Rocky Fighting an Alien?
It had all started as a simple joke.
Jim Thomas, screenwriter-per-hire, had just finished his latest commission; some schlock high fantasy/science Fiction "Epic" that the buyer was sure "would be the next Star Wars!". Yeah, keep dreaming pal, perhaps if you hadn't plagiarized any and all concepts from Star Trek and just reworded it then he might have a chance. But, what could Jim do? He was the hired help, he was paid to write what the commissioner asked for, even when at times he wondered if there was any shred of originality left in this city.
They all probably went to work for O'Brian anyways.
Still, he was free, after two months of grueling work, having to make peace with his conscience and $1000 dollars richer. Enough to perhaps give himself some time before having to pick up the pen for any would be "auteurs" who'd rather not do the job themselves. Who knows, perhaps by then he might actually get an idea as to what to write for himself.
...Now why did he had to think about that? Okay, he might have jumped into the Hollywood scene hoping to make it there, and perhaps he had yet to find a script that would work, but that did not mean he was stuck. He wasn't! He was just... a bit too busy that's all. He would get back into it tomorrow, first thing even!
For now though, he had an open invitation with his brother. John may have not chosen to be a fulltime screenwriter like him, making do with different odd jobs to keep himself busy, but they both knew they had each other's backs when it came to it. Plus, with the strike over, it was finally time for the Superbowl games. And if there was anything that he and John enjoyed was open a cold one while cheering for whoever team struck their fancy on that day.
Only this time around, their usual grousing began differently.
"No fucking way is that true!" Jim said in disbelief. He knew he'd been a bit of a recluse when it came to his writing, but he was certain that no such rumor had even been an inkling before he locked himself writing.
"Cross my heart little bro." John laughed. "Everyone in Hollywood is just saying the same thing over and over again. There's even talk that it might get done by next year."
Sitting on the garden of John's house, the siblings engaged in one of their old rituals; gossiping. With Jim being mainly a recluse for the last months as he finished his latest commission, it had fallen to John to keep his brother up to date; from the latest news about the recent drafts, to the strike's final conclusion and settlement, and the rumors around Hollywood.
However, this one took the cake!
"But.. but that's just stupid! How can anyone think that the next Rocky movie will have him fight an alien?!"
It would be one thing if he had to fight two men at the same time, or perhaps have to go in some sumo wrestling match and find a way to overcome the enemy through competitive eating, enough to barely qualify for the match and then have to find a way to learn how to fight in the match itself, only to lose and then come back through a series of wacky hijinks which would then become a parody and-
"Hey!" John snapped his fingers in front of Jim's face. "Earth to Jimmy, focus. Come on, game's about to start, we better get inside."
Jim shook himself and followed his brother inside. The TV was turned on as the siblings once more enjoyed their relaxation time with some good old-fashioned Football. Yet Jim's mind could not get out of the entire premise that he'd been told. Really, Rocky fighting an Alien? Could it actually be done? Should it actually be done? Why would they even try it? He'd think they would know something like that would never work? ... Or do they?
Just what exactly is going on!?
(Seven Days Later)
John Thomas had just returned from another day at work, and the last thing he wanted to do was to try and work even more. However, he had promised himself; at the very least he needed to work out his mental muscles and write one hundred words per day. The atrophy of the mind was something real, and he was not going to let it affect him, not when he was already way behind his little bro when it came to becoming a real writer... then again, perhaps he would have a greater chance if he had just gone full in like Jim had.
But if he had, then they would both probably starve.
It was a bit unfair to think so, uncharitable perhaps, but it was a fact that he'd cottoned on early on. Both of them wanted to be writers, but Jim was the one who took it to be his one passion. He could work on it on the side, but his little brother would not be satisfied unless he went at it every moment of every day. He'd tried to counsel him to get some type of part-time job, but Jim was stubborn and was determined to make it on his own writing alone.
And well, that's how they got at where they were.
Sure, his brother had gotten his hand at writing, but in the end he still had yet to find that big break that he'd hoped for. Not to mention that some of the stuff he came up with was a bit out there. From Star Wars Knock offs to the new brand of exploitation films, though at the very least he had yet to try any type of erotica or porn. There were lines that were just not crossed unless you wanted to be stuck there for the rest of your life, and neither of them were that desperate yet.
Nevertheless, the fact that both of them seemed to be stuck when it came to their careers was gaining traction whenever they had their talks together, a sense of defeatism that came to dominate their talks whenever Jim finished another project and heard about the new and upcoming films, the writers who came to prominence, and the new renaissance of ideas that just seemed to inspire everyone to greater heights each and every month.
You swear, when he read about Mavis Kingsley and her meteoric rise, he seemed to both invigorate and deflate at the same time. It wasn't even that Jim was untalented, he could come with some of the most inventive ideas that one could imagine, concepts that could blow everyone's minds...
But he was clearly wasting his talent thinking that he could just rise if he kept on writing until someone found about his talent. Even Kingsley needed someone to find her, and she was at the very top of Lucasfilms for it to happen. He'd told him before that they should try working together, submit one full script to any of the studios in town to at the very least have their names be known among them, yet he'd been refused time and again, his stubbornness in receiving help becoming legendary by now among them.
Perhaps this time he will come around to it. His previous joke seemed to make him more concerned than anything.
Oh sure, there had been rumors abounding for a while now about how after beating O'Brian in his film that there was no way that Rocky would be able to have another opponent of said caliber, joking that perhaps he'll find an alien or a demon next, stuff that no one took seriously. He thought to joke about to Jim, saying that it was clearly serious and they would go ahead with it to see his reaction. Oddly enough, he seemed to take it more seriously than he had expected.
Perhaps he shoul-
*BRRIIIIIIIIIINGG* *BRRIIIIIIIIIINGG* *BRRIIIIIIIIIINGG*
Walking to the phone as his thoughts cleared from his musings, he picked it up and...
"Yes, who is this?"
"..."
"This is John Thomas, yes."
"..."
"Wait, wait... police department? What is this about?"
"..."
"What do you mean my brother was brought in?!"
"..."
"HE DID WHAT!?!?"
(Later That Night)
"Just what were you thinking James?!?! Or were you even thinking at all!?!"
John was clearly furious, as evidence by the yelling and the using of Jim's full name. His driving remaining steady despite the heat in his voice. The last thing anyone wanted was an accident due to sloppy driving, and John was working hard to keep his temper in check.
Which was hard when he'd just had to post bail on his little brother's apparently new stalking habits!
At least the victim decided not to press charges once his brother's reasons where discovered, not that it made it any better when one hears how apparently he'd up and decided that it would be a good idea to shadow Sylvester Stallone in order to see for himself if there was actual truth to the entire rumor that the next Rocky film would have him fight an alien!
"... It just seemed like a good idea at the time"
... He was going to kill him, honest to the lord he was going to kill him.
"... and at least I got a good idea for a script?"
Slooowlyy.
They drove in silence for a while, the tension mounting between them. Something had to snap and give before it became even more acrimonious. It just so happened, that Jim was the one who broke first.
"Look John, I know I fucked up alright! I just- I just, I don't know, it was like everything was rushing at me alright! I just finished another fucking crappy commission that I would not even wipe my own ass with, I then hear that Hollywood might be going insane with taking ideas that some of the most brain dead of my own clients are going with, and then it all just... blows in my mind, like you wonder why waste so long trying when the lowest denominator gets the chance when you don't, and the next thing you know you're suddenly walking and trying to-to ... God, just do anything to no longer feel so useless..."
He seemed to deflate at that. John's gaze seeming less flinty than before. He knew that Jim's situation had not been the best, and he knew that he'd snap eventually, he just expected a shouting match or perhaps some sort of big bender instead of going straight for the criminal offences. They were darn lucky that Mr. Stallone had decided to leave it as it was once Jim was found to be relatively harmless.
John took a deep breath, his body relaxing somewhat. He could see his brother looking down at his lap, looking devoid of life and that spark he'd had before. There would clearly be a time to talk more in depth about what happened today. But for now, he could be lenient. His brother needed him after all.
"So... what was that about an idea for a script?"
Jim startled from his thoughts, looking at him before tentatively smiling.
"Well... you mentioned an alien, and while I was... you know... I kept on thinking 'Man, if I was an Alien I would just try to attack from out of nowhere instead of fighting in front of him', and then I kept on thinking what kind of Alien does that when they have weapons and technology, right? Then I thought, but what if he's a Hunter, like the type we have nowadays. But then what kind of prey does he hunt? That is what stumped me and I kept on thinking all kinds of different professions..."
The explanation of the idea kept all the way to his home and beyond, the brothers throwing ideas to each other, further refining the concept, little by little forming what would become one of the most iconic movies in the decade. Not that they knew it at the time of course.
For now, it was just two siblings talking, and it was good.
A.N.: This just came from the old story that Predator was created because of a joke about "Rocky fighting an Alien" since he no longer has any opponents on Earth after Rocky IV. However, researching more, it seems they came up with the idea way before Rocky IV began production as well. I thought to combine both and see what would be a fun and wacky way this could have gone about in this new timeline. Any changes to the borther's biography is because despite my best efforts, I could not find much information about them. Hopefully you enjoyed it.
