According to Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg, the upcoming installment in the sci-fi franchise is going to shake things up and make the alien hunter himself the protagonist.
As previously reported, Predator: Badlands quietly started filming in July and wrapped up production earlier this year. The movie is being directed by Trachtenberg, who previously directed 2022’s award-winning and critically acclaimed Prey. That movie was a Predator prequel that focused on a Native American woman and her dangerous encounter with a more primal Predator alien, and it’s not surprising that the next Predator movie from Trachtenberg is also shaking things up.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Trachtenberg talked about the role the iconic alien hunter will be play in the upcoming movie and made it clear that this time around, the Predator is “front and center” and “leading the charge.”
“He’s still badass, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally, too,” said Trachtenberg. “Creating a character you connect with, but are also super-intimidated by, has been challenging. But exciting.”
The 10 Cloverfield Lane director added that his goal with Badlands was to “find another essential piece of cinema that does what Prey did spiritually — pushing the franchise’s boundaries, letting us root for a hero we rarely get to root for — but in a different way.” According to the director, that led to this “big idea” to get the audience “rooting for the Predator.”
Meanwhile, we are also getting another Predator movie from Trachtenberg. This was confirmed in October by Steve Asbell, the head of Disney-owned 20th Century Studios, who didn’t share much else on the secret film other than hinting that it won’t be in theaters. IO9 later reported that they had heard the secret second Predator movie is an animated anthology featuring three different stories involving different warriors throughout history fighting the famous alien hunters.
Predator: Badlands is set to arrive in theaters on November 7, 2025. No idea on when the reported animated flick is arriving.
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