Dan Trachtenberg has single-handedly resurrected the Predator franchise over the previous few years, with Predator: Badlands representing his third straight critically profitable film within the franchise. After 2022’s Prey breathed new life into the desiccated bones of the foundering franchise, Trachtenberg hit sci-fi followers with a one-two punch in 2025.
The animated pseudo-anthology Predator: Killer of Killers and cinematic blockbuster Predator: Badlands have been each met with rave critiques by each audiences and critics. Trachtenberg clearly has a agency grasp on what makes the Predator franchise enjoyable (specifically sci-fi motion and violence), and each films kicked down the door to exploring the lore across the vicious but enigmatic Yautja tradition.
Predator: Badlands branched out in a really particular route that put sci-fi followers in a frenzy when the primary trailer dropped. The film locations its central Yautja warrior Dek on a planet with dozens of Weyland-Yutani synthetics, clearly implying the existence of xenomorphs in the identical cinematic universe. Naturally, all eyes turned in direction of the 2 deadly icons’ subsequent bout, and Trachtenberg just lately gave an interview that cemented why he must be accountable for the inevitable conflict.
Dan Trachtenberg Publicly Preached Restraint In Bringing Alien And Predator Collectively
In an interview with The Direct, Trachtenberg addressed whether or not any conversations have been had about who may carry the 2 characters collectively on the large display screen for the primary time because the much-maligned 2007 sequel Alien vs. Predator: Requiem. Trachtenberg turned in direction of a particularly apt metaphor for what he thinks ought to occur to the 2 franchises:
…For me, the best a part of it could be grabbing these components and letting them cook dinner. You recognize, as soon as once more, we do not wish to pull it out of the oven too rapidly and have all of it simply be uncooked. We actually need issues to simmer and boil and stand up to the right temperature.
Whereas hype for each franchises is at an all-time excessive with Trachtenberg’s trio of wonderful Predator films together with Fede Álvarez’s massively widespread 2024 blockbuster Alien: Romulus and the wonderful FX present Alien: Earth, which was just lately renewed for a second season. The urge to smash the 2 franchises collectively is completely pure, however Trachtenberg understands how large a mistake that might be.
Constructing out the trendy universe of each horror icons individually is the one technique to rejuvenate the Alien vs. Predator franchise and never have it’s a large flop just like the earlier iteration from the 2000s. Whereas each franchises have taken nice strides in reigniting curiosity of their respective central species, there’s nonetheless legwork to do there earlier than a mash-up turns into actually justified.
For starters, each franchises are at present on utterly totally different paths, even when there’s potential for crossing over. Alien: Romulus has a sequel within the works that might theoretically comply with Cailee Spaeny’s Rain Carradine and her “brother”, David Jonsson’s android Andy. Alien: Earth‘s second season will virtually assuredly decide up its story with Sydney Chandler’s artificial Wendy.
There aren’t any plans for a direct sequel to Predator: Badlands as of proper now, however there’s virtually actually an urge for food to see extra of Dek’s “clan” after the primary film’s explosive ending. Forcing the 2 monsters to battle inside the subsequent few years would transfer a ton of actually intriguing angles and tales to the backburner, which might be a mistake given how effectively the whole lot goes for each franchises.
Extra importantly, there must be a justifiable cause to throw the 2 monsters collectively. Narratively, it might be so simple as Dek (or one other Yautja) searching on a planet that has both been infested by xenomorphs, or have them each crash on the identical planet and duke it out for supremacy. However that places issues on the identical path that the primary two films have been on, which might be an enormous mistake.
There must be a construct to the conflict. We all know from the Easter egg in Predator: Killer of Killers and the inside design of different Predator ships within the franchise that xenomorphs are thought of high-value trophies to the Yautja, however exploring their historical past earlier than placing them in the identical enviornment once more would construct the viewers’s anticipation and curiosity within the central battle, versus simply watching a director basically smash motion figures collectively.
Trachtenberg’s Method Will Preserve All Three Franchises Profitable
The opposite angle to what Trachtenberg meant by “letting the weather cook dinner” is the truth that each the Alien and Predator franchises have a lot to work with in their very own lore. Whereas each species and their histories have been explored in-depth in different types of media, big-budget films have barely scratched the floor.
Alien vs. Predator 3 must really feel like an apart for each franchises. Whereas Part 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe constructed particularly to The Avengers as a significant finish level, Alien vs. Predator should not be the end-all, be-all for both franchise.
It is nonetheless value doing as a result of audiences wish to see it and it might make for a minimum of one, if not a number of actually wonderful and thrilling adventures. But when achieved correctly, it could be used to reinforce each the Alien and Predator franchises, sitting on equal footing with them versus a notch above. Predator: Badlands and Alien: Romulus each proved how a lot urge for food there’s for stand-alone creature films on the field workplace, and it could be foolish to derail two high quality franchises for the sake of the third.
- Launch Date
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November 5, 2025
- Runtime
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107 minutes
- Director
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Dan Trachtenberg
- Writers
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Dan Trachtenberg, Patrick Aison, John Thomas, Jim Thomas
- Producers
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Brent O’Connor, John Davis, Marc Toberoff, Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt
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Elle Fanning
Thia / Tessa
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Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi
Dek / Father