PREDATOR: BADLANDS Stars Praise Dan Trachtenberg for Bringing “Heart” and “Play” to the Sci-Fi Horror Franchise

When Dan Trachtenberg set out to make Predator: Badlands, he asked himself one question: “What hasn’t been done in the franchise before?” The answer led him to a great idea, a Predator story without humans at its center.

Following the success of his 2022 hit Prey, Trachtenberg’s latest entry takes fans to a whole new corner of the universe, focusing on an outcast Yautja named Dek and a Weyland-Yutani synth named Thia.

The film stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek and Elle Fanning as Thia, with only a handful of other actors joining them on screen. Despite the massive production and alien world-building, the cast says the experience felt surprisingly intimate.

"It was just you and me," Fanning says, smiling at Schuster-Koloamatangi during a chat with GamesRadar+. "And Ravi [Narayan, who plays creature sidekick Bud] too, and yeah, Dan…

“It was nice because it was such a big production, obviously; all these sets that they built and we had these massive locations. But there was kind of a simplicity to it because it was such a tight-knit cast and crew that really cared about the story.

“The crew was so hard working and amazing. They were really invested, and it felt like we were all in it together. So in some ways, it felt like a small film, which is kind of a beautiful thing, because we just got to know each other super well.”

"Dan cares just as much about the emotional scenes as the action. He's kind of a phenomenal director in that way, in that he can balance both. That's why I think he's really great at tackling these worlds, because he adds heart to it, so I enjoyed it."

Set farther in the future than any Predator or Alien installment, Predator: Badlands opens with Dek locked in a brutal fight with his brother Kwei, battling for his place in their clan. His father, an unforgiving warlord, would rather see Dek dead than beside him in combat.

But when Kwei helps Dek escape to the dangerous planet Genna, the young Yautja sets out to hunt a Kalisk, a monstrous creature said to be the galaxy’s deadliest predator.

With the story centered on Yautja characters, Trachtenberg worked with voice actor and linguist Britton Watkins to create a full alien language for the film. The director’s insistence on authenticity led to one of the production’s most memorable on-set challenges.

"[Dan] really allowed us to try things and ad-lib on this. He was so collaborative and not precious about the scenes. I'd be like, 'I don't know if I should do this.' He'd straight away be like 'Let's change it up.'

“He was always open to line changes and things like that, which, sorry to Dimitrius, because he had to learn it in Yautja. Whenever there was a line that was changed, he had to learn how to say that in the language that they created for the film. But yeah, there was a lot of room to play."

Schuster-Koloamatangi embraced the challenge, crediting the tight-knit cast for keeping spirits high during long and grueling days.

"It was cool because they were quite difficult locations and the days were very long, but with that smaller cast and crew, everyone had a relationship with everyone and it helped to get over the line. We just banded together and were like, 'Yeah, we're in it, let's get it done.'"

With Trachtenberg once again pushing the boundaries of what a Predator film can be, Predator: Badlands ended up being an awesome mix of sci-fi, horror, and emotional storytelling that redefines the hunt. I loved the movie!

Predator: Badlands hits theaters in the US on November 7.