The surprise hit Prey helped revitalize the struggling Predator franchise in 2022, and now the intergalactic hunter is returning in another standalone movie called Badlands. The Predator franchise first launched with the release of the eponymous film in 1987, which saw mercenaries on a rescue mission in South America who take on an alien creature that hunts them for sport. Besides being a hit Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle, Predator also had clear franchise potential that filmmakers couldn’t leave alone for the last three decades.

The follow-up, Predator 2, was released in 1990 and was largely reviled by critics even though it introduced new lore about the Predator that is still part of the series today. Most notably, the sequel teased a crossover with the Alien franchise, which culminated in various games, movies, and comic books on the subject. Two failed sequels in the 2010s nearly spelled doom for the beloved ’80s icon, but 2022’s Prey showed that the beleaguered property still had legs. Therefore, another standalone film is officially in the works, and Badlands could replicate Prey‘s success.

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Badlands Latest News

Elle Fanning In Talks To Star

Though news regarding the upcoming movie has been scant, the latest update confirms that Elle Fanning is in talks to star in Badlands. The child-star turned bona fide Hollywood hitmaker has recently turned heads as Catherine the Great in the anachronistic historical series The Great, and she is reportedly set to lead the next Predator movie. Nothing is known about the nature of Fanning’s role, and her involvement in the project hasn’t been verified by the studio or anyone making the film.

Badlands Is Confirmed

The Predator Returns In Another Standalone Film

Announced around the same time as Prey 2, it was officially confirmed in February 2024 that a standalone Predator movie called Badlands was in the works. Though little is known about the film’s story, Prey director Dan Trachtenberg will return to helm the project. A timeline also hasn’t been established for the latest Predator movie, but it will be released before the recently announced Prey 2. Scant story hints suggest it won’t have any connection to Prey and will instead let the vicious alien hunter loose in another time and place.

Who Is Making Badlands?

Dan Trachtenberg Returns To Direct

Becoming something of the de facto face of the burgeoning Predator rebirth in the 2020s, Dan Trachtenberg is once again attached to direct after the smashing success of Prey, the film he also helmed. Patrick Aison penned the script for Prey, and he developed the story alongside Trachtenberg. At this juncture, it is not known if Aison will be back for Badlands. Still, it would be a logical choice considering the obvious emphasis on continuity behind the camera in the newest Predator movies.

Badlands Cast Details

Elle Fanning Is Attached To Star

Like so much of the rest of the movie, the cast of Badlands is also being largely kept under wraps, and it’s very likely that the casting process is still ongoing. One major name attached to the project is that of Elle Fanning who will reportedly lead the next Predator movie. Unfortunately, no details have been revealed about Fanning’s potential character, and since story details are also unknown, its impossible to even speculate. Fanning continues the franchise’s shift toward female leads that proved to be so successful in 2022’s Prey.

Badlands Story Details

Where Will The Predator Hunt Next?

The beautiful part of the Predator franchise is that the Yautja can appear at any place and any time because they have been a space-faring species for centuries if not millennia. Prey saw them arrive in North America during the early 18th century, and previous installments saw them take on modern-day Earth. Director Dan Trachtenberg has only offered teases about the plot of Badlands, but it will likely take place sometime in the future.

Prey took the Predator farther back in the timeline than ever before, and Badlands could do the opposite by seeing how the Yautja hunt humans in the distant future when they are more technologically advanced. It could be that Badlands intends to pay off many of the ideas established in Predator 2, which offered a pseudo-futuristic look at Los Angeles.