Variety is reporting that Amalgamated Dynamics will be designing and creating the creatures for Fox's new Alien Vs. Predator film, which starts shooting in Prague in October.  The special effects company, which has previously worked on Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, specializes in robotic, animatronic figures rather than computer-generated figures.  The choice of animatronics rather than CGI effects should allow Fox to make its August 6, 2004 release date; shooting wraps in February.  Computer-created creatures and effects would have necessitated an earlier start or a later release date.

Although Dark Horse comics was the first to team the face-hugging Aliens with the deadly Predators in a series of Aliens Vs. Predator comics.  Unlike the comic book series, the movie will be set in the present and will use the singular 'Alien' rather than the plural 'Aliens,' which is used in both the comic books and the video games they spawned.

Still there can be little doubt about the comic book origin of this new film, which just would not have happened without Dark Horse's first teaming of these alien races.  Interestingly Fox has chosen August 6, 2004 as the release date for the film, which puts it in direct competition with Warner Brothers Catwoman film, which is scheduled to open a week earlier on July 30, 2004.  The third film in the Marvel Comic-based Blade series, Blade Trinity is also slated for an August opening, though the date is not carved in stone yet.  With the number of comic book related films increasing, this sort of direct competition is inevitable.