Predator: Badlands comes hot on the heels of a very busy few years for blockbuster sci-fi film franchises. The film is already being talked about as perhaps the most ambitious Predator outing yet. In this article, we’ll take a look at what to expect from Predator: Badland, who is set to star, and what the reaction to the film’s trailer has been.
What do we know so far about Predator: Badlands?
Predator: Badlands is the seventh film in the Predator series (the ninth if counting Alien Vs Predator and its sequel). Badlands will be a standalone film and will be set on the Predators’ home planet. In a teaser description of the film, Disney revealed that the film will centre on a young Predator, named ‘Dek’, who is cast from his clan as a runt. Dek finds an unlikely ally in Thia, an android, and embarks on a journey to defeat an adversary. Predator: Badlands features Dan Trachtenberg as director and co-writer. Trachtenberg previously directed the 2022 standalone Predator film, Prey, which received rave reviews from critics. He is also the director of the upcoming animated series, Predator: Killer of Killers.
What should fans expect from Predator: Badlands?
The newest Predator film comes after a resurgence in the sci-fi monster genre in recent years.
The last few years have witnessed the overwhelming success of films like Denis Villeneuve’s Dune (and its sequel), Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and - of course - the major success story that was 2024’s Alien: Romulus. Indeed, there are rumours that the unexpected success of 2022’s Prey may have played a role in ensuring that Romulus had a theatrical release, rather than a straight-to-streaming release - meaning a rare case of Yuatja and Xenomorph helping each other…
All of the above means fans can expect a more ambitious Predator film than ever before. Fox’s studio executive Steve Asbell told The Hollywood Reporter that the film has an “absolutely bonkers idea…it’s awesome. It’s so nuts” (which all bodes very well for fans). Dan Trachtenberg has himself admitted that the film was a “big, crazy swing” and added that he was inspired by a broad and unpredictable range of influences, including everyone from Frank Frazetta to Terrence Malick, and from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior to Clint Eastwood’s Western films.
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To add to this, despite being a standalone flick, fans should expect Badlands to incorporate plenty of Predator lore - and even Alien lore - into its storyline. It has already been revealed that the character of Thia was created by Weyland-Yutani, the fictional multinational corp from the original Alien films. Director Dan Trachtenberg has also confirmed that “there’s a lot in this movie from the extended universe.”
Predator: Badlands - What to expect, Cast, And Release Date
Who is set to star in Predator: Badlands?
Only two cast members have so far been confirmed for Predator: Badlands. Elle Fanning - star of Maleficent and A Complete Unknown - will play the role of the android named Thia. Actor and stuntman Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi will play the role of Dek, the young Predator who is forced out by his clan. Additional cast announcements are anticipated in the near future prior to the release date.
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Where was Predator: Badlands filmed? And When Will It be released?
Principal photography for Predator: Badlands commenced in New Zealand in August 2024, with the film being filmed under the working title Backpack. Filming wrapped in late October of the same year. Predator: Badlands is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on November 7, 2025. It will also release in the UK on the same date, while global release dates have yet to be fully confirmed.
Predator: Badlands - What to expect, Cast, And Release Date
Could Predator: Badlands lead to a long-awaited Alien Vs. Predator reboot?
Following the release of the Predator: Badlands trailer, fans were quick to find several Easter Eggs that hinted at the direction the franchise might be taking. Among them was the fact that the android Thia’s eyes displayed the Weylon-Yutani logo when they rolled back. Not only did this link her explicitly with the Alien franchise, it also recalled a similar scene in 2024’s Alien: Romulus film, where the same thing happened to the character of Andy.
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Predator: Badlands - What to expect, Cast, And Release Date
Now, fans think everything is being teed up for an Alien Vs. Predator reboot. This would be very likely, considering the fact that recent Alien and Predator films have been very warmly received (not to mention commercially successful). It’s also worth remembering that the two previous AVP films, while critically panned, generated over $300 million at the box office between them, showing that the appetite is there for a big return.
If Badlands is half as successful as Alien: Romulus, and half as bold as director Dan Trachtenberg is making it out to be, we’ll surely get news of an AVP reboot by the end of summer…
