Following the recent trailer release and ahead of this weekend’s big Hall H appearance at Comic-Con, Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg has confirmed what fans have long suspected: the upcoming film features a direct link to the Alien franchise through Elle Fanning’s character, a Weyland-Yutani synthetic named Thia.
But Trachtenberg is clear that this isn’t a full-blown Aliens vs Predator crossover. At least not yet.
“It is exciting to have this movie be just a little toe-dip link between those franchises,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s important to me — I am sure people anticipate a much bigger thing, and maybe other movies and other cinematic universes would be more aggressive — but I really didn’t want to take all the action figures and smush them together. I really wanted to tell a cool story.”
Thia Is a Weyland-Yutani Synthetic
Trachtenberg revealed that Elle Fanning’s character, Thia, is an artificial being created by Weyland-Yutani, the infamous mega-corporation central to the Alien mythos. It’s the first time a Predator film has canonically included a Weyland-Yutani synthetic since the early 2000s AVP movies, and this time, the connection is more grounded.
“I knew Dek [the Predator] needed company, but to make her human would mean that everyone — audiences and producers alike — would start to get tempted by that human and their story,” he said. “So, he made her a robot instead. And then the next thought was, wait a minute, I know a company that makes robots. And that led to the Weyland-Yutani synth of it all.”
Trachtenberg also teased their odd-couple dynamic: “They are a pretty interesting and bizarre pairing for each other, and that’s a huge part of the fun of the movie — their chemistry.”
AVP Rumors Keep Growing
While Trachtenberg plays down crossover expectations, Badlands is far from isolated. Rumors of a new Alien vs Predator cinematic universe have been steadily gaining traction, and there’s more than just speculation.
A leaked poster for Predator: Badlands shows Dek carrying Thia’s seemingly damaged body, evoking imagery from both Predator and Aliens. Fans also noticed that her design heavily resembles Bishop from Aliens, and her gear looks like something straight out of the Colonial Marines playbook.
Then there’s FX’s Alien: Earth, which also features a synthetic — Wendy, a hybrid AI-human created by another shady tech corporation — and multiple new alien species designated as “Species 37”, some of which may even have Predator DNA. A voiceover in one teaser says the ship has collected “five different life forms from the darkest corners of the universe” — language that sounds like it could easily describe Yautja (Predators).
Trachtenberg and Álvarez May Be Playing the Long Game
Sources like Tachyon Pulse via YouTube have reported that Dan Trachtenberg may be working with Disney to slowly build a crossover path that ties together Badlands and Alien: Earth. One insider told the channel:
“This is the culmination… Dan Trachtenberg is working toward creating a universe that will spin off into Alien vs Predator.”
Meanwhile, Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez has openly said he’s interested in an AVP project, but with a twist:
“The best AVP will be the one that you don’t know is AVP until the other guy shows up,” Álvarez told Collider. “You think you’re watching a Predator movie… and then, fucking hell, it’s a Xenomorph.”
The Setup Is Already Here
Thia’s connection to Weyland-Yutani isn’t just fan service, it’s a deliberate move to connect Predator lore with Alien canon. From Weyland synthetics to genetically mutated alien species, to Predators being portrayed as anti-heroes, the puzzle pieces are all falling into place.
And while Badlands isn’t AVP, it might be the most important step toward one in years.
Release info
Predator: Badlands gets released in theaters Nov. 7.
