Director Dan Trachtenberg is returning to the world of Predator with Badlands, which should revisit a concept last seen in the saga’s most underrated sequel. While rival sci-fi series such as Alien or The Terminator tend to revisit the same major characters, the Predator movie franchise is somewhat unique. The concept lends itself well to an anthology approach, so while humans fighting the titular hunters is always at its core, the main cast is always changing. This isn’t for lack of trying, since Arnold Schwarzenegger has passed on various Predator sequels, but it does help keep things fresh.
Case in point would be 2022’s Prey from Dan Trachtenberg. This entry abandoned the modern-day approach to focus on a female warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder) battling a particularly vicious hunter in 1719. This prequel re-energized the entire property after it had flagged for many years, and two more Predator sequels are in the works. It appears the next will be Trachenberg’s Badlands, though plot details for this outing are slim. All that is known is Badlands will take place in the future and will follow a new female protagonist.
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New Predator Movie Can Use A New Planet (Like Predators)
Predators
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The third movie in the Predator franchise, Predators follows a group of humans who find themselves stranded in a mysterious jungle and hunted by a powerful race of technologically-advanced aliens. Mercenary Royce (Adrien Brody) is a former member of a Special Ops unit, and he finds himself leading the group through the jungle and protecting them from the Predators hunting them. Lawrence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, Walton Goggins, and Alice Braga all star alongside Brody in supporting roles.
- Release Date
- July 7, 2010
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century
- Cast
- Adrien Brody , Alice Braga , Topher Grace
- Runtime
- 1h 47m
- Franchise(s)
- Predator
- Budget
- 40 million
- Director
- Nimród Antal
Arguably the most undersung sequel in the series is 2010’s Predators, which trapped a group of soldiers and assassins on a Predator game planet. Predators’ modest budget held it back in terms of scope, but it was a fantastic hook and expanded the lore of the series. Since the upcoming Predator film Badlands is taking place in the future, this presents the perfect chance to take the story off-world and have its heroes stalked on a different planet.
Like the best sequels, Badlands needs to give viewers what they expect, but with fun tweaks to keep things interesting. Predators was a little too restrained with its setting, so there’s room for another entry to go wild on a new planet.
Badlands’ Timeline Means A New Planet Is Possible
It hasn’t been announced what year Badlands is set, but presumably, Trachtenberg is trying to distance the next entry from Prey both visually and in terms of setting. It would be intriguing to have an outing that fully embraces futuristic tech, and how that would impact a Predator’s hunt. If it takes place far enough in the future, Badland’s story could take humanity into space, and strand them on a world where the hunters have set up camp.
Entertaining as Predators is, it didn’t fully realize the potential of its game planet premise, which is a shame. With a rewrite, the story could easily have taken place in another remote jungle on Earth, so Badlands could really milk the idea for all it’s worth. After Prey put the series back on course, the next entry must continue its winning streak. Trachtenberg already proved he was a great choice to continue the saga’s legacy, and if he’s taking Badlands into the future, he must have something cool in mind.
Badlands (2025)
Badlands is a new entry in the Predator franchise, with the writer and director of Prey, Dan Trachtenberg, returning for this installment. No details on the film exist save for the fact that Badlands will be a standalone entry set during a new period.
- Director
- Dan Trachtenberg
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century Studios
- Franchise(s)
- Predator
