The next two confirmed entries in the Predator film series should look to one of the franchise’s most overlooked (and financially lackluster) entries for ideas. In the aftermath of Prey‘s revitalization of the franchise, there are now two Predator movies in active development. One of them is a direct sequel to Prey, seemingly expanding on the events of that film. The other, known as Badlands, will seemingly shift things to a different time period and explore the future of the Predator universe. However, even as the series looks to the future, it could explore concepts from prior films.

In fact, one of the biggest bombs in the series could be the key to expanding the series in exciting new ways. Although it received mixed reviews and was ultimately a box office bomb, the Adrian Brody, Topher Grace, and Laurence Fishburne-led Predators introduced a lot of compelling concepts to the series that later films have failed to utilize to their true potential. However, Dan Trachtenberg’s Badlands and Prey 2 might be the best place to bring these ideas back into play and recontextualize them into something new.

Badlands Should Build Off Of Predators’ Unique Setting

A Predator Hunting Ground Could Be A Great Central Location For Badlands

2010’s Predators introduced a lot of interesting ideas to the franchise that could be utilized in future films like Badlands and Prey 2. Although details about Badlands are largely under wraps, it’s been suggested that Badlands will bring Predator into the future. If that’s the case, then the film could use a Predator hunting range as a core concept anywhere, including on the Earth itself. In Predators, it’s revealed that the alien hunters will occasionally capture humans and bring them to a distant moon that serves as a game preserve for the hunter species.

Badlands could do something similar, depositing a group of human characters in an unexpected terrain and forcing them to contend with bizarre local fauna and wildlife. Considering the film seems to be taking place in the future, it’s even possible for the Predators to have turned areas of Earth into a similar space, using the futuristic world as overt hunting grounds. This could introduce plenty of new elements to the series, especially if their hunts are well known. The franchise could explore more about how Predators go about transforming worlds into hunting grounds, and how humanity would respond to the hunters existing out in the open.

Prey 2 Should Feature Multiple Competing Predators

Predator Vs. Predator Is Too Good Of An Idea To Only Do Once

Prey 2‘s credits teased that after Naru’s successful defeat of the Predator stalking her tribe’s lands, more of the aliens would be on their way. This could be interpreted as several Predators arriving to investigate the death of their kin and take revenge on those that defeated him. However, Prey 2 could complicate things by making the multiple Predators competitors. One of the more interesting ideas of Predators was the revelation that rivalries exist within the Predator culture. In that film, the trio of Predators dubbed Tracker, Berseker, and Falconer worked in tandem against the Super Predator as part of a blood feud.

Having Predators competing or even actively fighting one another could introduce new shades of grey and complexity to Prey 2. This could even serve as an engaging counter-point to Prey‘s focus on the violent interactions between Naru’s tribe and the French-Canadian Fur Trappers she (and eventually the Predator) encountered. Having the Predators competing and actively fighting one another gives them a personal element that adds to their complexity as movie monsters, highlighting their human qualities even while they’re hunting down people.

Why Predators Is The Most Underrated Predator Movie

Predators Is Flawed But Can Give Prey 2 And Badlands Good Ideas

Predators was an interesting entry in the franchise, relocating the action to deep space while retaining a human focus. While the film boasted solid action, it failed to replicate the tension inherent to the better films in the series. The additive qualities of Predators make it a far more interesting film than it initially appears, with a lot of compelling ideas that deserve to be fleshed out. However, the film that initially followed it in the series, 2018’s The Predator, felt more like a rehash of the original two films than expansive on the concepts seen in Predators.

With Prey proving the adaptability of the series in exciting ways, it’ll be interesting to see how Badlands and Prey 2 advance the series. For all its faults, Predators introduced some really compelling ideas that helped solidify it as one of the series’ most underrated entries. Taking the best ideas from Predators and introducing them to new stories could be a compelling way to push the series forward in exciting new ways and help build off the success of Prey to ensure the future of the Predator series continues to look bright.