Predator: Badlands — First Teaser from Dan Trachtenberg

Rarely does a new live-action Predator movie come around — especially one that turns its signature monster into the film’s main hero. But today, 20th Century Studios released the first teaser trailer for Predator: Badlands, which not only features the new lead as a Predator, but a Predator child.

The new film is said to follow a young Predator named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a recently exiled outcast from his kind, as he forges an uneasy alliance with a Weyland-Yutani android (Elle Fanning) named Thia. According to the trailer, the two new leads will have to face off against “the ultimate adversary” — a terrifying “monster that can’t be killed.” While the main opponent is only shown in brief flashes within the trailer, it is suggested that the creature in question is a massive monster unlike any other seen in either the Predator or Alien series before.

Building a New Universe

Badlands is set to be another stand-alone film within the shared Predator/Alien universe, but some early details suggest it will do some serious worldbuilding. Reports have suggested that at least part of the film takes place on the Predator home world, a locale that has been teased in the films but never actually visited. In addition to brief glimpses of alien jungles and high-tech Predator cities, the trailer features several Predators — both in ceremonial armor and “war paint” — in tense standoffs or aggressive combat.

Director/co-writer Dan Trachtenberg, who directed 2022’s Prey, seems to be eager to tell a story about the Predator culture. Where Prey was a stripped-back affair, a simple survivalist cat-and-mouse game set in 18th-century American Great Plains, Badlands seems intent on expanding on the species’ history, language, cultural traditions, and political structure. If the trailer is anything to go by, it will not be hard for fans to get a better idea of the Yautja way of life — or their predilection for techno-fetishist violence.

Elle Fanning’s Weyland-Yutani android, Thia, is also a major point of discussion. While she is seen in the trailer moving with a sense of mechanical menace and speaking in coldly flat tones that give her an eerie sense of nonchalance, there are also moments in the teaser that show intrigue or even empathy through her human-like curves and softer edges. This would be the first Predator movie that puts the alien hunters so close to a human-made robot, and pairing them with a Weyland-Yutani device in particular is sure to be a delight for Alien fans who love connecting the dots on lore.

Familiar Faces

As for Trachtenberg himself, his return to the franchise is one of the film’s major draws. Prey not only received critical and commercial success for what was originally a franchise reset but has developed a strong word-of-mouth following on Hulu, the streaming service on which it was available. With him back at the director’s chair, 20th Century Studios is sure that the filmmaker will return with a fresh take but also something that will fit comfortably into the sci-fi universe it has built.

Plus, Badlands isn’t Trachtenberg’s only Predator project currently in the works. The director is also behind Predator: Killer of Killers, an animated anthology set to be released on Hulu — the same service that gave Prey a second life — on June 6. The series will follow different Predator hunts across various timelines and settings.

Teaser Details

Of course, the first teaser leaves much to the imagination, but it also has enough information for fans and new viewers alike to parse. There are shots of Predators in ceremonial armor fighting each other, Dek wandering the wilderness with a sense of wariness, Thia wielding futuristic weapons and assailing some large prey in the distance, and shadowy shots of “the unkillable” that tease a massive scale.

Teaser trailers tend to only hint at potential story beats, and Badlands is no exception. But the early footage makes it clear that this film is trying to do something different with the Predator formula. By inverting the perspective and showing the story through the eyes of a Predator instead of human prey, the movie opens the door for a more developed character arc with complex morality, values, and a quest for redemption. If Dek is seeking to regain his honor or avenge some betrayal, viewers may find themselves aligning with a species that was once always cast as the villain.

Release Date and Future Developments

Premiering on November 7, Predator: Badlands is one of the marquee sci-fi action films slated for a 2024 holiday release. As the production team continues work on the film, more trailers will surely drop to reveal some of the film’s plot, reveal the big set pieces, and hopefully give more looks at the unseen “monster that can’t be killed.”

For now, this first teaser does its job. It whets the appetite of existing fans, encourages curiosity in newcomers, and sets the stage for a Predator movie like none that has come before. Between Trachtenberg’s return, an engaging lead pair, and the promise of both classic lore-building and serious subversion, Badlands has the potential to be a long-awaited shake-up.

Whether or not viewers root for Dek’s survival or tune in for more displays of Predators hunting big, hairy monsters, November’s hunt is one to watch for.