Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg shares a hint about the Predator franchise’s future following his upcoming installment. After finding success with 2022’s Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers (2025), Trachtenberg’s next movie makes the alien Yautja the protagonist for the first time, but where the property goes after that has been a big question mark.
In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Ash Crossan for Predator: Badlands, Trachtenberg sheds some light on the franchise’s future and his involvement with it. Though the director is careful not to reveal any details, he hints that he may have another Predator movie up his sleeve:
The state of the Yautja [laughs] is we only just finished this maybe a week or two ago. When I was figuring out what to do after Prey, the ideas for Badlands, Killer Killers, and a third project were all equally exciting. So the idea of doing that third thing would be an absolute thrill.
The director then clarifies, though, that he also has ambitions to make movies outside of the Predator franchise. What comes next seemingly depends on the reception to Badlands. As Trachtenberg explains:
More of this stuff would be awesome. And also — I want to make movies that don’t always have Predators in them. But all of this has been incredibly enticing, and I’ve been able to make, inside this franchise, the kinds of movies I’ve always wanted to see and make anyway. So it would be wonderful to do more. Hopefully people love Badlands and want to see more.
Following the film’s premiere on November 3, Predator: Badlands social media reactions have been generally very positive. Those who saw the film early had plenty of positive things to say about the film’s sci-fi action and its story about an outcast Predator named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who joins forces with an android, played by Elle Fanning.
Full Badlands reviews aren’t far off, but Prey reviews were glowing from critics several years ago, suggesting Trachtenberg has set a high bar for himself. How audiences will respond is also a mystery. Prey and Killer of Killers were streaming hits, but no Predator movie has released in theaters since 2018, so it’s unclear how much demand there is to see this franchise back on the big-screen.
Should Badlands be a hit, it’s unclear what new Predator project could be next. It’s possible Trachtenberg’s mysterious third movie is the confirmed Prey 2, which would bring back Amber Midthunder’s Naru. Since this project was officially announced back in February 2024, though, Trachtenberg not mentioning it by name could be a sign that what comes next will be something else entirely.
Following the success of Alien: Romulus (2024), the director of that film, Fede Alvarez, has teased that he would be open to an Alien vs. Predator crossover movie. It’s possible that Trachtenberg has had similar ideas, especially since Badlands makes Fanning’s character a Weyland-Yutani android.
For now, it seems like fans curious about the future of the Predator franchise will have to wait and see. Should Predator: Badlands go over well, it certainly sounds like Trachtenberg could be sticking around to explore this IP even further.
- 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
