One of the most intriguing 2025 movie releases on the horizon, in my opinion, is the upcoming Predator: Badlands. One of the most exciting elements of the story is the fact that the flick will feature the Predator as the main character for the first time, making it a truly unique experience. Which totally makes sense, because the film's director, Dan Trachtenberg, says he doesn’t want to just make Prey 2, and he makes a good point.
Trachtenberg recently spoke with Empire, during which he explained why he didn’t just press forward with Prey 2 and call it a day. And his reasoning? It’s less about dodging expectations and more about honoring what made Prey work in the first place. As he explained to the outlet:
You immediately think: ‘Prey 2’. But with sequels, people sometimes get so caught up going, ‘This could happen next,’ they never stop to think, ‘Should it happen next?’ Prey was special because it was this big idea that hadn’t existed before. I wanted the next thing to be that, too.
If you need a refresher, Prey—also directed by Trachtenberg—was the first of all the Predator films set in a historical period. Set in the Northern Great Plains in 1719, it follows a young Comanche warrior who rises to protect her tribe from a deadly alien hunter. The film worked because it felt bold, fresh and self-contained. (If you somehow missed it, it's available to stream with a Hulu subscription.)
With Badlands, Trachtenberg is once again chasing that kind of originality. He continued:
In general, I’m always looking for: what could happen only in this movie?
Based on the first Badlands trailer and everything we’ve seen so far, the film is clearly swinging for something new. It’s a full-on genre shift from Prey’s stripped-down survival story to a big, loud, monster-filled adventure. The 10 Cloverfield Lane helmer even calls it “a kind of buddy-comedy,” leaning into the odd-couple dynamic between Dek and Thia as they navigate alien worlds. Think Ray Harryhausen meets sci-fi road trip—and totally unlike anything this franchise has done before.
Some longtime fans were understandably worried that the new film might soften the edge—either by toning down the lead or making the Predator feel less dangerous. But rest assured, Dek is no pushover. He’s still very much a Predator. As Trachtenberg put it:
We wanted Dek to be relatable, but without turning him into Luke Skywalker. He’s still a Predator — we had to allow him to be a dick. But a dick you can root for.
Between Badlands and the critically acclaimed animated series Predator: Killer of Killers, recently added to the 2025 TV schedule, the creative force steering the series is clearly rethinking what Predator can be—and not just adding sequels to a checklist. Dan Trachtenberg is swinging for weird, original and bold. And, if Prey proved anything, it’s that when he swings like that, it lands.
So, no, we’re not getting Prey 2, and that might be the best thing for the series. After all, it’s bold pivots and outside-the-box thinking that gave us genre-defining sequels like Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This could be another turn for Predator, and that’s why I’m pumped for the hunt to begin when Badlands opens in theaters on November 7.
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