Predator: Badlands Teaser Promises Standalone Adventure

Live-action Predator films are hard to come by, let alone ones that focus on a main character who is the titular, deadly alien hunter. And yet, 20th Century Studios just dropped the first teaser for Predator: Badlands today, which puts a fresh and unexpected spin on the monster movie classic.

Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi plays the young Predator hunter Dek, who has been exiled from his species. He is framed as the movie’s protagonist, and finds an unusual ally in Thia, a Weyland-Yutani android played by Elle Fanning. Together, they face off against “the ultimate adversary” — a monstrous being that can’t be killed.” A glimpse of their enemy flashes across the screen briefly, but it looks to be a massive creature unlike anything we’ve ever seen in either the Predator or Alien franchises.

Badlands will be its standalone film in the Predator/Alien shared universe. But based on the first teaser and rumors from earlier this year, the film may be doing some significant worldbuilding in the Predator universe. Speculation has swirled that at least a part of the film takes place on the Predator home planet, a locale only alluded to in previous films. The teaser shows snippets of alien wildlife and Predator encampments, and a number of Predators in action, both in standoff and combat situations.

Director and co-writer Dan Trachtenberg, who directed 2022’s Prey, may also be intent on further developing Predator lore in this film. In Prey, Trachtenberg had deconstructed the story into a stripped-down, singular hunt set in the American Great Plains in the 18th century, focusing on style, suspense, and visual storytelling more than any other installment in the series. Badlands seems to be continuing that trend while expanding on the Predator culture: traditions, language, tribal tensions, and hierarchies. If the teaser is any indication, we’ll get an even deeper look into the inner workings of the Yautja and the franchise’s signature arsenal and grisly combat.

Fanning’s Android Role Sparks Interest

Thia, Fanning’s android character, is another headline element in this new trailer. She strides with creepy precision and utters dialogue with a detached menace, her edges rounded out by curiosity and even sympathy. It’s the first time a Predator film has so closely centered the interplay of the alien hunters with a human-made android, and the Weyland-Yutani lineage is sure to delight Alien lore enthusiasts who enjoy spotting Easter eggs and connecting the dots.

Returning Director Has Follow-Up Series

Trachtenberg’s return to the Predator universe is another huge part of what has fans so excited. Prey did not just get critical raves for reinvigorating the franchise; it also became a popular film, with Hulu viewership and word-of-mouth success helping to propel its reputation. That Prey had that level of success is a testament to Trachtenberg’s vision for the project, and 20th Century Studios’ trust in him to replicate that formula while still adding new flourishes to the sci-fi mythology.

But Trachtenberg has not been working on Badlands alone: he has also been developing a new series called Predator: Killer of Killers, a Hulu Predator anthology series set to premiere June 6, the same day that Hulu will carry Prey. Predator: Killer of Killers will reportedly take on an animated format, telling different stories about Predator hunts in various settings and periods.

Teaser Breakdown

The first teaser is not giving too much away, plot-wise. It features clips of Predators in ceremonial armor staring each other down, attacking one another, and pulling out special weapons. It also spotlights Dek stealthily traversing his environment and looking on with intensity, Fanning as Thia wielding advanced tech and guns, and the mysterious shadow of the “unkillable” creature. Otherworldly and lush scenery also shows up, suggesting a large-scale production and a broad scope.

The key thing to take from this teaser, however, is that Badlands is not trying to be another sequel, prequel, or reboot to past Predator films. The shift in point of view, from a human target of Predator hunting to the Predator itself as a social outcast, shakes up the formula and sets the stage for what could be more developed character arcs and moral ambiguities. Should Dek win back his honor or his standing in his tribe? Are there factions within Predator clans? If so, is there political maneuvering or court intrigue going on? Audiences may end up rooting for an alien previously only known as a monster.

Badlands Trailer Release Date and Updates

November 7 is the slated release date for Predator: Badlands in theaters, and it is one of the top, must-see sci-fi action films of the year. It will likely have more trailers dropping that will reveal additional set pieces, and might give us a longer look at their “unkillable” foe.

For now, the first teaser has done all it needed to do, which is to whet fans’ appetites, drum up interest from casual viewers, and prime the audience for a Predator film like no other. Trachtenberg’s direction, its duo of main characters, and the promise of deeper lore exploration, Predator: Badlands is primed to shake up the series.