Once upon a time, Jean-Claude Van Damme had a role in Predator . He wasn't any old character either; he was set to be the man underneath the iconic alien's suit. But even though he went to the filming location and tried on the not yet finalized costume, he didn't end up sticking around...

Steve Johnson, who worked on the special effects on Predator, recently told the whole story on the The Monster Show. The new web series from the Stan Winston school focuses on monster making, FX, and more, and when Johnson was asked about making the original Predator suit, the Van Damme story came tumbling out. The initial look for the alien was much more lobster-like, and that appearance was helped by the fact that an earlier version of it was red. When Van Damme arrived on set, he had no idea about his role and was unhappy about the suit and the fact that he wasn't really going to have the chance to show off his martial arts skills. As Johnson put it, he was seething. Watch:It's unfortunate for Van Damme, but the rest of us can enjoy a few clips of footage of the actor running around in the outfit. Yes, it's bizarre, but it's also wonderful. And, it's interesting to see how the Predator design began. A new suit was obviously made, and it was constructed for a larger person so actor Kevin Peter Hall stepped in as the alien. You've got to wonder if Van Damme has any regrets about not being part of the franchise.Via /Film

Amy Ratcliffe is a writer for IGN TV. You can follow her on on Twitter at @Amy_Geek and IGN at alratcliffe