Director Dan Trachtenberg continues to reveal just how ambitious Predator: Badlands is shaping up to be. While many fans expected a direct sequel to Prey starring Amber Midthunder’s Naru, Trachtenberg instead pushed the franchise into uncharted territory.
Speaking to Empire, the director explained his reasoning behind the bold direction:
“You immediately think: ‘Prey 2’. But with sequels, people sometimes get so caught up going, ‘This could happen next,’ they never stop to think, ‘Should it happen next?’ Prey was special because it was this big idea that hadn’t existed before. I wanted the next thing to be that, too.”
A Predator as the Star
In Badlands, the Predator (Yautja) isn’t just the antagonist — he’s the main character. The story centers on a runt named Dek, who goes on a brutal monster hunt across a dangerous alien world. He’s paired with the upper half of a Weyland-Yutani android named Thia, played by Elle Fanning, in what Trachtenberg calls a “buddy comedy.”
“Prey was a solo survival tale; this is a relationship story. We wanted Dek to be relatable, but without turning him into Luke Skywalker. He’s still a Predator — we had to allow him to be a dick. But a dick you can root for.”
A Genre-Busting Monster Movie
Trachtenberg compares the film’s tone to a throwback fantasy:
“It’s like a Ray Harryhausen movie. This crazy adventure against monsters and the elements — only this time it’s a badass Predator against those things.”
With aliens, androids, and massive beasts involved, Badlands promises to be a major departure from past entries in the franchise.
Release info
Predator: Badlands opens in theaters and IMAX on November 7, 2025. The film stars Elle Fanning as Thia, and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as the young Predator.
