Fans of Prey and 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg might want to brace themselves — because some of the most intriguing projects he’s been linked to over the years may not be happening after all. In a new interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub for his new anthology movie, Predator: Killer of Killers, the filmmaker delivered a bittersweet update on the long-rumored Waterworld TV series and whether he’d ever tackle a Portal movie following his short film based on the video game.

First up: Waterworld. Yes, that Waterworld — the infamous 1995 post-apocalyptic epic starring Kevin Costner, which, in recent years, found a second life as a cult classic and theme park stunt show. Reports swirled back in 2021 that Trachtenberg was working on a follow-up series. But according to him, the reports were a little… premature. He told Collider:

“It never really even was. I love Waterworld so much. I truly, actually wanted to sequelize it in a video game. Would that I could. I still would. The producers of that had a conversation with me and then sort of announced it or mentioned it in a way that was a little bit premature, so I haven’t really gone any further into what that is or was.”

When Weintraub joked that this was a classic case of Hollywood’s “take a meeting, dot com,” Trachtenberg responded with a laugh: “[Laughs] Right, right, right. Exactly.” So while there was clearly some passion behind the idea, don’t expect to be diving back into the mariner’s world any time soon, at least not with Trachtenberg at the helm.

As for Portal, the 2011 short film Portal: No Escape made Trachtenberg a household name among gamers and sci-fi fans alike. Ever since, fans have been hoping he’d get the chance to direct a full-fledged movie version of the hit Valve game, with JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot planning an adaptation. But even here, the update was a little more grounded.

“The hardest thing about doing a Portal movie now is that Dungeons & Dragons movie, [Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves], that was phenomenal, terribly underrated, should have had a bigger audience, did a Portal sequence in it that was absolutely spectacular. And Lilo & Stitch just did some fun Portal things, as well. So, I think it’s not the same as it was, not to mean that there still isn’t more to do there. Right after doing the short, I had pitched what I would have done, and it was a bonkers, crazy idea. So, I don’t know where they’re at now. I don’t know if Bad Robot still has it. They might still have it. In one sense, it sort of is a chapter from the past for me, but also, my mind hasn’t been there as of late.”

It sounds like he’s moved on — at least for now. It’s a disappointing double blow for anyone still holding out hope for a big-budget Waterworld reboot or a faithful Portal adaptation from the guy who made Prey one of the most acclaimed genre movies of the decade. But if there’s any silver lining, it’s that Trachtenberg clearly still has a deep love for both worlds — and that passion often has a way of resurfacing when the timing’s right.

What Is ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ About?

Killer of Killers is an animated anthology that explores the different encounters between Predators and formidable human warriors across different historical periods, showing how the Predator adapts and overcomes through time. The movie contains three separate stories: a Viking raider leading her young son on a quest for vengeance; a ninja in feudal Japan confronting his Samurai brother in a brutal succession battle; and a World War II pilot investigating an otherworldly threat to the Allied forces.

Predator: Killer of Killers is set to premiere on June 6, 2025, on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ internationally.

via Collider