Predator: Badlands First Look — The Hunter Becomes the Hero

New live-action Predator movies are rare enough that we can’t complain when 20th Century Studios recently released a brand-new teaser trailer for Predator: Badlands. It’s also unusual for a film in the franchise to make its usually villainous alien monster the hero of the story. But today, the studio gave us our first look at the new movie that positions itself as a new take on the established sci-fi monster.

Set to star Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek, one of the Predators, the movie centers on a Predator outcast who joins with a Weyland-Yutani android (Elle Fanning) to take on “the ultimate adversary” (aka “something that can’t be killed”). The movie’s first teaser trailer shows just a few quick shots of the presumably enormous monster, which does not seem to be another Xenomorph from the Alien series. Badlands also shows off the character of Dek, a Predator unlike the stoic kill-machines audiences are used to from the long-running franchise. With Dek as the film’s protagonist, his battles and moral journey are the focus of the action.

Predator: Badlands Builds on the Expanded Universe

It’s unclear how or if Badlands will intersect with other movies and shows in the larger Predator/Alien shared universe. There have been rumors, however, that the movie will at least partially take place on the Predator home world.

Director and co-writer Dan Trachtenberg, who brought the previously acclaimed Prey in 2022, is likely to explore the Predator’s species and culture more than past films in the series have. In Prey, Trachtenberg stripped the formula back to a tense, survivalist two-shot of sorts in the 18th-century American Great Plains. Badlands might provide more detail on Predators’ cultural practices, languages, and how their politics function. If the teaser is any indication, audiences may get to know the Yautja a bit more deeply — and enjoy all the cutting-edge weaponry and ultra-violence the franchise is known for.

Elle Fanning, as the android Thia, is another source of interest. We see her in the trailer performing several calculated movements while delivering her lines in an eerily calm monotone, her mechanical edges leavened by curiosity and empathy. Predators have not been this closely associated with a Weyland-Yutani android before in the series, so there should be a lot to analyze for Alien franchise fans who like to watch for Easter eggs and universe-expanding lore crossovers.

Familiar Names Work on the Film

That Trachtenberg is returning is the new movie’s major point in its favor. Prey, though an anthology of the franchise, got critical kudos, but more importantly for 20th Century Studios, it had a wide viewership when it streamed on Hulu. It also had strong word-of-mouth among fans, so to bring Trachtenberg back is a sign the studio has faith in the director’s continued ability to both respect the original franchise and update it freshly.

Trachtenberg, as it happens, is not only returning to the live-action Predator universe. He’s also been developing Predator: Killer of Killers, an animated anthology series that is also slated to premiere on Hulu (i.e., the same service as Prey) on June 6. That series will follow different Predator hunts at different times and in different parts of the universe. It will be another expansion of the franchise and potentially a way to introduce new Predators to the lore.

The Teaser Tells Us More

The movie’s first teaser trailer doesn’t show much of the actual plot, but we can examine it and glean information from what it does show. Shots of Predators in ceremonial armor fighting each other (or just locking eyes) and Dek cautiously stalking or moving about the world, Thia brandishing futuristic guns, and shadowy glimpses of the unknown “unkillable” enemy. It also gives us the impression of vast and detailed alien settings.

Most importantly, the teaser trailer and associated promotion make it clear that Badlands won’t be a retread of previous Predator films. The story is being told from a new point of view, one that has audiences see the human characters as more secondary than in past films. The decision to center the film around Dek (an outcast Predator) instead of one or more humans upsets the usual expectations of the franchise. A side effect of that subversion of expectations is that Badlands has the opportunity to tell deeper character-driven stories and add layers to Predator movies that are generally more focused on set pieces and shoot-outs.

Release Date and What to Expect

Badlands will release in theaters on November 7, and it’s one of the big sci-fi action franchise films for the end of the year. Between now and then, the film will likely release more trailers, as well as featurettes or interviews. Audiences can expect more details about the plot, more insights into the new or returning characters, and a better look at the big nameless “unkillable” creature. There will likely also be a better idea of the film’s visual look, as the teaser doesn’t quite establish that yet.

As it is, the first teaser trailer has the job of intriguing established Predator fans, catching the curiosity of anyone new to the franchise, and setting up a movie that seems different from the previous films. With Trachtenberg on board, the film has a leader with a strong vision for the Predator universe. Along with a new and potentially compelling dynamic between lead characters Dek and Thia, audiences may get a new favorite from this franchise spin-off. Whether people are in it for Dek’s survival story or just the movie’s battle scenes, this November, the hunt will be on.