Predator: Badlands Trailer Shows Predator vs. Predator Battles

Today is not an ordinary day for Predator fans. We have just seen the first teaser for the next live-action film from the franchise, with 20th Century Studios switching things up in a huge way, casting the hunter as the main protagonist.

Predator: Badlands centers on a Predator named Dek, played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. He has been cast out of his society and is on the hunt for something much more dangerous. He will be joined by a Weyland-Yutani android named Thia, played by Elle Fanning. At some point, these two will have to stand up against “the ultimate enemy” as seen in the new Predator: Badlands teaser trailer, “something that can’t be killed.” As of now, we have only seen a glimpse of this creature, which could be the large monstrosity seen at the end of the trailer. We know little about this thing other than that its skin is paper-thin and that it looks as if it will be a mutant or genetically engineered creature.

The poster for the film was also released in line with the new trailer. Focusing on Dek, he stands alone in the sparse landscape, a crossbow ready and a cape flowing in the nonexistent wind behind him.

New Ground

Badlands is looking to be a Predator movie that will fit in the bigger Predator/Alien universe crossover, but will also tell its own unique story. Early reports and now the first teaser have also suggested that the film will be at least in part set on the Predator’s home planet. This is a bold move for the series, which has very rarely even alluded to this world in the past. The trailer shows glimpses of alien flora, bustling Predator cityscapes, and even several Predators amid a standoff or fight.

Dan Trachtenberg, the director and co-writer of 2022’s Prey, is also coming back for this installment. It seems that he is going to be very interested in the culture of the Predators. After all, Prey stripped down the genre to a traditional Predator movie down to its core. Set in the 18th-century American Great Plains, Prey was really about two people fighting for their lives in a remote, unforgiving setting. Badlands, though, seems to be going for the opposite approach. It is diving into the traditions, language, and politics of the Predator species.

Elle Fanning as the android Thia was also a strong focus of the trailer. In it, she moves in a jerky, mechanical way, speaking in a smooth, casual voice as if the situation she is in is not nearly as bad as the one she is in. Her metallic edges are softened by a sense of intrigue and empathy that she seems to exude. Fanning is no stranger to science fiction, but this will be the first time that a Predator film has put its titular alien hunter so close to a human-made android. It will also be the first film that focuses so closely on the Weyland-Yutani corporation in so long, so there will be a lot to unpack for Alien fans.

Bring Back the Same Talent

The one big takeaway from this trailer is that the same talent will be returning. Prey was a sleeper hit and was very well-received by fans and critics. This was likely because it took risks in a series that very rarely does that, and it also successfully found an audience outside of theaters by streaming on Hulu. The fact that Trachtenberg is returning for this installment is not only because he did such a great job last time, but also is a sign of trust by 20th Century Studios.

Trachtenberg is also currently developing another Predator-related project for Hulu, which will also premiere on the streaming platform in June. Predator: Killer of Killers is an animated anthology series set to debut on June 6 that will focus on different Predator hunts through different points in time.

What’s in the Teaser

While the first teaser is not likely to give away many details about the plot or major twists, there is a lot that fans can be parsing through in the first look at Badlands. There are shots of Predators decked out in armor and facing off, there are shots of Dek wandering through the wilderness, there is Thia and her modern weaponry, and there are flashes of the “unkillable” creature. There is a lot of rich set dressing here that points to the expansive nature of the production, with the location shoots in particular giving an alien and lush landscape in which these events will take place.

The most important thing about this teaser is that it does make clear that Badlands is going to be different from previous films in the Predator series. Rather than being a movie about a group of human protagonists fighting off an onslaught of monstrous aliens, this is a movie about one of those aliens. This perspective change, though, could be the shot in the arm that the franchise has been looking for. By telling the story of an outcast Predator that has been cast off from his society, there is the potential for more character development and even moral conflicts. If Dek is fighting for his survival, reputation, or to prove himself to his people once again, there is a chance that we may have a new ally in a species that we have only thought of as villains thus far.