When Prey debuted on Hulu in 2022, not only was it a critical darling but a streaming hit that made it clear movie fans are still invested in the Predator franchise...when it's handled well, at least.
Director Dan Trachtenberg returns to helm Predator: Badlands which, while not a direct follow-up, is a theatrical release set in the same world as Prey. Plot details are few and far between, but Disney's presentation at CinemaCon confirms that this Yautja will be a hero and that Elle Faning's character, Thia, "teams up" with the relentless alien.
Fanning also confirmed that the movie will ask the question, "What if the Predator was a good guy?"
That's all we have to go on for now, but Predator: Badlands' lead was showcased for attendees and looks perhaps a little different from what you might expect after watching Prey. While that Yautja was a feral hunter, this one will reportedly be unleashed on several alien planets and be a little more technologically advanced.
We only have a brief footage description from The Wrap, but it's more than enough to get us excited:
"In the new teaser, we see shots of a futuristic wasteland, filled with dystopian armies and a creature that the Predator is hunting that can’t be killed. Of course, that’s not going to stop the Predator from trying."
"The creature is front and centre, leading the charge," Trachtenberg revealed in an interview last year. "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 filmmaker would go on to explain that he wanted 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."
You can hear more from Fanning and get a first look at the new Predator in the X posts below.