{"id":44330,"date":"2025-04-23T16:52:15","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/44330\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T16:52:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:52:15","slug":"predator-badlands-teaser-trailer-youve-never-seen-a-predator-movie-like-this-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/44330\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Predator: Badlands’ Teaser Trailer – You’ve Never Seen a ‘Predator’ Movie Like This Before!"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the upcoming animated anthology movie\u00a0Predator: Killer of Killers<\/a>, Dan Trachtenberg<\/strong> imagines how Yautja warriors would fare against earthly rivals from different warfare eras. Exciting, right? Well, Predator: Badlands<\/strong> is an even bigger swing. As revealed in its first trailer, Trachtenberg\u2019s live action Predator sequel will follow an underdog Yautja \u201crunt\u201d in a protagonist role, which is newfound territory for the Predator universe.<\/p>\n

In addition to sharing the trailer for Predator: Badlands, Bloody Disgusting was exclusively shown the first twenty(ish) minutes of Trachtenberg\u2019s upcoming film, with the caveat that footage was unfinished in various VFX stages. We were intimately introduced to the main character, Dek (played in costume and motion-capture by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi<\/strong>), laying the groundwork for a backward Predator experience where we\u2019re rooting for, sympathizing with and explicitly following a Predator\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

The sixth Predator live-action film, eighth if you count Alien vs. Predator<\/strong> crossovers, isn\u2019t afraid to incorporate extended lore. \u201cOne of the cool things about the movie is that we\u2019re on Yautja Prime\u2014there\u2019s a lot in this movie from the extended universe<\/strong>.\u201d This is a futuristic Predator sequel with laser grappling hooks and \u201cshinier\u201d technology, built from the ground up. Dek\u2019s spoken Yautja language was developed by the mentee of the fellow who invented Avatar\u2019s<\/strong> Na\u2019vi dialect. \u201cWe insanely decided to treat [the language] properly like [Elvish] for Lord of the Rings or [Dothraki] for Game of Thrones, except for those there\u2019s more precedent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) in 20th Century Studios\u2019 PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. \u00a9 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

Truthfully, the Predator films haven\u2019t cared much about continuity. \u201cAll the stuff you\u2019ve seen in other Predator movies? There\u2019s no sense of it. None of it was made with intention.\u201c Trachtenberg not only decided to make Predator: Badlands with intention but also developed an entire language. \u201cI wanted to be very careful that I did not fall into a trap [of] making something more lore-focused than story-focused.\u201c He joked about franchises tending to go \u201cwhole hog\u201c into entries about Senate trading committees or other hyperspecific elements, where he didn\u2019t want his next Predator film to be bogged down by Yautja cultural weights. \u201cI wanted to make [<\/strong>Predator: Badlands] feel genre, feel very specific, and [feel like] an inversion of the [main] premise\u2014now the Predator<\/strong> is on [another] planet, and he\u2019s going to be hunted by things and has to use his guile to [survive]<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trachtenberg had precise casting ideals for Dek. \u201cWe [wanted] a stunt guy.\u201c Enter Dimitrius, who earned his role through rigorous physical auditions. \u201c[Predator: Badlands] was a real opportunity because all the other Predators needed to be seven feet six. It\u2019s very specific.\u201c The filmmaker recalled how lucky they got casting Dane DiLiegro<\/strong><\/a> as the \u201cFeral\u201c in Prey because actors of that height aren\u2019t often trained stuntmen, but Dane was an ex-basketball player with athletic abilities. Dek opened the door further to cast a proper stunt actor as a Yautja, presumably like if Jean-Claude Van Damme<\/strong> hadn\u2019t been famously fired from 1987\u2019s original.<\/p>\n

\"Predator:<\/p>\n

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) in 20th Century Studios\u2019 PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. \u00a9 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt one of our castings, Dimitrius came up, and the way he moved just had a great swashbuckle,\u201c recalls Trachtenberg. \u201cWe set up a physical obstacle course, and that\u2019s how we cast him.\u201c What I would give to see is the footage of actors competing in Predator Ninja Warrior for the lead in Predator: Badlands, but it wasn\u2019t just about agility and stamina. Trachtenberg continues, \u201cI was not prepared for what he does [dramatically]; I could not believe it. How did we luck into this guy?\u201c The eager actor invested himself in the world of Predator: Badlands, learning an imaginary Yautja language and bringing immense passion to the part despite his face never being on camera. That was a highlight brought upon by unfinished visual effects\u2014we could see Schuster-Koloamatangi\u2019s facial intensity covered in painted dots that would eventually become Dek\u2019s signature Yautja profile.<\/p>\n

Now, don\u2019t preemptively fret. Predator: Badlands will feature substantial digital effects because of the film\u2019s otherworldly nature. \u201cEvery shot\u2019s a visual effects shot. I thought I had a lot of effects shots on Prey, but this is nuts.\u201d There\u2019s no disrespect to the phenomenal practical effects displayed over the years through spine-ripping gore and fantastic Yautja costumes. Trachtenberg reflected on the friendship he built with SFX wizard Alec Gillis<\/strong>, an influential part of the Predator franchise, who ended up working with legendary creative studio WETA Workshop<\/strong> to collaborate on the \u201cmovie magic\u201c of blending practical and digital designs.<\/p>\n

Most noticeably, Predator: Badlands relies on Yautja VFX because Stan Winston\u2019s<\/strong> superior headpieces come with practical limitations. In the facial region, where mechanics would open mandibles and raise eyebrows, Trachtenberg requires more emotiveness, given Dek has infinitely more screentime than other Yautjas. \u201cThe cool [thing about] what we\u2019re doing is digital effects are meant to match the suit, not match creature flesh.\u201c WETA worked tirelessly to make Dek and other Predators feel amazingly lifelike yet fantastical, unlike the head-to-toe animation when you see computer-generated Gollum from Lord of the Rings or other fully rendered aliens. \u201cThat kind of [animated] flesh is different than a suit, so [our] face perfectly blends in and matches that suit quality\u2014hopefully it looks like real material.\u201c But Dek can\u2019t one-to-one mirror the actor\u2019s mouth like Andy Serkis<\/strong> as Gollum or any performer in the newer Planet of the Apes films, given how Yautja mandibles operate differently. \u201cDimitrius is driving the animation, but \u2026 it\u2019s all been very tricky, and we\u2019re thankfully finding our way through it. Whenever Dimitrius blinks, we might want that to be an eyebrow movement \u2026 or how his smiles and snarls work with the mandibles different from the mouth inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) in 20th Century Studios\u2019 PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. \u00a9 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that of the footage I could behold, especially what was nearly 100% polished, Predator: Badlands looked badass. The opening shot has Dek careening over a glistening landscape shot top-down Akira<\/strong> style, immediately giving Trachtenberg\u2019s vision a fresh visual language compared to other franchise entries, like how Rian Johnson\u2019s<\/strong> The Last Jedi pops as a Star Wars<\/strong> movie with unique stylistic choices. An action sequence follows between Dek and his Yautja brother\u2014training battleground stuff\u2014followed by Dek\u2019s prideful desire to select Kalisk as his hunting ground, known as the \u201cDeath Planet,\u201c where he\u2019s to prove his unsupportive father wrong. Dek\u2019s ultimately fighting for acceptance in his own clan, with his own bloodline, and if his fight with Kalisk\u2019s first challenge says anything\u2014where he defends against an onslaught of forest murder vines\u2014Dek is a formidable warrior with everything to prove.<\/p>\n

Trachtenberg\u2019s list of influences on Predator: Badlands will have action diehards salivating. \u201cThere\u2019s a Frank Frazetta<\/strong>, Conan the Barbarian,<\/strong> Spartan thing \u2026 but also you think of The Book of Eli<\/strong> or Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior<\/strong> \u2026 Shane<\/strong>, [very] western, very Clint Eastwood<\/strong>-y.\u201c Dek even starts to resemble Conan or Drax the Destroyer later on. The filmmaker went on to detail how happy he was with Prey\u2019s execution but wanted to push Predator: Badlands even further, and mentioned Terrence Malick<\/strong> when recalling his shooting style on set in New Zealand. \u201cWe were out in the wilderness with hip waders, in trenches, with eels, and all that for 90% of the shoot \u2026 but things were also augmented.\u201c Despite Trachtenberg\u2019s moderate distaste for the overused descriptor, the word \u201cgrounded\u201c was also tossed around. \u201cWe need a better word than grounded, but it\u2019s hard to find.\u201c\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an adventurousness and vibrancy to Predator: Badlands that\u2019s not always present in Predator films. Entries have uniformly been more action-centric than horror-forward, but this continuation feels more story-driven. \u201cI never thought [the Predator] was Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger<\/strong>,\u201c explains Trachtenberg. \u201c[Predators] had a code [like] hitmen or crime underworld Goodfellas. I felt like there was something cool to explore within that culture that\u2019s different than just adding a bunch of stuff on top of it. It felt like we\u2019re mining [ideas] as opposed to just throwing [more] at the franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Thia<\/p>\n

Thia (Elle Fanning) in 20th Century Studios\u2019 PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. \u00a9 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

Something we didn\u2019t see was Elle Fanning\u2019s<\/strong> introduction as Thia (reportedly), nor is Trachtenberg ready to reveal her origin. When asked if there would be more human interactions than Fanning, the answer was, \u201cNo comment \u2026 I want to save the fun.\u201c In the slightest of expansions, in response to a question about what Trachtenberg learned about developing character arcs from Prey to Predator: Badlands, he commented, \u201c[Her] story [has the same roots but] is a bit different thematically, and starts to go into a different branch of proving oneself.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a bit, Trachtenberg asked us if we had theories about Fanning\u2019s top-secret character. A fellow journalist suggested she\u2019s a hunter from another planet. But someone else noted she has an android-esque mannerism and posed the possible <\/strong>Alien tie to Weyland-Yutani. Trachtenberg smirked, chuckled, and gave us a sly, \u201cYes, she does.\u201d<\/strong> Is this just the tricky lead-on of a creator keeping our minds racing? Or is it unclear confirmation that we\u2019ll be seeing the Predator and Alien universes colliding again soon? \u201cThere\u2019s a unique hook to her character that is exciting in the pairing of [her and Dek].\u201c Get to speculating, internet.<\/p>\n

\"Elle<\/p>\n

Thia (Elle Fanning) in 20th Century Studios\u2019 PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. \u00a9 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

This is a longer quote from Trachtenberg, but I wanted to include it all so you can make your own assumptions as to Fanning\u2019s inclusion:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs inspired as I am by movies, I\u2019ve been very inspired by video games [like] Shadow of the Colossus<\/strong>, where you have a protagonist paired with someone else who provides color and connection. There\u2019s a thing with a horse in Shadow of the Colossus that\u2019s devastating when you play the game. And so [Predator: Badlands] was a little bit inspired by that in terms of wanting to see the Predator with someone else, this character who\u2019s the opposite of him. He\u2019s very laconic, [Fanning] is not. She\u2019s capable in ways that he is not. Physically, she\u2019s got a real thing that I\u2019m so excited for you guys to see. But I want to let eventually some of that speak for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

While this is a standalone Predator entry, Trachtenberg still can\u2019t help throwing Easter Eggs in to appease franchise fans. Early in the film, Dek is cycling through holograms, or there\u2019s a trophy case that\u2019ll be worth a giggle. Humans being so low on the competition ranking alone has its comedic appeal. Oh, and no, that\u2019s not a Starship Troopers nod, even though it looks like one (we tried).<\/p>\n

But at the end of the day, Predator: Badlands is its own movie. It\u2019s not reliant on memorable skeletons, callbacks to prior releases, or a cheeky line of dialogue. \u201cIt\u2019s a big, crazy swing, and I think that\u2019s what drives butts into seats.<\/strong>\u201c<\/strong> If Prey is any indication, that\u2019s what Predator fans crave after so many recyclable hunter-killer redos. \u201cIf you want the same old Predator experience, you can hit play on Predator or Prey or any other, whichever one is your fit.\u201d Trachtenberg\u2019s desire to take us on a brand new ride sounds exactly like what can take the Predator franchise to the next level, and I can\u2019t wait to see the result.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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