Watch a Pre-Visualization Treetop Chase Sequence for PREY That Was Cut From the Film

If you enjoyed Dan Trachtenberg‘s awesome Predator movie, Prey, I’ve got a video here that you’ve got to check out. It’s a pre-visualization treetop chase sequence that didn’t make it into the final cut of the film.

This is an intense scene that sees the Predator chasing down the hero of the story, Naru, across the treetops. This would’ve been a cool sequence, and I think it would’ve worked, but what the film ended up being was great regardless.

Trachtenberg talked Polygon about the scene and why it didn’t make the final cut: “The pre-vis sequence… I was so stoked on. But I was worried about [the treetop chase] being too fancy for the movie. And we really had to nail the execution for it to not feel goofy when so much of the movie and its action is quite grounded. As excited as I was for that kind of physicality, of Naru and that style of chase to be on screen, I was quite nervous. But I loved the way that the cut clamp was used in that sequence, and thought it was quite a clever thing for Naru to be doing. So I’m happy that can exist now.”

The story for the film is set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. The movie follows a young woman named Naru, “a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.”

The film’s cast includes Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp (Sooyii), Michelle Thrush (The Journey Home), and Julian Black Antelope (Tribal). I’m looking forward to the sequel!