The Predator Will Be the Protagonist of Predator: Badlands, Director Says

Director Dan Trachtenberg is revealing some new details about the next film in the Predator series, Predator: Badlands — including a fairly surprising (but very intriguing) tease about who the protagonist of it will be.

Trachtenberg spoke to Empire magazine about the next film, "a future-set tale taking place on an alien planet" per the article. Trachtenberg dropped another interesting tidbit: the hero of the story will be a Predator.

“The creature is front and centre, leading the charge,” Trachtenberg told the magazine. “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 Predator itself will be the protagonist of Predator: Badlands.

The filmmaker added that the idea for this approach came from the desire 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."

That raises questions about the role of Elle Fanning, the star of Predator: Badlands. The Empire article reveals that she'll be playing multiple characters, but not any further details on what those characters would be like.

We also got a first behind-the-scenes look at the set, which you can see below.

Badlands is the latest film in the Predator series after Prey, the 2022 prequel that was also directed by Trachtenberg and was acclaimed by critics and fans alike. And apparently, Badlands isn't the only Predator film currently in the works; 20th Century Fox president Steve Asbell previously teased that another will release sometime in 2025 before Badlands hits theaters. We're still awaiting more details on that mysterious project, though.

In the meantime, you can check out IGN's 8/10 review of Prey, where we wrote, "With plenty of the Predator franchise’s signature brutal kills, a simple but never simplistic story, and a star-making turn from Amber Midthunder… Prey slays."

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.