Alright Pred-heads, Hulu dropped a new, full-length trailer for the upcoming Predator prequel Prey, so grab your buddies hand, do a big manly flex, and let’s get into it!
What is Prey about?
Not much is known about the latest installment of the Predator franchise, but this is what has been picked out of the trailer so far. We know that a young girl named Naru is going on her first hunt when she encounters the invisible Predator but manages to escape. We see other shots of her trying to warn her tribe, running from bears, and also from white settlers with muskets. We also see Naru and her friend Taabe hiding in a field and being tracked by the invisible alien. Will Naru and her tribe be able to rid themselve’s of this alien menace? Only time will tell.
How does it fit into the Predator Universe?
Well, depending on your age and general genre proclivities, you might remember that the very first film, Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers was released in 1987. That film followed an elite paramilitary rescue team sent deep into the jungles of Central America and unwittingly right into the crosshairs of the deadly alien warrior.
The sequel, Predator 2 (1990), takes place in the near future of 1997. This time the jungles of Central America have been replaced with the “urban jungle” of Los Angeles and Schwarzenegger has been replaced with Danny Glover in peak “beleagured detective” mode. Glover’s character, Lieutenant Mike Harrigan, is trying to stop the turf war erupting between the Columbian and Jamaican drug cartels. Yes, it is just as offensive as you might imagine. Instead, the Predator begins butchering the heads of the cartels and Harrigan ends up in the middle, eventually killing the Predator on its own ship, and receiving the blessing of its other shipmates.
And then there was Predators (2010), another atrocious sequel, in which Adrian Brody, Topher Grace, and Laurence Fishburne, among others, play mercenaries and killers who are abducted by the Predators and taken to a planet that functions as a game reserve for the killer aliens. Also in the mix are the Alien vs Predator crossover films (2004 and 2007) in which groups of unsuspecting humans accidentally get caught in the crossfire of Predator and Xenomorph carnage and also a Predator/Xenomorph hybrid is born. Oops!
Finally, we have the most recent film, 2018’s The Predator, which functions as both a sequel and soft reboot of the franchise. This one takes us back to the jungle with another group of soldiers, but this time we have regular Predators and super-Predators who have decided it’s time for a full scale invasion.
So where does Prey fit in? As a prequel. Prey takes place in 1719, almost 300 hundred years before the events of the first film. Set in the Comanche nation, it focuses on a young girl Naru, who is perhaps the first hunter that the Predators come across. An intriguing concept and refreshing new direction for the struggling franchise to go in.
Who is in the cast?
So far the majority of the cast is being kept tightly underwraps but we do know that native New Mexican actress Amber Midthunder will star as the main protagonist, Naru. From what we have gleaned in the trailer, Naru is the one who first comes across the Predator and must face it, (along with white settlers and wild animals) in order to protect her people. Other cast includes Dan DiLiegro as the Predator, Stefany Mathias as Sumu, and Dakota Beavers as Naru’s friend Taabe.
When will it be released?
In an unusual turn for a Predator film, Prey will not have a theatrical release. Instead, it will make its debut on August 5, 2022 on Hulu (in the United States.) Prey will also be available on Star+ in Latin America, Disney+ Hotstar in India and Southeast Asia, and on Disney+ in other international territories.
(Image: Hulu)
