Just 3 years after the release of Prey, Predator fans were begging for more after the films surprise success. Prey kickstarted the love of the franchise once more and renewed hope in the Predator storyline. This week a teaser trailer for Predator: Badlands dropped and there is a lot to discuss.
Director Dan Trachtenberg teases the seventh installment in the Predator franchise (not including Alien vs. Predator). Trachtenberg is also the director of Prey and has decided to take more creative liberties with the future of the Predator movies.
The trailer revealed that Elle Fanning is the main character, Thia, who is a Weyland-Yutani synthetic. This is one hint that it could be another Alien Predator crossover. The rest of the cast is yet to be revealed, apart from Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi who is credited as Dek. There doesn't seem to be any other humanoid characters apart from Fanning.
Opening shot in the trailer includes a wall filled with various skulls. Among these skulls includes a dinosaur, human, primates, and other alien species. The other skulls on the wall has led fans to speculate if they are from other popular alien movies. The theories include War of the Worlds (2005) and Independence Day (1996). The connection between these other movies is not confirmed but could lead to the expansion of the Predator universe.
The plot for Predator: Badlands is Thia forming an unlikely alliance with Dek to go against other monsters on the planet. The plot is very general at this time but features other predators and bigger monsters we haven't seen in the franchise before. The story is said to take place way into the future and is basically a standalone Predator movie.
What stands out in the trailer is the look of Dek. The predator design is quite different from the original 1987 version. The face looks more humanoid than the others and doesn't have the monstrous features. Some fans on X are already complaining about the new design but others defend the artistic choice of Trachtenberg. The other predator shown in the trailer has white dreads and a cape, the new design seems to stray away from the typical helmet look and attempt something completely different.
The teaser trailer didn't reveal too much (which is a good thing) and in time will likely unveil more about the new universe and where the future of the franchise is headed.
Predator: Badlands releases to theaters and to IMAX on November 7, 2025.