‘Badlands’: The ‘Prey’ Team Has A New Standalone ‘Predator’ Film On The Way

The Predator franchise is alive and well, folks. You have no idea how happy that makes me, and millions of others who love it. Prey revitalized it like nobody could’ve predicted, and while a sequel to that film is still in the works, the same creative team as another Predator movie on the way, so start getting excited now.

Deadline reports that Prey director Dan Trachtenberg and writer Patrick Aison are teaming up for Badlands, another standalone Predator movie for 20th Century Studios. The duo are coming up with the story together, but there are currently no plot details available.

The title is suggestive, though. It sounds like it could be a Western, which is something Predator has never tackled before. You could also see Badlands referring to another indigenous story, but I think they’ll save that for the Prey sequel, which could bring back Amber Midthunder in the lead role. Badlands is expected to arrive first, though.

Prey was a gigantic hit for Hulu back in 2022, breaking viewership records and earning six Emmy nominations. Here’s where my head is at, though. While it was definitely a streaming success story, Predator is typically a theatrical franchise. Will Disney, which owns 20th Century Studios, see big money in a move back to theaters?

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.