The Predator Is The Protagonist In “Badlands”

The next “Predator” film is set to shake things up according to the film’s director Dan Trachtenberg. As we know, the filmmaker who revived the franchise with “Prey” a few years ago, returns to direct the upcoming “Predator: Badlands” which opens next year. In a new preview piece for , they confirm the film is a future-set tale taking place on an alien planet.

However, Trachtenberg also explains that the film is taking a different approach to past films – this time out the antagonist alien is set to become the protagonist: “The creature is front and centre, leading the charge. 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 idea was 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” It’s not clear if the character will just be the lead ‘hero’ or if its something more akin to “In a Violent Nature” with it unfolding entirely from the creature’s point-of- view.

There will be humans in the film as well with actress Elle Fanning reportedly set to play multiple characters and Trachtenberg saying the actress “faced intense challenges on this movie – dramatically, physically, logistically”. A second “Predator” film, an animated anthology film that will focus on the Predator fighting against warriors from various time periods, is also on the way next year..