Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg has explained how the final cut stunned James Cameron after the pair had an incredible conversation. The story of Predator: Badlands takes the franchise in a completely new direction, focusing on a disgraced young Yautja named Dek seeking a famous beast to kill to prove his worth to his family.

The concept of a Predator as a protagonist is unique for the franchise. But it’s an idea Trachtenberg got encouragement from Cameron to pursue. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the director explained how he approached Cameron about his concept for Predator: Badlands before development began. The more seasoned filmmaker encouraged him to pursue the idea, saying he thought it could work:

I consider myself incredibly blessed, and it’s probably largely thanks to both of us making movies with the same collaborators at 20th Century. He saw Prey and loved it, and so we had been in touch. And when I went down to New Zealand to start prepping Badlands, he invited me over to see what he was doing down in Wellington. So I spent some time on the stage with him and in the edit bay [of Avatar: Fire and Ash]. In the edit bay, I told him the crazy thing that we were doing, and the crazy way we were doing it, and how it would be very new and new to the franchise and new to me as a filmmaker.

Then we drove separately to dinner, and when he came in and sat down, he said, “I was just thinking about what you’re doing, and I think it’s going to work.” So all that wind in my sails carried me back up to Auckland to tell my crew. The blessing of that guy — who has taken on some pretty impossible odds and pulled them off — was absolutely incredible.

However, it wasn’t until Trachtenberg showed the final cut to Cameron that he revealed he hadn’t really been sure about the movie at first. But he told Trachtenberg he “pulled it off.” The Predator: Badlands director likened Cameron’s statement to saying something to him that he needed to hear at the time to make the film as good as possible:

We then shared the cut with him when it was not quite done. There were a few specific questions that I had in mind, and I wanted to see if he could give us any helpful notes. So he saw the movie a couple months back, and he said, “I have to be honest with you. When I first heard what you were doing, I did not think it was going to work. But holy crap, you pulled it off.” He either did not remember that first conversation that meant a whole lot to me, or he really does know what someone in my position needs to hear to get things done. I think it’s more the latter. So he put wind in our sails at just the right times, and I had to make sure we gave him a special thanks.

Trachtenberg’s story indicates the Avatar: Fire and Ash director wanted to encourage him with Predator: Badlands, pursuing the idea despite the risk involved. The movie is a standout in the franchise, both because of its Yautja main character, and because of its PG-13 rating. It also tackles more heavy sci-fi elements than any of the movies prior have.

So far, it seems Cameron’s encouragement of Trachtenberg’s vision is going to pay off. Reviews for Predator: Badlands have been mostly positive, the film earning a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 77 reviews as of writing. Box office projections are also positive, with a potential $60 million global debut during its opening weekend.

Trachtenberg’s vision for the Predator franchise has taken it in very different, unique directions. From Prey‘s setting in the 1700s to Predator: Killer of Killers highlighting various points in time through a connected animated anthology, the director has turned the series into a unique sci-fi franchise. Cameron’s encouragement of Badlands no doubt helped in this larger endeavor.

With the release of Predator: Badlands closing in, Cameron’s seal of approval increases anticipation for an already standout entry in the franchise. Since Trachtenberg seemingly managed to ace the film’s unique qualities, it sounds like it’ll be a memorable, high-octane installment in the sci-fi series. It may even open the door for more compellingly original stories in the future.

Release Date: November 5, 2025
Runtime: 107 minutes
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Writers: Dan Trachtenberg, Patrick Aison, John Thomas, Jim Thomas
Producers: Brent O’Connor, John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt

Elle Fanning

Thia / Tessa
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi

Dek / Father

You may also like