Predator prequel Prey bypassed theaters for an exclusive release on Hulu. However, it vastly exceeded expectations on the platform and was a movie which generated both critical acclaim and serious awards attention.
Deadline (via SFFGazette.com) confirms that director Dan Trachtenberg is returning to the franchise for Badlands, a new "standalone" entry which is expected to begin shooting later this year. The movie is said to be a priority for the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios and the filmmaker is already meeting with talent for the lead role.
As is so often the case, plot details are being kept under wraps and we don't know who the leads will be or in what period the story will be set. Presumably, it is going to be a theatrical release this time as Disney looks to increase profits.
Here's where things get particularly intriguing, though; according to the trade, "Sources say while it is still in early development, a Prey 2 is still in the works that would return to the films original setting and with the films star, Amber Midthunder, potentially returning."
"Sources stress no talent is attached to that film but the interesting element is that even though there has been seven films featuring the infamous alien, there has never been an instance where the star of a previous film has returned to reprise their role."
Are we on the cusp of getting a new Predator-verse? Fingers crossed.
In Prey, the epic Predator legacy continues with this action-thriller set in 1719 on the Great Plains with a band of Comanches. When Naru, a fierce and highly skilled young warrior, sets out to protect her people, the prey she stalks turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator - leading to a vicious and terrifying showdown.
When we spoke to Trachtenberg to mark the release of Prey, he said then that there are lots of places he'd be interested in taking the Predator franchise. Interestingly, he seemed to suggest those wouldn't necessarily be a traditional sequel.
"I think there’s definitely something…because so many movies are seen as franchise starters, there’s something inherently refreshing about a movie that feels complete. I hope this movie does feel complete," the filmmaker says in the video below. "That said, we do something very unique in that, whereas other movies may have a post-credits scene, we have some storytelling inside our end credits themselves."
"It leaves room for lots of different kinds of sequels to be made. I don’t know if we’re ready yet to say exactly what we want to do next, but I think there are lots of cool opportunities."
Stay tuned for more on Badlands as we have it.