Predator: Badlands Director Says Twist Ending Sets Up Potential Sequel

Predator: Badlands director, Dan Trachtenberg, discusses the movie’s twist ending. He also reveals how it could set up a sequel for the most recent installment of the popular science fiction franchise. The film features Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Elle Fanning, Mike Homik, and Rohinal Nayaran.

The new movie follows a predator named Dek (Schuster-Koloamatangi) who gets disowned by his family after his father killed his brother because he refused to murder him for being weak. He then travels to a dangerous planet called Genna to prove his worth to the Yautja by trying to slay a Kalisk, a seemingly invincible creature.

Dek ultimately decided not to hunt down a Kalisk. Instead, he kills his father and creates a new tribe with the friends he made on his journey, Thia (Fanning), a synth created by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation (a corrupt company from the Alien franchise), and Bud, a baby Kalisk. However, their plans come to a halt when Dek’s mother shows up in a spaceship, and the film abruptly ends.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Trachtenberg expressed how happy he was with Predator: Badlands’ surprising ending. He stated, “It’s definitely, I think, an awesome ending in that it is an ironic conclusion.“

The director also explained that while a sequel has not been approved yet, he believed that Predator: Badlands’ conclusion was a perfect setup for another installment. “After we’ve just been dealing with this crazy father the whole movie, that it asks what else Dek might have to go through, and how much worse that could be in the hands of mom, but also because, of course, it means that should we get to see that realized, it would be a whole lot of fun.”

20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands is playing in theaters now.