(Left) Christopher McQuarrie, writer and director of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.’ (Right) Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Conan the Barbarian’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Preview:
Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced Christopher McQuarrie for ‘King Conan’.
The ‘Mission Impossible’ writer/director is reportedly aboard the next stage of the character.
Schwarzenegger also hinted at a return to the ‘Predator’ universe.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger talks, people listen. And when he talks potential projects featuring iconic characters he’s played in the past, people listen even more intently.
While there was some skepticism given the long development and previously unsuccessful attempts at a Conan follow-up, The Hollywood Reporter brings word that McQuarrie is indeed on board.
What has Arnold Schwarzenegger said about ‘King Conan’?
Director Christopher McQuarrie on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ from Paramount Pictures and Skydance. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Here’s Schwarzenegger’s latest statement on the project:
“They just hired a fantastic writer/director who did Tom Cruise’s last four movies. They just hired Christopher McQuarrie to write and direct ‘King Conan.’ Now, what they do is that they write the part. They don’t write them like I’m forty years old; you write it to be age-appropriate. I’ll still go in there and kick some ass, but it will be different…With ‘King Conan,’ it’s a great old story that Conan was forty years as King, and now he gets forced out of the kingdom, and there’s conflict, of course, but somehow he comes back, and there’s all kinds of madness, violence, magic, and creatures, and stuff like that. And now, of course, there’s all kinds of special effects.”
What else did Schwarzenegger hint at?
In good form, Schwarzenegger also let slip that he’s talked to ‘Predator: Badlands’ director Dan Trachtenberg about returning to one of his other big action franchises.
We’ll have to wait and see whether any of this comes to pass, but it’s certainly an exciting update!
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Dan Trachtenberg about his work on ‘Predator: Badlands’, coming up with the new story, connecting it to the larger ‘Alien vs. Predator’ series, making the Predator the protagonist, creating the Predator language, casting Elle Fanning in her dual roles, and what fans can expect from future installments of the franchise.
(L to R) Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, director Dan Trachtenberg, and Elle Fanning at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Hall H panel for ‘Predator: Badlands’. Photo: Disney.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Director Dan Trachtenberg at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Hall H panel for ‘Predator: Badlands’. Photo: Disney.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about breaking the story for this film, and was it something that you were thinking about while you were making ‘Prey’?
Dan Trachtenberg: It came at the tail end of ‘Prey’. I just started thinking about, what would we do next if we were to do another one? I really felt like, if the next thing is just part two of what we just did, then the movie doesn’t get to stand on its own merits. Sometimes, you make a special thing and then part two is just the sequel to the special thing, not a special thing in and of itself. So, it was like, what would be another idea if I was making a first Predator movie again? There was this fan sentiment about the Predator of like, “Why does he always lose?” So that sparked the idea of, “Okay, if the Predator wins, what would be a story in which I could be rooting for the Predator? That led to the Predator as the protagonist and being thrust into the gauntlet like Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Naru (Amber Midthunder), and Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover). You know, like all the protagonists go through. What if the Predator was going through that gauntlet? Then really wanting to find a story where you could emotionally connect with this monster and have a great time with. I did not want to put any humans in the movie because if we put in a human, then it would just become a two-hander again and the human would feel like a protagonist so that’s why it became a robot. The idea of a broken robot, like Chewbacca and C-3PO, and then Weyland-Yutani and Synths, so it all spiraled from thinking of “what hasn’t been done” in Predator movies and what hasn’t been done in sci-fi.
MF: The film has several references to other Predator movies but also contains Easter Eggs for the ‘Alien’ series and the larger ‘Alien vs. Predator’ franchise. Can you talk about the choice to include those references in this movie?
DT: With ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’, it’s not taking the big action figures and throwing them together, but instead, taking a little portion from one franchise and have that interwoven into the other, to say that’s another way of universe unifying and building it. That felt exciting to me. Frankly, it was born out of what the story wanted anyway. If the ‘Alien’ franchise was at another studio, we still would have made this movie. It just wouldn’t have been Weyland-Yutani as the company, but because it could be Wayland, it meant that then we could include MU/TH/UR and have it reflected in the father dynamic that Dek has. So, all of that made the movie richer but it wasn’t like, “We need to do ‘Alien vs. Predator’ How are we going to do that?” It didn’t come from that; it came from the narrative needs.
MF: Can you also talk about the choice to make the Predator the protagonist of this movie and show his home planet for the first time?
DT: It was incredibly challenging. The language, obviously had to be developed whole cloth, both written and spoken. His face, which was deliciously designed by Stan Winston with James Cameron‘s input to include the mandibles back in the 80s, is so cool for being a frightening and intimidating creature. But not at all conducive to having a wide range of emotion like we needed in the film. So, it was a great challenge to have to translate what Demetrius was performing into a face that has no nose, no lips, and teeth that don’t even let the mouth close. There was a temptation to cover his face up more and have him wear the mask. But I really didn’t want to soften our attempt at saying, “It’s a monster and you’re going to care.” So, we faced the challenge head on.
MF: Can you also talk about the challenges of creating the Predator’s language for this movie?
DT: We worked with a language expert, Britton Watkins, who’s both a language expert and sci-fi fan and really developed an entire grammar structure and dictionary, all based off of the physiology of the Yautja from ‘Predator’. So, it all comes from the way that we assume the throat works and the mandibles and all of that. It was an entirely custom-made language for the movie that Demetrius and Elle had to learn. I had a script that I could look at, but I really paid more attention to rhythm and emotion, and that things felt authentic rather than needing to know the pronunciations.
MF: Can you talk about casting Elle Fanning as both Thia and Tessa, and her specific and separate performances?
DT: That was the exciting thing. We’ve seen a lot of twin portrayals in movies throughout the years and characters doing dual roles, but being the funny sidekick, as well as the villain, typically requires two different actors. What Elle did is tremendous, and I got a lot of inspiration in watching ‘The Great’, where she was funny and there was an innocence to her character when it starts, then she must get really intense and that’s what clicked a nerve for me in casting her.
MF: Finally, have you started thinking about ideas for another installment yet? If so, would it be another original story, or would it include returning characters from ‘Prey’ or ‘Badlands’?
DT: I’m really developing both. I’m in this moment now where I was after ‘Prey’, where I was just trying to get excited about a path to take. I came up with a bunch of different paths and in that case, making both at the same time with ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ and ‘Badlands’. So, now we are figuring out what the next step of some of the characters are. We’re also figuring out and have been quite stoked about some other ways into the franchise that we haven’t seen before So, all things are being developed.
‘Predator: Badlands’ will be available February 12th on Hulu and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD February 17th.
Cast out from his clan, a young Predator (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) finds an unlikely ally in a damaged android (Elle Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Who is in the cast of ‘Predator: Badlands’?
Elle Fanning as Thia and Tessa
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek and as the voice of Njohrr
‘Predator: Badlands’ has started in impressive fashion at the box office.
It has earned more than $80 million globally.
Other movies didn’t fare as well.
Looks like audiences were more than ready to get back on the hunt.
‘Predator: Badlands,’ the newest movie featuring the titular alien creatures, soared to the top of the box office this past weekend, earning a healthy $40 million at the box office.
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The movie, which was budgeted at $105 million (not counting advertising costs), is the most successful launch for the ‘Predator’ franchise, overtaking the previous record holder, 2004’s franchise crossover ‘Alien vs. Predator.’
It’s the latest success in the series for co-writer/director Dan Trachtenberg, who previously made the likes of ‘Prey’ and the animated ‘Predator: Killer of Killers,’ both of which were well received but were released via Hulu.
The new ‘Predator’ outing was just as successful outside the States, earning another $40 million for an $80 million global opening. That’s a great start, and points to it reaching profitability.
Here’s Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian on the movie’s success:
“ ‘Predator: Badlands’ shows how unpredictable and dynamic the marketplace can be. All it takes is one over-performance to get the industry back on track. This is a great lead in for what promises to be one of the better months of November for the industry.”
What else happened at the box office this weekend?
(L to R) Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson in ‘Die My Love’. Photo: Kimberley French/Mubi.
Unfortunately for the box office prospects, ‘Badlands’ was one of the few movies to make much of an impact this week, the rest of the new arrivals limited to less wide releases and awards contenders.
Faith-based entry ‘Sarah’s Oil’ fared best, opening in fourth place with $4.5 million. ‘Nuremberg’, a drama about the historic post-World War II trials, did solid business, landing fifth with $4.1 million, though given its higher-profile and starry cast (Russell Crowe and Rami Malek among them) it likely hoped for more.
Still, stars really couldn’t save Lynne Ramsay’s latest, psychodrama ‘Die My Love.’ Despite Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson in the lead roles, the story of post-partum depression and dysfunction tanked with audiences, earning $2.8 million for eighth.
And that’s still better than the Sydney Sweeney-starring boxing biopic ‘Christy’, which couldn’t even crack the top 10, stumbling to 11th with $1.3 million. It’s the latest flop opening for the actor and could well lead to chatter that her rising star status is under serious threat (at least for now).
Sydney Sweeney in ‘Christy’. Photo: Black Bear Pictures.
Director Dan Trachtenberg, who began his journey with the ‘Predator’ franchise via period thriller ‘Prey,’ truly has evolved into the keeper of the flame for the Yautja (the alien race known for its desire to hunt).
With ‘Predator: Badlands,’ he offers yet another intriguing twist on the ‘Predator’ mythos, eschewing the usual human-vs-Yautja combat for a young Predator on his first hunt, seeking to prove himself on a lethally dangerous planet.
Patrick Aison, who also wrote ‘Prey,’ returns here for another fun script that this time is focused almost entirely on a double-act between the central Predator, known as Dek, and Elle Fanning’s Thia, a Weyland-Yutani synthetic (yes, this is Aison and Trachtenberg mixing in the ‘Alien’ mythology to far better effect than any of the ‘Alien vs. Predator’ movies.
The plot of the movie itself might not hold many surprises, but it’s inventive enough, and features a solid buddy comedy with Thia and Dek –– and yes, this is surprisingly more comedic than you might expect.
And Trachtenberg has once more delivered a visual feast, with smart use of locations mixed with soundstage work to bring the story to life.
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi has the heavier load to carry, emoting through layers of CG-assisted Predator prosthetics, but he manages the task, bringing Dek to life with spirit.
And Fanning is, if anything, even more entertaining, making Thia a sparky, clever character you enjoy spending time with.
‘Predator: Badlands’ doesn’t rise to the level of the original ‘Predator’ or even ‘Prey,’ but it’s a superbly entertaining throwback to movies of the 1980s and 1990s, driven by a propulsive plot and some fantastic effects.
It’s also great to see Trachtenberg’s ‘Predator’ skills unleashed on the big screen, unlike his previous two outings.
The newest entry in the ‘Predator’ franchise is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
Who is in the cast of ‘Predator: Badlands’?
Elle Fanning as Thia
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek and Njohur
Mike Homik as Kwei
‘Predator: Badlands’ opens in theaters on November 7th.
(L to R) Alec Gillis, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Elle Fanning and director Dan Trachtenberg at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Hall H panel for ‘Predator: Badlands’. Photo: Disney.
Preview:
‘Predator: Badlands’ showed off new footage at Comic-Con.
Director Dan Trachtenberg and star Elle Fanning were on the panel.
He’s back with a second outing this year, ‘Predator: Badlands’, which naturally took the opportunity to bring some footage and guests to Comic-Con to make sure audiences are primed.
In the future on a remote planet, a young Predator, outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in artificial being Thia (Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
What happened at the ‘Predator: Badlands’ panel?
(L to R) Director Dan Trachtenberg, Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Alec Gillis at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Hall H panel for ‘Predator: Badlands’. Photo: Disney.
Predator masks were handed out to the crowd at the start of the panel, which came in handy since a Predator took the stage to menace the assembled audience.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith moderated the panel, and admitted up front that ‘Badlands’ was his favorite ‘Predator’ movie so far.
Smith introduced Trachtenberg, who admitted how excited he was to be promoting a movie at Comic-Con after years attending as a fan:
“You could imagine bringing a movie to Hall H would be a dream for me. It’s something I’m really proud of, and I’m so happy to share it with all of you.”
The Predator carrying Fanning’s character (or half of her) on his back was inspired by Chewbacca carrying C-3PO in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’.
(L to R) Director Dan Trachtenberg and Elle Fanning at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Hall H panel for ‘Predator: Badlands’. Photo: Disney.
Here’s what Fanning had to say about taking the role:
“Reading the script, what really drew me in was the heart and emotions… there’s no humans. I’m a synthetic android, he’s a Predator. But there’s so much humanity in these characters.”
Trachtenberg was also thinking about emotions- particularly having the Predator face be uncovered a lot more this time, so as to display both the digital work and performance.
The panel closed out with the first 15 minutes of ‘Badlands’ shown to the crowd, which cheered the Predator-y goodness.
In related ‘Predator’ news, ‘Killer of Killers’ will be updated on Hulu with an additional post-credits scene featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s Dutch and Danny Glover‘s Mike Harrigan.
When will ‘Predator: Badlands’ be in theaters?
This latest ‘Predator’ outing stalks into cinemas on November 7th.
(L to R) Director Dan Trachtenberg, Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Alec Gillis at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 Hall H panel for ‘Predator: Badlands’. Photo: Disney.
‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
On Hulu on June 6th is ‘Predator: Killer of Killers,’ an animated anthology that has Predator creatures dropping in on three very different time periods of Earth.
Dan Trachtenberg certainly brought a breath of fresh air to the ‘Predator’ franchise after even Shane Black couldn’t manage to breathe new life into it with the disappointing ‘The Predator.’ So Trachtenberg has naturally been given free rein to explore other avenues, and he’s been on a cherry picking mission through the wider Predator mythology (which includes comic books, novelizations and video games) to find different looks for the Yautja aliens –– the Predators’ actual species name –– and different human challenges for them to face.
Yet as with any attempt to build on an existing franchise, does ‘Killer of Killers’ establish itself as worthy?
Trachtenberg worked up the story for the new movie alongside Micho Robert Rutare, with the latter tasked into turning their concepts into a screenplay. The result, as with any anthology is a mixed bag, with one of the stories standing out from the others; though all have something to recommend them.
The first, ‘The Shield,’ takes place in Viking times (841 A.D. if you really want to get specific), and sees a Predator incursion interrupting a clash between clan leader Ursa and Zoran, the war chief who murdered her father. A little like ‘Prey,’ it follows a rite of passage, as Ursa’s son Anders is being encouraged to fight like a warrior. Suffice to say, there are plenty of hacked limbs and slashed midriffs –– and that’s before the Predator creature even shows up.
‘The Shield’ manages some good moments undercutting expectations, though it is also relatively slight.
‘The Sword’ brings us forward in time to Samurai-era Japan, where a ninja has turned against the Samurai brother he was raised opposite. This time, the story of vengeance is slightly more nuanced, and the Predator who arrives to add to the chaos nimbler than the previous example.
Finally, ‘The Bullet,’ the third story, is set during World War II and features something truly new and different –– at least in big-screen ‘Predator’ action –– while it is the story of young mechanic (and wannabe pilot) Torres, it’s mostly set in the air, as American fighter planes take on a Predator spaceship.
It won’t surprise you to learn, particularly given Trachtenberg’s involvement, that there is also more going on here –– but spoiler concerns prevent us from talking more about that element. Suffice to say, there are connections here that slowly reveal themselves, and deepen the story.
On the animation front, Josh Wassung’s team acquit themselves admirably, creating subtly different styles for each time period, but finding a way to have them feel of a piece. While occasional moments can look like a video game cutscene, and the jerky animation can take a little getting used to, the overall effect works.
And, as mentioned, setting these stories in an animated world gives plenty of scope for bigger action set pieces and wilder moments.
Barring one or two recognizable names (Michael Biehn, Rick Gonzalez, Lauren Holt, Louis Ozawa and Doug Cockle), the voice cast here is mostly made up of people who will be familiar to die-hard gamers and animation fans.
Still, there are effective performances here –– Gonzalez gets a chance to shine as Torres, the young mechanic with some serious piloting chops in the World War II entry, while Lindsay LaVanchy does good work as Ursa, the Viking warrior aiming to forge the next generation of fighter while burning with vengeful fury.
Though the script and, by nature the anthology format, doesn’t always give the cast the most rounded of characters to play, they all work well.
Some ‘Predator’ fanatics might quibble with a few details here and there, and the quality of the stories can be mixed, but ‘Killer of Killers’ proves to be a welcome addition to the franchise, providing some visuals that would be prohibitively expensive in live-action and leaning into the mythology.
A few lingering story tendrils push it into Marvel territory in terms of wondering if this is all place-setting for Trachtenberg’s upcoming live-action ‘Predator: Badlands,’ but again, to even speculate about that is verging on spoiler territory.
And regardless, ‘Killer of Killers’ manages to tell a mostly contained, solid story with some welcome, clever nods to the ‘Predator’ movies of the past.
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What’s the story of ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’?
The anthology story follows three of the fiercest warriors in human history: a Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, a ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, and a WWII pilot who takes to the sky to investigate an otherworldly threat to the Allied cause.
But while all these warriors are killers in their own right, they are merely prey for their new opponent –– the ultimate killer of killers.
Who is in the cast of ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’?
‘Prey’ director Dan Trachtenberg has shot both follow-up ‘Badlands’ and a new secret movie.
The other movie is likely to arrive via streaming.
20th Century boss Steve Asbell offered other updates in a new interview.
Ever since ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ director Dan Trachtenberg brought the ‘Predator’ franchise roaring back to life with 2022’s ‘Prey’ (a prequel to the franchise entries that landed on Hulu to huge viewing figures), we’ve been waiting for more news about his follow-up.
Then, back in June this year, word arrived that Elle Fanning was in talks for the next movie to come from Trachtenberg, ‘Predator: Badlands.’ It’s a stand-alone that features no connective tissue to ‘Prey’ other than the appearance of at least one of the movies’ trademark toothy hunters.
According to Asbell, there will indeed be two ‘Predator’ movies headed our way next year.
One is ‘Badlands,’ which wrapped recently in New Zealand and, yes, features Fanning. The other? That’s more of a mystery for now.
This is what Asbell said:
“After ‘Prey’ became a success, Dan came back and said he didn’t want to do ‘Prey 2.’ And we’re like, ‘What do you want to do?’ And he rattled off a bunch of ideas that were really crazy but really cool. We’ve actually done two of them.”
He had no other real details on the second film, other than to say Trachtenberg directed it before heading out to make ‘Badlands’ and that it probably won’t be released theatrically, which is the destination for ‘Badlands.’
Little has been released about the plot for ‘Badlands,’ and indeed Asbell offers not much by way of detail, other than to say:
“It is an absolutely bonkers idea. It is a sci-fi thing, but it’s not what everybody thinks it is. And I mean, it’s awesome. It is so nuts. But in Dan, we trust.”
One of the other big 20th Century sci-fi franchises, ‘Alien,’ also saw love this year.
‘Alien: Romulus,’ directed by Fede Alvarez, was a success at the box office, and a sequel is in the works.
This is what Asbell had to say about the future of the franchise:
“We’re working on a sequel idea now. We haven’t quite closed our deal with Fede, but we are going to, and he has an idea that we’re working on. The two survivors, Rain and Andy, played by Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, were real highlights of the film. And so I always think of it like, ‘Wow, where do people want to see them go next?’ We know there’s going to be aliens. We know there’s going to be great horror set pieces. But I fell in love with both of them and I want to see what their story is.”
That would also make people think about the times that the ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’ franchises have crossed over –– but according to Asbell, while he and his team are thinking about it, don’t expect them to rush into the idea:
“It wouldn’t be in the way you think. That’s the thing. Not in the way that it will just be called ‘Alien vs. Predator’ or anything like the original movies. If we do this, they’ll be organically created out of these two franchises that we’ve continued with characters that we fall in love with, and those characters will combine… perhaps. But we haven’t gotten to that point.”
(L to R) Spike Fearn, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Cailee Spaeny, director Fede Álvarez and Archie Renaux at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
Preview:
‘Alien: Romulus’ brought terror to the San Diego Comic-Con.
Director Fede Alvarez and his cast were in attendance.
The movie’s team brought Facehuggers to the presentation.
It’s always a challenge to stand out at a panel at the San Diego Comic-Con; but when you have the compelling terror of an ‘Alien’ movie and the resources of 20th Century Studios, you can afford to put on a show.
With journalists previously teased by a VHS tape begging up the idea of the panel weeks before, the Con event itself proved to be memorable, launched with flashing red lights and red smoke piercing the pre-show gloom and closing with a planted audience member stumbling on stage, attacked by a Facehugger (AKA the larval stage of the xenomorph aliens we love to hate), others of the creature scuttling across the stage and another person having an alien burst from his chest with a spray of fake blood.
While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
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Who is in ‘Alien: Romulus’?
(L to R) David Jonsson, Cailee Spaeny, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Cailee Spaeny, and Spike Fearn at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
The actors talked about their roles and the experience shooting the movie, which blended practical and physical effects –– Fearn talked about not having to shoot “with tennis balls”, while Spaeny enthused about being enveloped by the huge practical sets.
What did we learn at the ‘Alien: Romulus’ Comic-Con panel?
(L to R) Director Fede Álvarez, Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux and Spike Fearn at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
Director Fede Alvarez, who wrote the script with regular collaborator Rodo Sayagues, answered the lion’s share of the questions, including those submitted by the likes of Ridley Scott (director of the original 1979 ‘Alien’ and a couple of more recent spin-offs, who is a producer on ‘Romulus’), Dan Trachtenberg (director of Predator movie ‘Prey’) and Guillermo del Toro (a filmmaker who surely needs little introduction).
Asked by del Toro about his approach to leading the design for the latest take on the xenomorph creature, he admitted it included lots of reading and looking through old films to make sure they honored what came before. “If you love it, it’s hard to f*** it up,” he said.
Trachtenberg asked who would win between a Predator and a Xenomorph, with Alvarez and his cast clear that the Xenomorphs would triumph.
Cailee Spaeny at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
Scott got two questions –– one about the themes of the new movie (“It’s called ‘Romulus’ because it’s really a story about siblinghood,” Alvarez said, explaining that he wants to explore more human connections in a way the original movies didn’t.
The other Scott query could almost have come from the fan Q&A section, grilling Alvarez on his favorite ‘Alien’ movie, with the proviso that he directed the original –– which Alvarez confirmed he loved the most (well, it wouldn’t do to be fired at this point).
Dotted through the panel was footage from the movie, including a chestburster scene that the director explained upfront had been edited differently to the final film version so as to preclude some spoilers. All the scenes shown from the movie had the audience screaming and cheering in equal measure.
When will ‘Alien: Romulus’ be in theaters?
The movie itself is due to unleash horror in cinemas on August 16th.
(Right) Director Fede Álvarez at the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 ‘Alien: Romulus’ panel. Photo: Disney.
Elle Fanning in ‘The Neon Demon’. Photo: Amazon Studios.
Preview:
Elle Fanning is in talks for the new ‘Predator’ Stand-Alone Movie ‘Badlands’.
Dan Trachtenberg is once more directing.
A ‘Prey’ sequel is also in development.
2022’s ‘Prey’, even though it debuted on streaming service Hulu, has been a huge success, breaking viewing records for the Disney-owned company and introducing new fans to the ‘Predator’ story.
We learned back in February that Dan Trachtenberg, who directed ‘Prey’, is headed back into ‘Predator’ territory with new stand-alone movie ‘Badlands’. And there has been an update –– Elle Fanning, most recently seen in Hulu series ‘The Great’, is now in negotiations to take a lead role. As to what role she’ll play, that has yet to be revealed.
The plot for the new film is being kept hidden for now. We do know that it is not planned as a direct sequel to ‘Prey’, which you might recall was set in 1719 and saw a Comanche woman (Amber Midthunder) dealing with the dismissive attitudes of the men around her, encroaching human threats and, oh yes, a skilled extraterrestrial hunter on the planet for sport.
But given Trachtenberg’s return (and that of writer Patrick Aison, who has crafted the new script from a story he worked on with the director), there’s every chance it could have some link to the 2022 movie.
All that is concrete about the new movie is that it’s set at some point in the future and will once more focus on a female human lead character.
All being well, Trachtenberg is aiming to have the movie shooting in July, and Fanning’s casting means that is looking more likely.
What else is happening with the ‘Predator’ franchise?
While ‘Badlands’ is the one confirmed project to move from development into pre-production, Trachtenberg is reportedly also overseeing other potential ‘Predator’ concepts that could be handed off to different creative teams. This is Disney, after all, which rarely likes to let a chance for a new (or in this case, renewed) franchise to slip through its fingers.
Deadline’s story on Fanning entering negotiations also mentions that a ‘Prey’ sequel is in very early development, which would mean Midthunder’s Naru would be the first character to reoccur across more than one ‘Predator’ movie.
If ‘Badlands’ is a success, expect plenty more ‘Predator’ projects to switch off their cloak of invisibility and start stalking our screens.
Disney and 20th Century Studios have yet to announce a release date, nor confirm if it’ll be in theaters (but we figure it’s a good bet given the companies’ refreshed commitment to theatrical releases). With shooting set for this year, a 2025 slot seems likely.
Dan Trachtenberg is making a new ‘Predator’ movie.
It won’t be a direct sequel to his hit ‘Prey’.
Patrick Aison is writing the script.
Back in 2022, director Dan Trachtenberg brought the ‘Predator’ franchise roaring back to life with ‘Prey’, a bold, fresh take on the idea of the aliens visiting Earth to hunt.
‘Prey’, though it was originally targeted for a theatrical release, found itself moved to streaming once 20th Century Fox was bought by Disney and the company decided not to let it go to HBO (where there was a deal for Fox releases after their cinematic run).
The result was record viewing figures for streaming service Hulu and a renewed interest in all things ‘Predator’.
Now Trachtenberg is back and has a new movie in the works called ‘Badlands’.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plot for the new film is being kept hidden for now. We do know that it is not planned as a direct sequel to ‘Prey’, which you might recall was set in 1719 and saw a Comanche woman (Amber Midthunder) dealing with the dismissive attitudes of the men around her, encroaching human threats and, oh yes, a skilled extraterrestrial hunter on the planet for sport.
But given Trachtenberg’s return (and that of writer Patrick Aison, who has crafted the new script from a story he worked on with the director), there’s every chance it could have some link to the 2022 movie.
All that is concrete about the new movie is that it’s set at some point in the future and will once more focus on a female human lead character.
All being well, Trachtenberg is aiming to have the movie shooting in July.
While ‘Badlands’ is the one confirmed project to move from development into pre-production, Trachtenberg is reportedly also overseeing other potential ‘Predator’ concepts that could be handed off to other creative teams. This is Disney, after all, which rarely likes to let a chance for a new (or in this case, renewed) franchise to slip through its fingers.
If ‘Badlands’ is a success, expect plenty more ‘Predator’ projects to switch off their cloak of invisibility and start stalking our screens.
When will ‘Badlands’ be released?
Disney and 20th Century Studios have yet to announce a release date, nor confirm if it’ll be in theaters (but we figure it’s a good bet). With shooting set for this year, a 2025 slot seems likely.
