The Predator stands as one of cinema’s most iconic, most memorable, most fearsome monsters. Most who encounter one of those deadly beasts, both human and non-human alike, don’t live to tell the tale. But the franchise’s next installment will change everything we know about that infamous alien. Prey director Dan TrachtenbergOpens in a new tab is turning one of Hollywood’s best villains into a hero. And the first trailer for Predators: BadlandsOpens in a new tab shows why it’s always better to be fighting with a Predator than against it.
Nearly three decades after our first encounter with a Predator the franchise is ready to show us a different side of its titular creature. After bringing us back to an earlier time period on Earth, Prey‘s Dan Trachtenberg is moving forward to another world for a very different type of installment in the series. Here’s the film’s official synopsis from 20th Century Studios:
Predator: Badlands, which stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator (Schuster-Koloamatangi), outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Fanning will play more than just Thia in the film. She’ll play multiple roles, which we seem to get a glimpse of in this trailer. It’s hard to know for sure exactly what’s going on in this teaser. What we do know is Fanning is a big part of the story. Trachtenberg previously said the actress “faced intense challenges on this movie — dramatically, physically, logistically.”
That makes sense considering the studio says this movie takes place in a “world of hurt.” We’ll learn exactly why when Predator: Badlands turns one of cinema’s most dangerous villains into a hero this fall. The film debuts in theaters and on IMAX November 7, 2025.
