Dan Trachtenberg in talks to direct new ‘Predator’ film

Washington DC [US]: There is good news for ‘Predator’ fans as filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg and 20th Century Studios are in talks to make a new Predator feature, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Trachtenberg, who earned an Emmy nomination for his 2022 Predator movie ‘Prey’, is returning to the sci-fi action horror franchise to make a new instalment.
The latest Predator film, titled ‘Badlands’, is not a sequel to Prey, which was set in 1719 and revolved around a young Comanche woman forced to struggle for survival against interplanetary predators, but rather a completely new plot. Plot details are being kept hidden, however this one is reported to be set in the future. Like ‘Prey’, it will have a female lead.
As with Prey, Trachtenberg collaborated on the story with Patrick Aison, who penned the screenplay. The project has been working in the background for some time and is nearing completion, with a July production start date scheduled.
Badlands is not the only Predator project in the works. Prey’s unexpected popularity transcended critics and audiences, revitalizing the franchise. The studio is now developing a slew of Predator projects, with Trachtenberg at the forefront.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century had no comment.
‘Predator’ was a muscle-bound action film from 1987 that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and Jesse Ventura as commandos being chased in a jungle by a terrible alien. The picture, directed by John McTiernan, helped to establish Schwarzenegger’s celebrity status. Three sequels followed, ‘Predator 2’ (1990), ‘Predators’ (2010), and ‘The Predator’ (2018), with ‘Prey’ serving as a precursor. The property has also spawned successful comic books (Marvel Comics released Predator vs Wolverine last year) and video games.
When Prey launched on Hulu, it was a major streaming success, smashing new watching records for the platform. The film, however, was initially intended for theatrical release.
When Prey launched on Hulu, it was a major streaming success, smashing new watching records for the platform. The film, however, was initially intended for theatrical release. This changed, however, following 20th Century Fox’s transfer to Disney; according to insiders, the Fox-owned studio had an output arrangement with HBO, implying that Prey would have gone to a competing studio after its theatrical release.
With strengthening streaming services a primary focus during The Streaming Wars, and the epidemic still wreaking havoc on the box office, new owner Disney decided that releasing the film on Hulu would be the best choice.
Trachtenberg caught the attention of Hollywood with 2016’s ’10 Cloverfield Lane’, a tense and claustrophobic entry in the JJ Abrams-produced ‘Cloverfield’ movie series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.