If the extraterrestrial trophy-seeking hunters from the Predator films are your favorite outer space sci-fi creatures, you’re in luck this year. The revered Yautjas have been confirmed to return to hunt more of our kind in a newly announced project.
Hunting humans for sport is the entertainment for Yautjas, and watching the thrill unfold is probably yours if you’re excited about the new project. Latest in the popular 37-year-old sci-fi action franchise, a new film titled Badlands has been announced to be in the works with Dan Trachtenberg reclining in the director’s chair. The film is probably a gift coming from the record-breaking success of the 2022 Predator prequel Prey.
20th Century released Prey on Hulu in Aug. 2022 as the fifth film in the franchise that first began with the John McTiernan-directed Predator in 1987. Prey breathed life back into the stale franchise and brought in record-breaking viewership numbers for Hulu. This led to a green light for a sequel titled Prey 2, set to be released sometime in 2025. Though Badlands will also expand the franchise, it will do so as a standalone film.
Here’s more about the release window, plot, and other details of Badlands:
Badlands plot and cast
In June 2022, Dan Trachtenberg first revealed the discussions for additional installments being developed after the release and success of Prey. And you better believe the director is on some serious business as he revealed the intent is to do things that have not been done before in the franchise (via Timeout). Badlands is one such project envisioned to take the Predator franchise to new heights… and to a new timeline.
According to the information so far, Badlands will be set chronologically in the distant future, driving away from the Predator saga’s original timeline. Though it will feature the signature Predator creatures, it will band away from the continuing story and expand the Predator universe, taking us somewhere far away. Oh, and we also hear discussions that the plot will center around a new female lead instead of the usual macho man.
The details of the cast of Badlands are currently being kept under wraps. However, we speculate that various fresh faces will lead the new film given both the franchise’s previous trend of not bringing back actors and the story being completely new.
Badlands release window
As for when you can expect the new adventure to unfold on the big screens, Badlands‘ approximate arrival window in theaters is expected to be sometime in 2025. The principal photography for the film is expected to begin in July 2024, but it takes time to create a masterpiece, right? We estimate the release window to be somewhere between Summer to Fall 2025 and hope it’s worth the wait.
If you’re wondering whether the film will have a streaming release instead of a regular big-screen premiere, there are no confirmations yet. However, the 20th Century is back in the big-screen business with the release of films like Boogeyman and the upcoming Alien: Romulus. So, Prey might have just been a lockdown exception, which means the Badlands action will probably be unleashed in theaters.