After the massive success of the film Prey on Hulu, the world of the intergalactic Predator will continue to expand. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Trachtenberg, who directed 2022’s Prey, and is an avowed Predator superfan, will return to helm a new Predator movie, called Badlands. This Predator movie will be a standalone story, not directly related to the events of Prey. According to the original report, 20th Century Studios is now looking for talent for the lead role. Work also continues on a direct sequel to Prey, with star Amber Midthunder expected to reprise her role.
All we know so far is that the plan is to set this film in the future. Like Prey, it will also have a female lead. Prey revealed that the arrival of the alien hunter in the original film was not that species’ first encounter with humanity. The events in Prey took place over 300 years ago. So, the sky is the limit. We don’t know for sure yet, but it seems unlike Prey, this movie will not go direct-to-streaming. 20th Century Studios seem like they are recommitting to theatrical releases lately. Some films planned as streaming exclusives are now going to hit theaters, like this summer’s Alien: Romulus.
Dan Trachtenberg previously directed the film 10 Cloverfield Lane, as well as the pilot episode for The Boys. With Prey, he earned the Predator franchise’s best reviews to date. The film even won an Emmy. Although the original 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is beloved by sci-fi fans, most of the other entries in the franchise had not fared as well as Prey did, either with critics or audiences. We don’t know when Badlands will start shooting, but we shouldn’t expect to see the film before 2025 at the earliest.
