Predator: Badlands Brings Fans Face-to-Face with a New Threat

A new Predator movie is a rare occasion, let alone one that casts its murderous extra-terrestrial hunter as the hero of the piece. But today, 20th Century Studios did just that by releasing the first official teaser trailer for the upcoming Predator prequel, Predator: Badlands.

Predator: Badlands will follow young Predator Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), an outcast from his species. But this is no by-the-numbers hero’s journey. The teenager will have some unique assistance from an unlikely source: a Weyland-Yutani human-made android called Thia, played by Elle Fanning. The two find themselves up against “the ultimate adversary,” an “unkillable” creature that threatens them both.

While we don’t get a good look at the monster in this teaser, it appears to be an enormous beast that the Alien franchise has never seen before. It also stands in for what the trailer dubs “Predator’s deadliest enemy” in their deadliest battle yet. The entirety of the first trailer consists of carefully orchestrated shots of Predators dueling in ceremonial armor, Dek stealthily stalking through alien flora, Thia manipulating futuristic weaponry, and a brief look at a monster so brutal, its new adversaries “can’t make a sound” when it attacks.

Deep in Predator Country

While Predator: Badlands will be a stand-alone movie in the greater Predator/Alien crossover universe, a few breadcrumbs in the first trailer indicate that it will be worldbuilding in significant ways. Already, we know at least part of the story is set on the Predator’s home planet, a location that has only been teased in prior installments of the franchise. The brief trailer also offers a glimpse of both alien geography and the bustling settlement of multiple Predator creatures, including more than one Predator engaging in a standoff or even an outright fight.

Director and co-writer Dan Trachtenberg (2018’s The Darkest Minds, 2022’s Prey) seems particularly interested in doing an in-depth exploration of Predator history and culture. Where his last film in the franchise, Prey, pared the story down to a gritty, survivalist face-off between women in the 18th-century American Great Plains, Badlands will do the opposite and offer more fleshed-out exploration of the creatures’ traditions, language, and internal politics. The look at Yautja culture and the franchise’s signature blend of sleek technology and primitive violence.

Another stand-out element of the film that was teased in the trailer was Elle Fanning’s human android character, Thia. The actor was shown in the trailer moving in a glacial, almost mechanical fashion, and speaking lines in a flat, impassive tone. The android’s voiceover gives hints to a mysterious past, as well as a human-like capacity for curiosity, fear, and empathy. For the first time in a Predator film, an alien monster will be paired with another human-created entity and co-lead the story. The connection to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation will also delight Alien fans who revel in finding lore crossovers between series.

Good Signs for the Predators

Fans of Trachtenberg’s last film in the Predator franchise have good reason to be hopeful about his return. Not only was Prey a critical hit and a major success with audiences who went to see it in theaters, and later on Hulu (where it has done particularly well due to high recommendation ratings). It was also a hit for the series overall, which made his return to the Predator franchise likely even before Badlands had been confirmed. His attachment indicates a level of confidence from 20th Century Studios that he has the vision to build a fresh yet respectful new entry in a much-beloved sci-fi franchise.

Trachtenberg has a new Predator project on the way as well. He has been attached to the development of Predator: Killer of Killers, an animated anthology series on Hulu — the same streaming service that will be home to Prey — that is set to premiere on June 6. The series is an exploration of different Predator hunts across a number of timelines and locations, indicating some major worldbuilding is in store for the universe.

Expectations for the Trailer

It’s no spoiler to say that the first teaser for Predator: Badlands stops well short of giving away any major reveals in terms of plot. This was never the intent; rather, the teaser’s job is to whet the appetite of the viewer for more — and this one accomplishes that in spades. In the trailer, we see high-octane shots of Predators clashing in ceremonial armor, a young Dek moving stealthily through an unfamiliar landscape, Thia brandishing high-tech guns, and a monster so violent that, when it attacks, the human-made android is literally “silenced.” The trailer also hints at a vast alien landscape — both lush and otherworldly.

Most crucially, the short teaser trailer to Predator: Badlands does a good job at making it clear that this new entry in the franchise will not be just another refilm of the ground covered by previous Predator films. Changing the point of view from human prey to a Predator outcast from his society upends the tried-and-true formula for these types of monster battles. It also allows for new, more complex character development, including moral quandaries and even potential redemption arcs. If Dek is on a journey to regain lost honor or become worthy in the eyes of his society, audiences may very well find themselves rooting for the creature that was once just the series’ villain.

Premiere and What Comes Next

Predator: Badlands is set to premiere in theaters on November 7 and will likely be one of the year’s top sci-fi action blockbusters as it heads into awards season. In the coming months, fans can expect more trailers that may reveal additional information about the plot, tease out the film’s scope in terms of set pieces, and perhaps give a better look at the mysterious “unkillable” foe.