Is there such a thing as too much “Predator” these days? All of us here at /Film and (presumably) the internet at large say, “Hell no!” The franchise mostly felt like it was on its last legs after Shane Black’s studio-meddled sequel came and went in 2018 without living up to the hype, but “10 Cloverfield Lane” director Dan Trachtenberg got things back on track with his standalone entry “Prey.” He’s followed up that enormous success with another exciting-looking addition that we recently got a first look at in the form of the animated anthology film “Predator: Killer of Killers,” but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What comes next will forever transform the epic hunt in ways we’ve never seen before.
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“Predator: Badlands” made headlines for the fascinating choice of placing a Yautja, the extraterrestrial title character that has always served as a fearsome villain to our human protagonists, in the role of a hero. That seemed like a fascinating thought experiment on paper but, as it turns out, it’s even more thrilling to see it in action. 20th Century Studios dropped the first trailer for the upcoming “Predator” film and, folks, words cannot describe the sheer awesomeness on display for action fans. We’ve got Predator trophies (including what looks like a T-Rex skull!), a thoroughly overmatched Elle Fanning as our human main character (or maybe she’s a robot?), a badass Yautja … and what sure looks like a mother-freaking kaiju??? Honestly, just stop reading what I’m writing and click the link above to check out the footage for yourself!
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The Predator: Badlands trailer welcomes us to a world of hurt
Everything about “Predator: Badlands” feels like it was made for the big screen … and 20th Century Studios certainly seems to agree, as that idea is clearly at the forefront of this trailer. Unlike “Prey,” which went straight to streaming on Hulu (with the exception of very few audiences who managed to catch early screenings in theaters, as it was intended to be seen), the studio is making up for past mistakes by trumpeting this new film as one that’s meant to be seen on the biggest possible screens. The footage bears this out, and that’s before we even get to the money shot of a giant kaiju stomping out of the smoky, fire-filled forest to face off against a single Yautja wielding a shiny-looking blade. For those who read about the “Badlands” CinemaCon trailer footage and have been salivating ever since, well, this is for you.
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Yeah, we’re all the way in for whatever this movie has in store for us. “Predator: Badlands” is directed by Dan Trachtenberg and stars Elle Fanning as an unexpected human ally named Thia and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as our Yautja main hero (who gets caught up in all the action). The movie is set on a distant planet sometime in the future, making this feel completely unconnected to any other installment in the franchise (that we can tell, at least). We’ll see if that’s the case when “Predator: Badlands” hits theaters and IMAX screens on November 7, 2025. You can check out the brief synopsis below.
“Predator: Badlands,” which stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator (Schuster-Koloamatangi), outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
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