As recently as a couple of years ago, you’d get some seriously strange looks if you told somebody that Disney would be backing a brand new Predator movie that wouldn’t even come close to seeing the inside of a theater, but here we are, with Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey coming to Hulu on August 5.
Despite the 10 Cloverfield Lane director going out of his way to insist that his period piece isn’t a prequel, a reboot, or an origin story, it certainly ticks a lot of boxes covering all three. Amber Midthunder stars as a young Comanche warrior who gets caught up in the fight of her life when an intergalactic adversary stops by to hunt for sport, marking the first time the Predators ever set foot on Earth.
It’s an enticing concept, and while we’ve been burned by three additional entries in the franchise and two Alien crossovers that didn’t live up to expectations, it sounds as though Prey could be the return to form the series has been desperately crying out for since John McTiernan’s classic 1987 original.
Prey premiered as San Diego Comic-Con last night, and it didn’t take long for the first batch of enthusiastic reactions to begin making their way online.
It’s a shame that old and new fans alike won’t be able to see Prey on the big screen, but it’s a smart move on Disney and 20th Century Studios’ part nonetheless, when R-rated content hasn’t quite been able to seize a foothold at the resurgent box office. Should everyone agree with the sentiments shared above, then Trachtenberg’s spin on the mythology could be the first new stab at Predator to launch a connected multi-film saga in its own right.