Prey director Dan Trachtenberg is back with another big swing at the Predator franchise, and this time, he’s flipping the script completely. In a recent chat with Bloody Disgusting, Trachtenberg opened up about Predator: Badlands, giving fans a better idea of what to expect from this wild new chapter.
For the first time ever in the series, the main character is a Predator. We’ll follow Dek, a “runt” exiled from his clan, as he navigates survival and redemption. Dek is brought to life through an in-costume and motion-capture performance by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.
Trachtenberg explained:
“One of the cool things about the movie is that we’re on Yautja Prime—there’s a lot in this movie from the extended universe. We insanely decided to treat [the language] properly like [Elvish] for Lord of the Rings or [Dothraki] for Game of Thrones, except for those there’s more precedent.”
I love that this movie is going to come complete with a fully fleshed-out Yautja language. Trachtenberg and his team aren’t pulling any punches when it comes to worldbuilding.
Dek’s journey gets even more interesting when he crosses paths with Thia, played by Elle Fanning. The trailer hinted she wasn’t just some stranded human, and now it’s official that she’s a Weyland-Yutani synth. Trachtenberg continued:
“As inspired as I am by movies, I’ve been very inspired by video games [like] Shadow of the Colossus, where you have a protagonist paired with someone else who provides color and connection.
“There’s a thing with a horse in Shadow of the Colossus that’s devastating when you play the game. And so [Predator: Badlands] was a little bit inspired by that in terms of wanting to see the Predator with someone else, this character who’s the opposite of him.
“He’s very laconic, [Fanning] is not. She’s capable in ways that he is not. Physically, she’s got a real thing that I’m so excited for you guys to see. But I want to let eventually some of that speak for itself.”
Turns out, Fanning’s work doesn’t stop at just one synth. She’s playing a dual role as twin “sisters.”
Trachtenberg made one thing very clear before signing off: Badlands isn’t here to just rehash what’s come before.
“It’s a big, crazy swing, and I think that’s what drives butts into seats. If you want the same old Predator experience, you can hit play on Predator or Prey or any other, whichever one is your fit.”
Predator: Badlands is shaping up to be something completely new, part alien survival story, part synth buddy adventure, and fully unpredictable. And honestly? It sounds like exactly the kind of risk the franchise needs.
Predator: Badlands is “set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator (Schuster-Koloamatangi), outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.”
Predator: Badlands opens in theaters on November 7.
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