The Predator franchise has, over the years, given us all kinds of heroes. We got Arnie’s rippling muscles in the original; Danny Glover’s LA cop in the sequel; a gaggle of reprobates in Predators; and, most recently, Amber Midthunder’s Comanche warrior Naru in Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey. But for his next Predator outing, Trachtenberg has something very different planned. 2025 will see the release of Predator: Badlands (as well as another film in the franchise that he shot simultaneously in secret), which isn’t exactly a follow-up to Prey but a future-set tale taking place on an alien planet. And, most importantly, it brings a very different kind of Predator protagonist: the Predator itself.
“The creature is front and centre, leading the charge,” Trachtenberg grins, speaking to Empire in the Andor Season 2 issue. “He’s still badass, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally, too. Creating a character you connect with, but are also super-intimidated by, has been challenging. But exciting.” The idea, he says, came from a desire 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. And that transformed into this big idea of rooting for the Predator.” Finally, the ugly mother-effer’s day has come.
While audiences will be asked to empathise with Badlands’ dreadlocked hunter, there will be humans in the mix too – notably Elle Fanning, who will play more than one character. “She faced intense challenges on this movie — dramatically, physically, logistically,” Trachtenberg teases. A Predator lead and multiple Elle Fannings? Get us to the chopper, asap!
Read more about Predator: Badlands in Empire’s Ultimate 2025 Preview, led by Andor Season 2 – in the January 2025 issue. Pre-order a copy online here. Predator: Badlands comes to UK cinemas from 7 November.