Prey debuted on Hulu in 2022, and it was both a critical darling and a streaming hit. Its success made it clear that movie fans are still invested in the Predator franchise...when it's handled well, at least.
Director Dan Trachtenberg returns to helm Predator: Badlands; despite not being a direct follow-up, the theatrical title is set in the same world as Prey. Plot details are few and far between, but Disney's presentation at CinemaCon saw Elle Fanning confirm that this Yautja will be a hero and that her character, Thia, "teams up" with the relentless alien.
Fanning also confirmed that the movie sets out to answer the question, "What if the Predator was a good guy?"
"Something unprecedented happens in this movie, and my character is not the one being chased," the actor teased. "My character actually teams up with the Predator, and you get to see him in a whole new light.”
That's all we have to go on for now, but Predator: Badlands' lead was showcased for attendees - you can see him below - 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, based on what we see here, will be a little more technologically advanced.
We only have a brief footage description from The Wrap (via SFFGazette.com), 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 your first look at the new Predator in the X posts below.