Wednesday saw the release of the trailer for Predator: Badlands, and with that, the first look at the new Predator, which has caused massive online backlash.
The film is again by Dan Trachtenberg who was responsible for the Predator Prey movie about a teen female Comanche Warrior who is able to take out a Predator.
Badlands offers a new twist in the lore as this time the Predator is a good guy and has a name, “Dek.”
New details revealed
Following the trailer release, Trachtenberg spoke with Bloody Disgusting about the movie, offering new details about the Predator in Badlands.
Runt of the litter
Among the details includes the version of the Predator seen in the trailer is considered a “runt.” A runt is normally used to describe the smallest or weakest animal in a litter of offspring, as it’s commonly used when talking about animals like puppies, kittens, or piglets.
So we see that describing the Predator in Badlands means something similar, that it implies Dek is the weakest of his species. We can guess that’s also why he might be rebelling against his own kind as he has an “unsupportive father” who views him as weak, where Dek is ” fighting for acceptance in his own clan.”
Predator is now the prey
Trachtenberg teases a bit of the plot:
“I wanted to make [Predator: Badlands] feel genre, feel very specific, and [feel like] an inversion of the [main] premise—now the Predator is on [another] planet, and he’s going to be hunted by things and has to use his guile to [survive].”
What about the VFX?
Trachtenberg also reveals details behind the visual effects, including that renowned digital visual effects and computer animation company, WETA, is behind the look of the runt Predator:
“The cool [thing about] what we’re doing is digital effects are meant to match the suit, not match creature flesh.”
“That kind of [animated] flesh is different than a suit, so [our] face perfectly blends in and matches that suit quality—hopefully it looks like real material.“
Who is the actor that plays the new Predator?
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is playing the new Predator, though he happens to be no runt himself, as the actor is an ex-basketball player:
“At one of our castings, Dimitrius came up, and the way he moved just had a great swashbuckle. We set up a physical obstacle course, and that’s how we cast him.“
Release info
Predator: Badlands hits theaters and IMAX on November 7, 2025 and also stars Elle Fanning.
In Predator: Badlands, the young Predator is exiled by his clan and teams up with Thia (Fanning) on a dangerous mission. Their goal? To face off against a new, ultimate enemy.
