It has been decades since The Predator hit the screen, giving Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch the opportunity to lead his team on a mission where they face off with the OG extraterrestrial, played by Kevin Peter Hall.
Decades down the line, we have witnessed Arnie switch trades, donning the mantle of the Governor of California (twice!) and coming back from politics. In the meantime, we have been treated to 4 more iterations of the franchise, with one more set to follow next year. But it’s not the same this time around.
Predator: Badlands is set to shock fans of the franchise around the world
Dan Trachtenberg is back. Back for his second rodeo in the franchise. The first, Prey, starring the likes of Amber Midthunder, Dane DeLiegro, and Dakota Beavers, made waves when it started streaming on Hulu.
Apart from raking in a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie also went on to become the most watched flick of the time. Three years after its success, the director is ready to roll on with the much anticipated sequel.
It has its own twists though. Titled Predator: Badlands, the movie is all set to bring the infamous alien back into the spotlight. And this time in a new light. Trachtenberg has promised that he will see to that.
While he has already surprised fans with the news that he had shot another Predator film secretly, fans are in a state of shock after learning who is going to be at the center of the movie – the Predator himself.
The Predator is all set to course correct after years of being the bad person
While in conversation with Empire for the Andor season 2 issue, the director opened up about how things are panning out for the 2025 movie. And he has an interesting fact for all of us. He said,
“The creature is front and centre, leading the charge.”
While it is anyone’s guess what Trachtenberg truly meant, making the decision must have been a tough call. But he feels he has managed that with panache. He continued,
“He’s still badass, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally, too. Creating a character you connect with, but are also super-intimidated by, has been challenging. But exciting.
The genesis of the idea can be traced to an essential tenet of cinema – pushing boundaries. The 10 Cloverfield Lane director said,
“(He was motivated) To find another essential piece of cinema that does what Prey did spiritually — pushing the franchise’s boundaries, letting us root for a hero we rarely get to root for — but in a different way. And that transformed into this big idea of rooting for the Predator.”
With Elle Fanning being the sole member of the cast at this point, fans can expect a lot from the franchise going forward. But nothing has got the fans as excited as seeing the villain turn into the hero.
