After taking the franchise into the past with the badass 2022 prequel Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg is returning with a new Predator sequel—and this time, we’re going (back) to the future.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Trachtenberg has signed on to direct Badlands, a new installment in the Predator franchise. Trachtenberg developed the story with Patrick Aison, who wrote the screenplay for both Prey and the upcoming Badlands. Unlike Prey, which was set in the 18th century and centered on a Comanche woman (Amber Midthunder) going toe-to-toe with a Predator, Badlands will be set “sometime in the future.” Little else is known about the plot, though THR notes that Badlands will also feature a female protagonist—and honestly, I wouldn’t mind if Trachtenberg found a way to cast Midthunder again.
The series kicked off in 1987 with the release of Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and the late Carl Weathers. Shane Black, who would go on to write and direct Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys, had a small supporting role in Predator and famously punched up the script on set, though his work was uncredited. John McTiernan directed the 1987 film, which was followed by 1990’s Predator 2, starring Danny Glover. The franchise lay dormant until 2010’s Predators, directed by Nimród Antal and produced by Robert Rodriguez. Black returned to the series for 2018’s The Predator, which he directed and co-wrote with Fred Dekker. Reports of studio interference were validated by the finished product—an underwhelming mess that lacked Black’s usual sensibilities.
Prey was a huge success when it was released on Hulu in 2022. The film was originally slated for a theatrical release, but under 20th Century Studios’ previous output deal, Prey would’ve ended up on HBO after its theatrical run. Having just acquired 20th Century, Disney decided to circumvent that release strategy by dropping Prey on Hulu. Now, according to THR, 20th Century is developing a new series of Predator films based on the success of Prey.
Badlands does not yet have a release date, but it seems likely that it could hit theaters as soon as 2025.
(featured image: 20th Century Studios)
