When it comes to Predator: Badlands, fans are going to be happy and it’s an exciting time to be a fan, you are looking at one right here. Director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane, Prey) is injecting the franchise with fresh energy, heart, and mythology, while still honoring the brutal beauty that made the originals iconic.
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I got the chance to sit down with Dan, Elle Fanning (Thia), and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (Dek) to talk everything from learning the Yautja language to the future of the franchise and even that tantalizing Alien vs. Predator tease.
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A New Era of Predator
“This is such an exciting time to be a Predator fan,” Den said. “It’s something they’ve been waiting on for a long time.”
He’s not kidding. Badlands feels like the first real expansion of the Predator world in years, diving into Yautja culture, code, and honor, without losing the intensity and danger fans know and love.
Dimitrius shared that mastering the Yautja language actually changed how he physically inhabited the character. “You have to open your throat, your chest moves differently, it changes your whole body,” he said. “It’s part of becoming the Predator.”
Elle added that she learned parts of the language phonetically with the help of Brenton, who created it for the film. “It’s such a cool part of world-building,” she said. “You feel really immersed in their culture.”
When asked if the language could be available for fans to learn, Dan shared that there’s a dictionary and grammar set behind it, and while there are currently no concrete plans for an official release, you never know what could happen.
Dan Trachtenberg on Alien vs. Predator and Letting the Story Cook
Of course, we had to touch on the Alien vs. Predator rumors. Dan smiled. “There are no plans as of yet,” he said. “Fede [Álvarez] is a good friend, and he’ll be at the premiere tonight. The thing about the previous Alien vs. Predator movies is, while there were cool moments, they felt more like a marketing gimmick than a real story.”
Instead, Dan is focused on letting the universe grow naturally. “We’ve taken one element from the franchise and fused it to Predator. Now we let those ideas cook and see where they naturally want to go.”
When asked about exploring more of the Yautja’s inner culture, including the codes of honor and “bad blood,” he didn’t hold back. “We definitely explored more than ever before, but without bogging the story down. If we do more, I’d love to give fans even more, but always in a way that serves the story.”
Creating the Predator — Practical Meets Digital
Dan also broke down how they brought the Badlands Predator to life so realistically. “The key was not making the entire head CGI,” he explained. “We kept the practical suit and only used CG to match the face’s texture. A real suit has a specificity you just can’t recreate digitally, and that’s what makes it feel alive.”
The result is a Predator that moves, breathes, and for the first time, feels emotionally complex.
A Predator With Heart
What surprised fans and delighted Dan is just how much heart Badlands packs. “The reward is seeing people get more from it than they expected,” Dan said. “They’re surprised by the emotion, and that’s been the most rewarding part.”
With immersive world-building, emotional depth, and a director who truly gets what makes this franchise tick, Predator: Badlands isn’t just about the hunt anymore. It’s about the evolution of the hunter. We just hope it keeps cooking.
Predator: Badlands heads to theaters this weekend!
