Why Amber Midthunder's Naru Didn't Return For Predator: Badlands

The "Predator" movies have been undergoing something of a renaissance lately, and that's all thanks to the efforts of new franchise architect Dan Trachtenberg. The "10 Cloverfield Lane" filmmaker injected a fresh sense of energy and a bold new direction with 2022's "Prey," even as it simultaneously put lead actor Amber Midthunder on our radars for good. Three years later, we anxiously await to see the next chapter of this story unfold with Trachtenberg's impending "Predator: Badlands," which appears to be telling an entirely new narrative in a completely different setting altogether. But some of us are also wondering if those hanging plot threads from "Prey" might be picked up again ... and whether "Badlands" was ever intended to be the film to do so.

It's hardly a spoiler to say that when moviegoers flock to theaters to check out the latest "Predator" film, Midthunder's Comanche warrior Naru will be nowhere to be seen. This new adventure instead follows the young Yautja Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) and his synthetic buddy Thia (Elle Fanning) as they fight for survival on an alien world. That wasn't always the case, however. While making the press rounds for "Badlands," Trachtenberg spoke with ScreenTime, and he addressed whether Naru's return was ever in the cards. He proved surprisingly forthright, explaining:

"I think I would say there's a bigger plan down the line. I did think about the pairing of before it was Thia, but then I thought, 'Well, now, then I'm not doing the premise.' And I really wanted to do the premise: The Predator's protagonist and no humans in the movie. And so it became, further down the line we can do some cooler things, maybe."

It sounds like continuing the story of "Prey" breakout star Amber Midthunder and her fierce portrayal of Naru was very much on the mind of writer/director Dan Trachtenberg during the earliest stages of developing "Predator: Badlands," and we certainly can't blame him for trying. If we take his comment at face value, he actually fiddled with the idea of having new protagonist Dek join forces with Naru, which makes sense from the perspective of wanting a more streamlined arc unfolding across multiple movies. And, as we know from the post-credits stinger for the animated "Predator: Killer of Killers" (also directed by Trachtenberg, of course), the revelation that she's been frozen in stasis for an unknown amount of time makes it that much more feasible that she could've popped up in "Badlands."

That wasn't to be, however, but there's still plenty of reason for fans to hope. While "Badlands" could've been a natural fit for Naru, considering its futuristic setting, "Killer of Killers" teased a potential sequel that could incorporate the character alongside several other not-so-forgotten faces from previous films. While we here at /Film are big proponents of animation, there's no denying the appeal of seeing Midthunder reprise her role in live-action ... but, at this point, we'd be unwise to raise a skeptical eyebrow towards anything Trachtenberg is currently planning. With "Badlands" already earning rave reactions from critics, he seems set to go three for three in terms of delivering some of the best "Predator" movies in the entire franchise. Whatever he has up his sleeve down the line, consider us all the way in.

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