Why Prey's Director Made Predator: Badlands Instead Of A Direct Sequel

The "Predator" franchise has never set the world on fire at the box office. John McTiernan's first installment did quite well, ranking 12th for the year domestically, but if you want to call it a blockbuster, you must also consider "Stakeout" and "The Secret of My Success" blockbusters, and that's some bad considerin'.

The franchise appeared dead and buried when Stephen Hopkins' "Predator 2" stalled out at $31 million domestically in 1990. That's $8 million less than what John Patrick Shanley's "Joe Versus the Volcano," widely considered a studio disaster, grossed that year. Short of bringing Arnold Schwarzenegger back into the fold, I was convinced we'd never see those meticulously designed Stan Winston creatures ever again.

Several things worked in the "Predator" franchise's favor to keep it commercially viable. Though we wouldn't see Predators on the big screen again until 2004 in Paul W.S. Anderson's dismal "Alien vs. Predator," Dark Horse Comics went ham on print spin-offs throughout the 1990s, which gave the brand geek cred. Most importantly, McTiernan's film became a syndication heavyweight, and, in time, was considered one of the best American action films of its era. "Predator 2" acquired a cult following. It's a graphically violent urban action flick with a fun ensemble cast, but the fall-off from McTiernan to a hack like Hopkins was awfully steep.

After a couple of "AVP" installments, the listless "Predators," and Shane Black's meddled-with "The Predator," Dan Trachtenberg stepped up in 2022 and delivered "Prey," the best "Predator" movie since the original. Amber Midthunder's Naru was an inspiring Comanche protagonist who took down a Predator with 18th century indigenous resourcefulness. When the film became a streaming hit, Trachtenberg fretted that 20th Century Studios would ask him for a sequel, because he wanted to do something completely different with the franchise.

In the October 2025 issue of SFX Magazine, Trachtenberg acknowledged being surprised by the enthusiastic reaction to "Prey." 

"When 'Prey' came out and was well received, I suddenly realized, 'Oh s***, they're going to ask me about a sequel.' I was like, 'F***, I've never been in that position. What am I going to do?'"

Trachtenberg saw the big, gaping pitfall ahead of him. As he told SFX:

"A lot of times people make a cool thing and then the sequel is just the sequel to the cool thing. It's not cool on its own merit. So I was really thinking, 'Okay, if I'm gonna make another 'Predator,' what else is there that hasn't been done?' The thing that came to me was, 'Well, what if we made a Predator movie where the Predator was the protagonist?'"

I'd argue that we got a taste of this in "The Predator," but having a straight-up Predator protagonist (and an underdog, runtish Predator at that) is new. And pairing this creature with the amazing Elle Fanning, who gets to play both ally and enemy? Yes, please-and-thank-you.

I think this is a great way to build off the excitement generated by "Prey." Finally, after decades of flailing, this franchise has found a filmmaker who understands it. Check out our in-depth interview with him after this year's "Predator: Killer of Killers" right here.

"Predator: Badlands" hits theaters on November 7, 2025.