It seems that the Predator doesn’t just have a cloaking device in the movies — it’s also lurking unseen in 2025’s release schedule. In addition to Badlands, the already-announced sequel to 2022’s surprise hit Prey, there’s a second Predator movie coming from director Dan Trachtenberg next year. 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell revealed the film’s existence in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Asbell revealed that in the wake of Prey‘s critical and commercial success, director Trachtenberg sat down with the studio and laid out other Predator movies he wanted to make — ideas that Asbell describes as “really crazy but really cool.” Badlands had previously been announced and will be released in theaters on November 7, 2025, bumping the much-delayed MCU Blade film out of that spot. However, Asbell also discussed a previously unannounced Predator movie, also directed by Trachtenberg, that stemmed from that conversation. All we know about it for the time being is that it will go direct-to-streaming, presumably on Hulu, and that it will be released before Badlands‘ November debut. But Predator fans can rejoice knowing that they’ll have a double dose of their favorite science-fiction/action franchise in 2025.
What Do We Know About ‘Badlands’
So far, details about Badlands are being kept more top-secret than a covert special ops mission to Val Verde. What we do know is that it is not a direct sequel to Prey, which starred Amber Midthunder as a young Comanche woman who takes on a Predator in the early 18th century. Instead, it will take place in the future, and will star Dakota Fanning; no additional plot details or casting have yet been revealed. Asbell says the film 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.” Trachtenberg will direct and also co-wrote the script with Patrick Aison, who wrote Prey. Asbell also confirms that the film has recently completed filming in New Zealand.
The Predator franchise has crossed over a number of times with 20th Century‘s other premiere creature feature franchise, Alien; it just had a successful revival of its own with this year’s Alien: Romulus. When asked if the two franchises would cross claws again, Asbell was noncommittal:
“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.”
Badlands will be released theatrically on November 7, 2025; no release date or title has yet been announced for 20th Century‘s other Predator movie of 2025.
via Collider