New Look at ‘Predator: Badlands’ — The Predator Takes the Lead in a Bold New Chapter

There’s a brand-new look at Predator: Badlands, and fans of the alien hunter franchise have a lot to get excited about. The series has been going strong ever since Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey brought a fresh take with its 1700s setting and a Comanche warrior facing off against a Predator. This time, Trachtenberg is going even bigger, diving into the future with a story that puts the Predator itself front and center.

In Predator: Badlands, the main character isn’t a human at all. Instead, we follow Dek, a young Predator who doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of his species. He’s smaller and weaker by their standards, basically the runt of the group.

The film is set on a far-off planet, sometime in the future, where Dek sets out to prove himself. Along the way, he meets an unexpected companion, Thia, an android built by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Elle Fanning plays Thia, and Dek is portrayed by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who also learned the Predator language for the role.

Trachtenberg shared a bit about the idea behind Dek, saying, “He’s a thing of few words, pretty blunt. He cuts straight to the point. Literally and figuratively.” He compares Dek to characters like Mad Max or Conan the Barbarian, tough, silent types who are shaped by brutal worlds. Dek’s journey is all about surviving and proving his worth, and Trachtenberg is excited for audiences to experience the story through the eyes of a creature who’s usually seen as the villain.

“That feels like a big idea, not just within Predator, but in sci-fi generally,” Trachtenberg said. “In most sci-fi universes, the ‘creatures’ are either bad guys or sidekicks. In [Badlands] it’s: ‘What if you were with the creature on this crazy mission to prove itself, seeing everything through its eyes?’”

The director has been planning this for a while. After finishing Prey, he came up with three ideas: Prey, Killer of Killers, and Badlands. The first two are already done, and he says there’s still one more he’s holding onto. So it sounds like the Predator world isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

The movie is being described as a stand-alone story, but it still ties into the bigger universe. It explores the Predator homeworld and their culture in more detail than we’ve ever seen before. To help make that feel real, the team brought in the linguist who created the Naʼvi language for Avatar to build a proper Predator language, both written and spoken. They also used a mix of practical effects and digital work to bring Dek to life, a suit was used for his body, while his face was enhanced using motion capture to give him more emotion.

Filming took place in New Zealand starting in August 2024 under the working title Backpack, and wrapped up later that year. The visual effects work has been intense, with every shot needing some kind of VFX. Companies like ILM, Wētā FX, and Framestore were all involved in making the world feel alive.

The movie is being released by 20th Century Studios and is set to hit theaters on November 7, 2025. It’s also heading to San Diego Comic-Con this summer for a big Hall H panel, where fans can expect to see more of what’s coming.

Trachtenberg seems excited about what’s next. He’s already brought fans something new with Prey and Killer of Killers, and Badlands looks like another bold step for the franchise. If you’re ready to root for the Predator instead of running from it, this might be the movie for you.

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