Predator: Badlands — Predator as Protagonist in First Trailer

Rarely do we get to see a new Predator film, and even more rare is a movie that features the iconic xenomorph hunter as the titular hero. But in the first Predator: Badlands teaser trailer released today, 20th Century Studios is teasing a new Predator movie unlike any other, with a young Pred appearing as the lead.

Predator: Badlands will focus on Dek, a young Predator cast out of his society. Played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, the human-looking Xenomorph will not be the Hunter we have come to know and love, as he will act as the main protagonist of the film. Badlands will also feature Thia, an Android from the Weyland-Yutani corporation, played by Elle Fanning, who will team up with Dek to take on “the ultimate enemy,” as the trailer calls it, an unstoppable beast that “can’t be killed.”

Predator: Badlands will be a film in the shared Predator/Alien universe, but from what we have seen so far in the teaser, it will be doing a lot of worldbuilding. The film has been hinted at to take place, at least in part, on the Predator home world, a place only referenced in previous installments of the film franchise. Footage from the first trailer also shows glimpses of lush alien forests, inhabited Predator planets, and different Predators partaking in standoffs and gruesome battles.

Shot on location in Iceland and Greece, Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg, a repeat director on the new series after winning acclaim for 2022’s Prey, which was a critical and commercial success on Hulu, appears to be digging into Predator origins, rituals, language, and social structure. The film appears to flesh out the species’ culture more than previous installments and hints at broader societal intrigue that will add to the rich tapestry of Predator lore. The Predator culture has appeared very human in its traditions, such as duels for honor, in Prey’s case, and laws in a tribal society.

Fanning’s android character, Thia, also has fans excited as she is a major focal point of the film’s first teaser. Seen sauntering in an eerily mechanical way and quipping menacingly throughout the trailer with emotionless, sharp edges softened by intrigue and moments of humanity, Thia’s character, despite only being featured in the first 30 seconds of the trailer, is already a much-talked-about element. We haven’t seen a Predator film take the Alien franchise’s signature robots as close to the titular Xenomorph monsters as it will with Weyland-Yutani’s automatons, and fans of the Alien franchise should be chomping at the bit to see what crossovers fans can find.

Shot on location in Iceland and Greece, 20th Century Studios is betting big on a repeat director from the new series after Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey, which was a critical and commercial hit on Hulu in 2022, won acclaim. Trachtenberg returns to the director’s chair for the sequel, as well as doing some work behind the scenes.

What’s in the Teaser?

Predator: Badlands is just as good at being mysterious as it is at teasing the future of the film. In the 1-minute, 45-second trailer, we get first glimpses of what this movie will have in store for fans, from intense shots of Predators in ceremonial armor brawling with one another to Dek quietly navigating alien terrain, Thia cocking futuristic guns, and quickly-paced glimpses of the “unkillable” foe. The film’s locations are alien worlds, lush with native wildlife.

Filming on the locations in Iceland and Greece seems to have paid off, with the teaser certainly hinting at a larger-than-life production.

Why This Matters

Predator: Badlands is not your grandpa’s Predator film, and even by the standards of its recent rebooted brethren, it takes a massive left turn in perspective. Shifting from the traditional role of humans as the hunted to a Predator in a way, as the hunted is a different take on a classic sci-fi action formula that fans may be more or less receptive to. However, it’s not often a Predator film will play with the archetypes of its viewers to pit them behind a hunter from its franchise, and if Dek is trying to find his way back into good standing with his people, it might just make you root for a Predator.

Where to Watch

While there are no official air dates yet on future trailers, fans can expect to get their hands on more teasers and maybe even reveal the mystery foe from the quick shots seen at the end of the trailer in the future. What’s clear is that Predator: Badlands will be released on November 7 this year.

As one of the last major sci-fi action movies to release this year, Predator: Badlands will premiere in theatres this November 7.