The Predator is back, but this time the hunt has a different flavor. Predator: Badlands, directed by Dan Trachtenberg (previously behind the lens of Prey), promises to shake the foundations of one of the longest-running sci-fi horror franchises. Set for release on November 7, 2025, the film brings a breath of alien air: for the first time, there will be no human protagonists, and the perspective will be that of the hunter itself.
The protagonist is Dek, a young Yautja – the Predator race – ostracized by his clan for being deemed too weak. Joining him is Thia, an android played by Elle Fanning, working for the infamous Weyland-Yutani Corporation, a name that will send chills down the spine of any Alien fan. Set on the planet Genna/Kalisk, known as "Badlands," the film veers away from familiar terrestrial settings to embrace a wild and hostile world, dominated by acidic deserts, alien ruins, and creatures that would make even a xenomorph pale.
Trachtenberg has stated that "there are no humans in this film," and the choice seems far from gratuitous: by shedding the usual clichés of human prey, Badlands becomes a story of alien growth and survival. Dek does not hunt for sport or glory but to prove to himself – and his people – that he deserves a place among the hunters. The perspective flips: the Predator becomes the victim of a world crueler than itself.
The most discussed curiosity is the PG-13 rating, a rarity for the franchise. But those fearing a "softened" film can rest assured: the violence remains, only filtered through a more symbolic aesthetic. Neon blood, synthetic flesh, and non-human mutilations make everything less explicit but no less disturbing. After all, even the Predator can suffer.
On the rumor front, producer Ben Rosenblatt has hinted that Arnold Schwarzenegger might return as the legendary Dutch. It would be a spectacular comeback, a nostalgic bridge between 1987 and the franchise's future. And with Weyland-Yutani in the mix, the possibility of an Alien crossover is no longer just a fanboy dream.
Aesthetically, Predator: Badlands promises to be a blend of tribal epic and cosmic tragedy, with special effects by Wētā Workshop and a visual design that leans more into the alien than the military. If Prey brought the franchise back to its primordial essence, Badlands aims to take it further: a film that explores isolation, identity, and inner monsters disguised as hunter deities.
In short, not the usual clash between human and Predator. Here, the real question is: what remains of a monster when its own world rejects it?