Summary:
- Predator: Badlands marks the franchise’s big-screen return under Dan Trachtenberg’s direction.
- It introduces Dek and Thia’s dangerous alliance on the deadliest planet in the galaxy.
- Here’s everything you need to know before watching Predator: Badlands.
With Predator: Badlands releasing in theaters on November 7, it’s worth knowing a few key details about the film that can enhance your overall experience. This movie connects the Alien and Predator universes through a new story centered on Weyland-Yutani.
This time, the Predators are the ones being hunted instead of doing the hunting. Let’s break down everything you need to know before watching Predator: Badlands.
Table of Contents
What is Predator: Badlands About?
Set on a remote planet in the far future, Predator: Badlands follows Dek (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator exiled by his clan for being too small.
Alone and stranded, Dek befriends Thia (played by Elle Fanning), a Weyland-Yutani synthetic from the Alien franchise. The two team up as they journey across the deadliest world in the galaxy in search of the “ultimate adversary.”
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Unlike previous Predator movies, which were all about humans fighting alien hunters, Badlands turns the concept on its head. This time, the Predator becomes the prey.
According to director Dan Trachtenberg, Badlands explores Yautja culture and survival instincts through a deeply emotional, character-driven story.
How Does It Connect to the Alien Franchise?
For years, the Predator and Alien universes have overlapped loosely through non-canonical crossovers like Alien vs. Predator. But Predator: Badlands officially bridges the two worlds through Thia, the Weyland-Yutani android who partners with Dek.
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While the fans speculated about the appearances of Xenomorphs in the movie, Trachtenberg confirmed that there are no aliens from the main franchise. The connection is built around Weyland-Yutani’s role in creating Thia. In this way, the story has a shared-universe feel without forcing another direct crossover.
Who’s Behind the Film?
Predator: Badlands is directed and co-written by Dan Trachtenberg, who previously directed Prey co-created the animated Predator: Killer of Killers. Joining him as the co-writer is Patrick Aison, who wrote the script for Prey.
Trachtenberg cast Schuster-Koloamatangi specifically because of his physical agility and emotional depth, while Elle Fanning brings nuance to Thia, a character unlike anything in her past filmography. Their chemistry, according to Trachtenberg, is the heart of the story, a bond between a Predator outcast and a broken android learning to trust again.
Predator: Badlands Rating and Release Date
Breaking tradition, Predator: Badlands has a PG-13 rating, which makes this the first mainline film in the series not to be rated R. Producers promised that the lower rating wouldn’t tone down the brutality; rather, the alien blood palette allows them to get creative with color and intensity.
Badlands is set to hit theaters on November 7, 2025, marking the first theatrical Predator release since 2018’s The Predator. Until then, you can catch up with Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers on Hulu to prepare for Dek and Thia’s journey.
