When Dan Trachtenberg set out to make Predator: Badlands, he already knew the film would push the long-running sci-fi franchise into new territory. The movie centers on the Predator itself, a Yautja runt named Dek, and blends monster-hunting action with a darker fantasy adventure tone. But according to the director, a Star Wars comparison made him a little wary of one specific character.
Per Empire, Trachtenberg explained that the concern came during the editing process, when a comparison to a famously divisive Star Wars character popped up. Alongside Dek’s journey to hunt the seemingly unstoppable creature Kallisk, he and Elle Fanning’s character, Thia, encounter a small alien companion they nickname Bud. The creature is designed to be cute, tough, and unexpectedly endearing, adding a different kind of energy to the otherwise brutal Predator universe. But during post-production, Trachtenberg’s editor raised a potential issue:
I thought it was so cool…. One day, my editor came in and was like, ‘He kind of sounds like Jar Jar,’ which is a pretty divisive character.
A comparison to Jar Jar Binks, introduced in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, is bound to immediately carry some baggage. When the film first arrived in 1999, the character became one of the most controversial elements of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, criticized by many fans for clashing with the saga's tone. So hearing that comparison understandably gave Trachtenberg pause.
Article continues belowAgain, the issue wasn’t Bud himself. The filmmakers were actually very excited about the character. The concern was simply how audiences might react if they misinterpreted the character. In the end, the creative team stuck to their instincts.
Trachtenberg explained that Bud was always meant to bring a unique tonal balance to the movie, something unexpected that could add humor and heart without undercutting the franchise’s intensity. As he put it:
We just loved the concoction. It was like, ‘How cool is it that you have something that you would only see in a Disney movie, in something like this, that brings this whole other side out of it, but also is super-badass and funny and charming and heartfelt, but still with an edge?’
That philosophy reflects the broader approach behind Predator: Badlands. Rather than simply repeating the formula of earlier entries, the movie experiments more with tone and perspective, moving the flick out of the new horror movie territory and into sci-fi/action/adventure. The story follows Dek, played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, as the unlikely protagonist, which marks a major shift from previous Predator movies, where the alien hunters were primarily the villains.
The result is a film that blends genres more freely than past installments, drawing inspiration from dark fantasy adventure while still delivering the brutal action the franchise is known for. And while introducing a cute alien sidekick into a Predator movie might sound risky on paper, Trachtenberg clearly believes that contrast is exactly what makes Bud work.
After all, the franchise has always thrived on surprising audiences, whether it’s the jungle warfare of the original film or the historical twist seen in Prey. As Badlands continues that tradition, characters like Bud may end up being part of what helps this series to stand out from the rest.
Both of Trachtenberg’s Predator films, Prey and Predator: Badlands, are currently available to stream at home with a Hulu subscription.
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