New ‘Predator: Badlands’ Trailer Reveals a New Kind of Predator Story
The official trailer for Predator: Badlands is finally out, giving fans a fresh look at the upcoming sci-fi action movie from 20th Century Studios. The film will hit theaters on November 7, 2025.
This time, the story feels different from the usual Predator films. According to 20th Century Studios, the film follows a young Predator called Dek, played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who has been kicked out of his clan because he is too small. He teams up with Thia, an android played by Elle Fanning, as they go on a dangerous journey across a distant planet.
Director Dan Trachtenberg, who previously worked on Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, is behind the film. He worked on the script too, along with writer Patrick Aison. Trachtenberg said that the movie takes ideas from different places.
He mentioned the art of Frank Frazetta, the style of Terrence Malick, and classic movies like Shane and Mad Max 2 as big inspirations. He also said video games like Shadow of the Colossus helped shape the film’s tone. Trachtenberg described it as “a survival movie mixed with a Western, but in space.”
This time, the story focuses on the Predator itself. Instead of being the bad guy, Dek is the main character. This is a big change for the franchise. Producer John Davis explained that “the movie tells a self-contained story that shows Predator culture in a way fans haven’t seen before.” The movie is set on the Predator home planet, with Dek as a young outcast looking for his purpose.
Along with a new trailer, new poster was also released:
The filmmakers wanted the Predators to feel more real. According to reports from Collider, they created an entire written and spoken language for the Predator species. The same linguist who made the Na’vi language for Avatar worked on this project too.
The actor playing Dek, Schuster-Koloamatangi, had to learn how to speak the Predator language for the role. Dek’s look was created using a mix of practical effects and digital technology. Studio Gillis built a full creature suit, while motion capture and computer animation helped bring Dek’s face to life, letting him show emotions in a way no Predator has before. Wētā Workshop also worked on the designs and effects.
Filming started in New Zealand in late August 2024 and finished in October that year. The movie was filmed under a fake title called “Backpack” to keep things secret. Jeff Cutter, who also worked on Prey, was in charge of the film’s cinematography.
The film will also include Weyland-Yutani, the famous company from the Alien films, connecting Predator: Badlands to the larger sci-fi universe.
Predator: Badlands is the seventh main film in the Predator series and the ninth in the whole franchise. The official trailer is now out, and fans can catch the full movie in theaters this November.
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