In 1983, Jim had the idea that would become
Predator and asked his brother for help in developing a script, "adding some welcome and effective bits of comedy to their thrill-packed storyline". The brothers took inspiration from a joke circulating Hollywood concerning the
Rocky franchise and how its lead character would have to fight an alien as there was nobody left on Earth to fight, and wrote a screenplay based on it. It was originally titled
Hunter. The script was picked up by
20th Century Fox in 1985, and turned over to producer
Joel Silver who, based on his experience with
Commando, decided to turn the science fiction pulp storyline into a big-budget film. The duo worked on a number of Hollywood productions through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, such as
The Rescue (1988),
Two-Fisted Tales (1992). The brothers co-wrote
Mission to Mars (2000): "Screenwriters
Graham Yost and Jim and John Thomas have substituted unconvincing slickness and popcorn drama for intellectual depth and character-driven suspense in Mars. Then to make matters worse, they deliver their tired package to audiences through stilted dialogue that has the actors trying to be profound when in reality they're being laughable", commented Christine Thomassini. They also wrote the screenplay of
Predator 2,
Wild Wild West, and
Behind Enemy Lines. The brothers created the short-lived TV series
Hard Time on Planet Earth. Scheduled opposite
NBC's
Unsolved Mysteries and
ABC's
Growing Pains on Wednesdays,
Hard Time on Planet Earth ranked 65th out of 81 programs upon its premiere. The series, which the duo had conceived in response to CBS's request to the brothers for a show "similar to the
Incredible Hulk", was canceled by CBS in July 1989. In 2021, the pair sued Disney and 20th Century Studios, claiming that the franchise rights to Predator had reverted to them. 20th Century counter sued, disputing the claim. Disney has since released several Predator movies in the franchise. == Filmography as screenwriters ==