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New Predator Film In Development, Titled Badlands

Draugoth

Gold Member
badlands___predator_6_by_diamonddead_art_dgv4ck9-fullview.png

Dan Trachtenberg, the writer-director behind the 2022 Predator prequel Prey, is set to direct a new standalone film in the franchise, titled Badlands. The Hollywood Reporter was first to report.

Plot details for Badlands are currently under wraps, with production slated to begin later this year. Trachtenberg, who earned an Emmy nomination for his work on Prey, is expected to further expand the Predator universe with this latest installment. The success of Prey on Hulu, breaking records as the platform's most-watched premiere, has spurred 20th Century Studios to explore the franchise further.

While release plans for Badlands are still pending, given the traction 20th Century got with Boogeyman in summer 2023, and the decision to release Alien: Romulus in theaters in August instead of solely on Hulu as initially intended, a theatrical premiere for Badlands seems plausible.

Trachtenberg is also set to serve as a director on the fifth and final season of Stranger Things and has previously directed projects including 10 Cloverfield Lane, the pilot for The Boys, and Black Mirror: Playtest.

The original Predator film, directed by John McTiernan, debuted in 1987, and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers (who recently passed away), and Jesse Ventura as commandos pursued by an alien in the jungle. The film spawned three sequels: Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), and The Predator (2018).

Source
 
The original Predator was a good movie but not a formative experience for me, so I've enjoyed Predators, The Predator (2018), and Prey probably more than die-hards. This director seems able to provide fresh premises, so I'm down.

I think this is going to be a Western. Like Cowboys vs Aliens, but good!

I'm not quite understanding the hook of the Napoleon concept--is it that it elevates it from the typical guerilla warfare into small-scale battles with the Predators?
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
The original Predator was a good movie but not a formative experience for me, so I've enjoyed Predators, The Predator (2018), and Prey probably more than die-hards. This director seems able to provide fresh premises, so I'm down.

I think this is going to be a Western. Like Cowboys vs Aliens, but good!

I'm not quite understanding the hook of the Napoleon concept--is it that it elevates it from the typical guerilla warfare into small-scale battles with the Predators?
I enjoyed Predators and Prey, but The Predator was just too dumb.
 

Ammogeddon

Member
Based on the title it’s not a stretch to assume it’s set in the Wild West, possibly with Will Smith as the protagonist.
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
There has only been one truly bad standalone Predator movie in my opinion so consider me excited.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Based on the title it’s not a stretch to assume it’s set in the Wild West, possibly with Will Smith as the protagonist.
Gonna slap the shit out of that Predator. Then the Predators dreadlocks fall off revealing it is suffering from alopecia, and the last 3/4 of the movie is Will dealing with his own ingrained prejudices. Then the Predator steals his wife and nukes the planet from orbit.
 

Atrus

Gold Member
Prey was surprisingly good. The more they make the films like 1 and 2 and Predators, the more enjoyable it is.

It’s not a “Predator” if it doesn’t hunt and it isn’t interesting if the humans don’t adapt and provide a challenge.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
I'm not quite understanding the hook of the Napoleon concept--is it that it elevates it from the typical guerilla warfare into small-scale battles with the Predators?
More of a "tactical and strategic genius versus alien" angle, I think.

As for Badlands, could be anything, I guess. Western, more native tribes, even narcos or bike gangs.

All I really want from a Predator film is one showing up into a dangerous situation and battle ensues. Do some little tweaks to the preds gear and drip out a little more about their culture. Have the human story develop around the pred as a reaction to it. Seems really simple in concept, they should be banging one of these out every 2-3 years.
 

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
We need a predator movie where humans invade the predator home world and hunt their leaders.

We need an arthouse big budget Alien v Predator movie with no humans and no dialog other than unsubtitled Predator communication.

Predators drop off old teachers and young hunters on an Alien dominated world and let shit go down.
 
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Sonik

Member
Prey was surprisingly good. The more they make the films like 1 and 2 and Predators, the more enjoyable it is.

It’s not a “Predator” if it doesn’t hunt and it isn’t interesting if the humans don’t adapt and provide a challenge.


I watched the Predator 15 years ago and remember that movie way better than Prey that I watched a few months ago. The movie was serviceable but extremely generic and forgettable
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
We need an arthouse big budget Alien v Predator movie with no humans and no dialog other than unsubtitled Predator communication.

Predators drop off old teachers and young hunters on an Alien dominated world and let shit go down.
I would watch that

A24 presents alien vs predator.
 

NeonGhost

uses 'M$' - What year is it? Not 2002.
I hope they go back to the classic predator design not a fan of the feral predator look in prey
 
Gonna slap the shit out of that Predator. Then the Predators dreadlocks fall off revealing it is suffering from alopecia, and the last 3/4 of the movie is Will dealing with his own ingrained prejudices. Then the Predator steals his wife and nukes the planet from orbit.
no, his wife will show up and tells him that she's been sleeping with him because she can't stand Will's low T levels. And that his son is not really his but the Predator's.
 

Husky

THE Prey 2 fanatic
I didn't enjoy Prey much (ignore my tag), but I'm sure Dan Trachtenberg could impress me with another go. My favorite film in the series is Predators :lollipop_smiling_face_eyes:
 

FunkMiller

Gold Member
Personally, I'd prefer a full blown sci-fi movie to another 'Predator in historic times' set up.

But then I'd just have the Predators hunt the fucking Navi from Avatar :messenger_tears_of_joy:

I'd also like to have seen old Dutch back for another go around. That's the sequel we never got. The Predator needs to fuck up some really alpha males for the concept to work. You have to 'put him over' properly, and I don't think any film other than the original does that.
 
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We need an arthouse big budget Alien v Predator movie with no humans and no dialog other than unsubtitled Predator communication.

Predators drop off old teachers and young hunters on an Alien dominated world and let shit go down.
It would have to be a video game or Japanese-made. Hollywood is simply too afraid to let go of that human element with human dialogue.

This is coming from someone who wanted the third Riddick movie to literally just be him surviving on a planet alone and only saying 10 words or less. However halfway through the movie they couldn’t help themselves…there landed a ship full of people who simply existed to annoy the audience and interrupt Riddick’s journey of survival…to re-enact Pitch Black but in a worse way.

I am truly worried about that future Metroid movie, especially if Illumination is chosen to be in charge of it.
 
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INC

Member
Said it before I'll say again

Iraq war, 90s, special forces unit sent in to rescue vip target
Follow the rough formula of predator amd fit the lore of hot climate, rival factions etc etc

Predators wasn't a bad attempt at a new spin.

But please for the love of God, sort the predator design out, they've never got the look of the face right since predator 2. Or even how it moves, Kevin Peter Halls movement sold the predator, and that's never been replicated since
 

INC

Member
Prey was fantastic so I knew that Tratchenberg would be given the reigns again.

Fantastic is a bit much, it's maybe 4th in the overall rankings of predator films, 3rd if I'm being generous

The predator barely hunted anything, most of the time it just stood there

It needs to go back to more horror/sci-fi then action, why the first one worked so well, its pacing.

Again this is just opinion of course
 

F0rneus

Tears in the rain
Fantastic is a bit much, it's maybe 4th in the overall rankings of predator films, 3rd if I'm being generous

The predator barely hunted anything, most of the time it just stood there

It needs to go back to more horror/sci-fi then action, why the first one worked so well, its pacing.

Again this is just opinion of course
2nd best in the franchise, and a good day the best. Feral Predator did tons of hunting from multiple animals, to entire hunting parties and is the most badass Predator.
 

INC

Member
2nd best in the franchise, and a good day the best. Feral Predator did tons of hunting from multiple animals, to entire hunting parties and is the most badass Predator.

Again opinions

The feral predator looked like it had downs, the design was ok, until it took off its mask off.

And it hunted a dog....wow
And had a fist fight with a bear. Other than that it wasn't really using the environment, or hunting, just went went full ham. Just didn't feel like it was really stalking anyone to me, perhaps you could argue it was it's first hunt on earth, so was still working shit out.......fuck it, I'll go with that, and give it the benefit


Again the concept was solid, and considering the trash predator films we've had, at least this was OK. The scenery was beautifully shot, and I did appreciate having the native language as an option, shame it was dubbed tho.

A good day the best?!?!....yeh not even close, that's like saying alien 3 is the best on a good day.
 
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bender

What time is it?
Just re-release a director's cut of the original where they simply remove the spaceship intro that the studio forced upon the edit because audiences = dumb and then let us pretend nothing came after that. Apologies in advanced to P2 fans.
 
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Just release release a director's cut of the original where they simply remove the spaceship intro that the studio forced upon the edit because audiences = dumb
I think that's what the director and his team keeps attempting to do with these latest movies, by them being titled Prey and Badlands, but the studio probably keeps forcing him to include a predator front and center because of marketing reasons.

I would prefer it if it were kept a surprise every time(much like when the predator first appears in that world it's in), but the suits usually don't have creative brains like that.
 

bender

What time is it?
I think that's what the director and his team keeps attempting to do with these latest movies, by them being titled Prey and Badlands, but the studio probably keeps forcing him to include a predator front and center because of marketing reasons.

I would prefer it if it were kept a surprise every time(much like when the predator first appears in that world it's in), but the suits usually don't have creative brains like that.

Like a lot of movies, I just don't think it needed a sequel. I get that's not how the world works with something gets popular, but I digress. Maybe you could do something with a Predator hunting on another planet but not something as power fantasy as AvP but I don't think taking humans out of the equation would be a box office draw. Or do some crazy reversion that shows what the day-to-day life of a Predator is (kids, family, job, mowing the grass). I always saw the relationship of Predator to humans much like a hunter and a deer but maybe with more of a Most Dangerous Game bent and the original movie was nothing more than Predator's yearly vacation to get some trophies and escape his other life responsibilities. Just imagine the bait-and-switch you could do to audiences expecting an action movie and then you give them an everyday life movie. And that might sound like a horrible idea, but remember The Predator exists.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
I think that's what the director and his team keeps attempting to do with these latest movies, by them being titled Prey and Badlands, but the studio probably keeps forcing him to include a predator front and center because of marketing reasons.

I would prefer it if it were kept a surprise every time(much like when the predator first appears in that world it's in), but the suits usually don't have creative brains like that.
I dunno, unless it's actually a secret to the audience that this is a predator film, I don't think you can do the "hey, look at all these bodies strung up in trees/rafters, whats that all about?" bit very often. So you do kinda gotta lead with the Pred being present, then you can take a diversion and introduce the new batch o'humans.

This is why the human story needs to work on its own. It's can't just be about reacting to the Predator, it needs to have an arc we can anticipate, then gets DERAILED by the Predator. This is where Prey, I think, kinda fails. If we had more set up about tension between the tribe and the trappers, with the pred kills inflaming it as they each blame the other and it leads them to open warfare or something, I think that would have set the stakes higher, made the characters more interesting, and given the girl more agency instead of "I wanna be a supa hunter except I'm also kinda lazy".

Even in the OG Predator film, I think I've seen various cuts where it was made more or less obvious that the American "CIA guys" killed by the rebels where there specifically because they were looking for the Predator, the first team was also looking, Dutch only came in as a last resort and Dillon (RIP) knew/suspected all along. Might be conflating some comics, novelizations, and Pred2 though. But anyway, Pred1 has it's own plot arc (Dutch fighting the rebels to free the hostages) which was crucial to setting up the characters. I feel like the later films skip this part and go straight to predator fighting which is less interesting as a film IMHO.
 
This is why the human story needs to work on its own. It's can't just be about reacting to the Predator, it needs to have an arc we can anticipate, then gets DERAILED by the Predator.
bender bender What jason10mm is saying here is closer to what I feel the ultimate idea would be with Predator, but potentially combined with yours. At the time you would have had Fox movies in different genres, with different names that would be what they advertised for half of it, and then slowly the realization happens that a predator is there.

And J jason10mm the way to fix the audience immediately knowing it’s the predator would be to give each one different kill-styles and tech (which this director hinted at with Prey)

Imagine a Game-of-thrones esque movie with intrigue and knights fighting, there is a slight mention of a killer leaving behind skulls but it doesn’t affect those around the throne until it begins to, and then one of the realizes it’s a cloaked creature stalking people at night.

Or a sci-fi movie where people are being killed one by one on a ship. It devolves into a situation of no one trusting anyone and finally after people kill each other and only one is left, the predator reveals itself (as if to gloat) and then that one guy, who ended up killing the last person that could have helped, now has to contend with this new cat and mouse game with a creature that is an expert in hunting.

Hell, Predator 2 could have been a great cop-drama like Lethal Weapon and then later on it appears.

I would even place a slower, larger predator in a random raunchy rom-com like an American Pie(that way the movie is rated properly) and suddenly shift the genre once he appears.

These movies would come out far from each other, up to 5 years or more to keep people on their toes. And there would be zero hints each time. It would be looked at as one of the greatest moments in movie history.
 

bender

What time is it?
bender bender Hell, Predator 2 could have been a great cop-drama like Lethal Weapon and then later on it appears.

To say something nice about P2, unlike P1, the opening is masterful and I love how it uses the audiences expectations against us.

More stupid ideas:
Relatives of the original Predator capture Dutch and bring him back to the Predator home world to stand trial where he has to escape.
Predator's take part in the Most Dangerous Game for some Predator on Predator action.
 
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