Predator: Badlands Trailer Teases Team-Up with Weyland-Yutani Android

A new live-action Predator film is a rarity — one that casts the eponymous killer alien as the main hero of its story is even more so. But on Tuesday, 20th Century Studios shared the first teaser for their latest big screen outing, the fresh and unconventional-looking Predator: Badlands.

Predator: Badlands follows young Predator exile Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), who finds an unexpected companion in Thia (Elle Fanning), a Weyland-Yutani android. Dek is depicted as a kind of protagonist in the teaser — he’s a Yautja, yes, but he’s also working as an ally to Thia. The trailer also shows some shots of the “ultimate adversary” (per the on-screen text), described in the text as “that can’t be killed.” This foe is shown only briefly, but it seems to be a massive creature of some sort, and one unlike anything audiences have seen in previous Alien or Predator films.

The first trailer for the movie also provides some strong indications that Badlands will do some worldbuilding for the franchise as a whole. On-screen text confirms that at least some of the action takes place on the Predator homeworld — something the films have only teased before now. The teaser itself also shows glimpses of exotic terrains and of large and active Predator cities, as well as two or three of the iconic hunters simultaneously in various combative or confrontational positions.

Director/co-writer Dan Trachtenberg (2022’s Prey) and his team seem to be making an effort to expand the world and the culture of the Predators in Badlands. Prey stripped the formula down to a stark survivalist face-off in the 18th-century American Great Plains; Badlands looks like it will give some more attention to the species’ customs, language, and even internal politics. If the trailer is any indication, audiences can expect more detailed information about Yautja culture and mythology in Badlands, as well as its usual blend of futuristic armaments and primal bloodlust.

Predator/ Alien fans will also likely want to keep their eyes on Trachtenberg’s android lead, Thia. Elle Fanning has a presence in the trailer; she’s moving with a precise grace and speaking with emotionless intrigue and empathy as her character navigates the world around her. Badlands will be the first Predator film to feature such an intimate focus on a human-created android, and the fact that Thia is a Weyland-Yutani construct should provide some Easter egg-hunting opportunities for Alien fans.

Veteran director returns

Speaking of Trachtenberg, the fact that he’s back at the helm is one of Badlands‘ most attractive elements. Prey received critical acclaim for being a fresh start for the franchise; while it didn’t launch to monstrous box office numbers, the Hulu streaming platform was able to find an audience for the film, with positive word of mouth helping it find momentum. Its director staying on to make a second film shows 20th Century Studios’ faith in him and his vision of the franchise.

Trachtenberg won’t be the only Predator-related story he’s telling soon. Predator: Killer of Killers is an animated anthology series currently being developed by him for Hulu — which also streamed Prey — and set to premiere on the platform on June 6. The anthology will feature short films that depict the Predators on various hunts, which will vary both in period and location.

Teaser preview

The first teaser gives a good amount to digest, even if it doesn’t reveal a great deal of the plot. There are many shots of Predators in ceremonial armor staring and firing at each other, or at the unknown foe, of Dek exploring and taking care, of Thia in her sleek armor and firing her futuristic weapons, and of a cloaked figure which, based on past information and the textual description on screen, is the “unkillable” creature itself. The brief looks we get of the environments the action takes place in look exotic and fertile.

Most crucially, the first teaser for Predator: Badlands suggests that, if Trachtenberg and company continue to explore the new point of view of the story, this might not be a more traditional Predator film. The prospect of centering a tale around a Predator who isn’t the cold-blooded and brutal alien hunter we’re used to watching, but a Yautja who has lost his honor and needs to win it back, will allow for more nuanced character development and more challenging moral choices. And if Dek does find himself pitted against a creature that is “unkillable” by his species’ standards, it might make an audience side with him out of pure survival instinct.

Release date, and what to expect next

The official release date for Predator: Badlands is November 7. The movie is one of the key action and science-fiction releases set for late 2024, and between now and its release, there will likely be more trailers shared for it that will reveal a bit more about the plot and tease the film’s larger set pieces and, hopefully, show a bit more of this “unkillable” adversary.

As it is, the first teaser does its job of teasing long-time fans, whetting the appetites of newer audiences, and promising something unlike any other Predator film out there. The return of a well-regarded director and writer, a strong central cast, and the prospect of new worldbuilding details and lore for the shared universe between Predator and Alien mean Badlands has the potential to be a shake-up the series has needed.