20th Century Studios/Disney
- "Predator: Badlands" takes the franchise into the far future.
- Its director, Dan Trachtenberg, introduces a heroic version of the titular hunter.
- The film will also star Elle Fanning as an android. Here's what else to know.
"Predator: Badlands," the next live-action movie in the "Predator" franchise, pushes the story into the future.
The franchise mainly follows a race of creatures called the Yautja, who travel the universe to brutally hunt different species using advanced technology. It started with 1987's "Predator," which spawned five sequels.
The most recent live-action "Predator" movie, "Prey," from the director Dan Trachtenberg, was released on Hulu in 2022. It is set in the 1800s and follows a Native American woman named Naru (Amber Midthunder) who protects her people from the titular hunter.
It was met with huge praise from critics and earned a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. He also directed the animated movie, "Predator: Killer of Killers," which earned a 95% score.
Trachtenberg has returned for "Predator: Badlands," which follows an entirely new set of characters on a different planet. It's out in theaters on November 7, 2025.
'Predator: Badlands' takes place in the far future and makes the alien the hero
Most "Predator" film take place on Earth, but the new movie is set on a remote world somewhere else in the galaxy. The first trailer spotlights a young Yautja named Dek, played by the stuntman Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.
The synopsis teases that Dek is an outcast from his clan who "embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary," although it's not clear who or what that opponent is.
Regardless, Dek is the protagonist of "Predator: Badlands" rather than the villain, which is a first for the series.
In November, Trachtenberg told Empire Magazine, "He's still badass, but there's something there that touches you emotionally, too.
"Creating a character you connect with, but are also super-intimidated by, has been challenging. But exciting."
Elle Fanning plays a Weyland-Yutani android opposite the Predator.
20th Century Studios/Disney
Elle Fanning is the only major star in "Predator: Badlands." She plays Thia, an android who appears to be made by Weyland-Yutani, because the company's "W" logo appears when her eyes roll backward in the trailer.
Fans of "Alien" will know that Weyland-Yutani is the nefarious company from that franchise, which confirms that the Predators exist in the same universe as the Xenomorphs. Whether they end up brawling remains to be seen.
'Predator: Badlands' comes out later this year, and Dan Trachtenberg is already eyeing up a sequel
20th Century Studios/Disney
Trachtenberg already has an idea for another sequel if "Predator: Badlands" performs as well as "Prey" and "Predator: Killer of Killers."
He told SFX Magazine in June that he's excited about the idea for his third film.
"After 'Prey' came out, and I started thinking about sequel stuff, there were three ideas that I had. 'Killers' is one, 'Badlands' is two and the third one is something else," he said.
"There's a lot of cool ideas out there and none of them are just like, 'Oh, we have to say the next part of this story because it was successful.' All of it is like, 'Whoa, no one has done that in sci-fi. No one has done that in 'Predator.' No one's done that with the creature,' all of those ideas are generated from that instinct. So, yeah, there is definitely a third thing that I'd love to get to when Badlands is finished."
