action flick of the variety that isn’t made anymore, which is why its reputation only appears to grow with each passing year. Weathers was a one-of-a-kind star, and the movie only highlights why that was.
Predator
Predator is an action sci-fi franchise created by Jim and John Thomas, beginning with the original film released in 1987. The franchise follows a warrior alien race known as the Yautja who travel the far reaches of space looking for worthy prey to hunt, constantly bringing them to Earth due to the sheer amount of conflict harbored on it. The series has spun off into comic books and animated features and has even enjoyed several crossover events via film and video games with the Aliens franchise.
- Created by
- Jim Thomas , John Thomas
- First Film
- Predator
- Cast
- Carl Weathers , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Kevin Peter Hall , Peter Cullen , Derek Mears , Danny Glover , Gary Busey , Adrien Brody , Topher Grace , Walton Goggins , Françoise Yip , Boyd Holbrook , Olivia Munn , Amber Midthunder , Dakota Beavers
