In 2022, four years after The Predator failed to hit with critics and audiences alike, the Predator franchise got a major jolt with Prey, which was initially released exclusively to Hulu subscribers. The early 1700s-set prequel starring Amber Midthunder was met with critical acclaim, including CinemaBlend’s Prey review giving it 4 out of 5 stars. Now the next Predator movie has been lined up, and I’m excited that one of the key talents from Prey will be back for it.
Dan Trachtenberg, who directed Prey and made his directorial debut in 2016 with 10 Cloverfield Lane, will write and direct Badlands, the next installment in the franchise (evidently it sounded “cool” enough for him). This will give him even more to do this time around, because although he also came up with Prey’s story with writer Patrick Aison, it was the latter who penned the entire script. Deadline also reports that Badlands is a “high priority” for 20th Century Studios, and that Trachtenberg and executives are already meeting with actors for the lead role.
Considering how successful Prey was, bringing back Dan Trachtenberg feels like a no-brainer. The man did a good job helming the feature following Amber Midthunder’s Naru battling Dan DiLIegro’s Feral Predator, chronologically making her the first human to face off against one of these extraterrestrial warriors. Why not ensure Badlands stands a chance of earning the same kind of stellar critical reception by placing him back in the director’s chair and having him work on the script (although I won’t be surprised if another writer later comes in to polish up his work)?
While it’s good to hear Trachtenberg is sticking around the Predator space, no plot details for Badlands have been revealed. As such, it’s unclear if this will be another period piece, if the story will return audiences to the present day, or if it will take place in the future. As for the release plans, because 20th Century Studios has sent recent movies like The Boogeyman to theaters, and will do the same with movies on the 2024 release schedule like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Alien: Romulus, it’s possible that Badlands could also score time on the big screen rather than be limited to Hulu again, though nothing is set in stone just yet.
Deadline’s article also mentioned that Badlands entering development doesn’t mean the kibosh has been put on Prey 2. That sequel is reportedly still in early development, with Amber Midthunder potentially reprising her lead role. However, given this latest news, it sounds like Badlands is the more urgent Predator-related project at the moment, and I also wouldn’t be surprised if Dan Trachtenberg taking the helm on it means that someone else would need to direct Prey 2 if that ends up getting officially greenlit.
We’ll let you know when more concrete information about Badlands comes to light, but in addition to Prey, remember that the first two Predator movies can also be streamed on Hulu. You’re also welcome to look through our rankings of the Predator movies, including Prey.
