For almost 40 years, the Predator franchise rested on a dependable formula: introduce a vicious Yautja, place it in a new setting, unleash it against an elite warrior, and let the hunt unfold. The original 1987 film perfected that concept, blending horror, action and mystery into a lean, muscular thriller. But many sequels that followed were content to repackage the same ingredients without expanding the emotional stakes or the mythology.
Dan Trachtenberg changed that.
In the span of just four years, the director has reshaped Predator three different ways—each time pushing the boundaries of what a Predator story can be. With Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers, and Predator: Badlands, Trachtenberg has taken the franchise from historical survival thriller to stylistic anthology and then to alien-world character drama. His work didn’t just revive the series; it reoriented its future.
Overview: Trachtenberg’s Three Reinventions
| Film / Project | Release Year | Core Innovation | Narrative Focus | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prey | 2022 | Historical setting; return to primal survival storytelling | Naru, a Comanche hunter proving herself | Re-centered character and culture; revitalized franchise identity |
| Predator: Killer of Killers | 2024 | Animated anthology spanning global timelines | Multiple warriors vs. Yautja | Expanded storytelling range; introduced boundary-free format |
| Predator: Badlands | 2026 | First Yautja-focused narrative; alien world setting | Dek, a young Yautja questioning clan doctrines | Deepened mythology; created the franchise’s first alien protagonist |
“Prey” Returned to the Franchise’s Primal Roots—And Found Its Heart
Trachtenberg began his reinvention by going backward. Prey strips away decades of continuity and modern firepower, relocating the story to the Great Plains of the 1700s. Its protagonist, Naru (Amber Midthunder), is a young Comanche woman determined to claim her place as a hunter in a tribe that underestimates her. The core Predator structure remains—an advanced alien stalks a skilled fighter—but Trachtenberg reframes the dynamic.
Rather than guns and gadgets, Naru’s weapons are observation, strategy and instinct. It’s the logic of Dutch’s mud-covered final showdown in the original film, extended into an entire narrative.
Visually, Prey embraces patience and atmosphere. The sweeping plains and dense forest become active elements of the story, pushing Naru to adapt as the Yautja adapts in turn. Midthunder grounds the film in emotional realism—her Naru isn’t just another action hero but a young woman fighting for recognition inside her own community while facing a creature beyond her understanding.
Thematically, Prey deepens the series. It builds drama not only from the hunt but from Naru’s struggle for agency and respect, weaving culture and personal growth into the franchise’s DNA. Many fans argue Prey is the strongest entry since the original. Some argue it surpasses it.
“Predator: Killer of Killers” Opened the Universe in Every Direction
After grounding the franchise in history, Trachtenberg took it across time. Predator: Killer of Killers is an animated anthology with sweeping ambition. Rather than a single narrative, the film presents encounters across centuries: samurai facing a cloaked hunter in the mist, Vikings clashing with a proto-Yautja on icy shores, World War II pilots locked in aerial combat with an invisible foe.
Animation gives Trachtenberg unmatched creative flexibility. Yautja technology moves with blazing speed, the violence is fluid but artful, and the global shifts in setting come without the constraints of location shoots. The anthology format lets the franchise leap anywhere—proving the concept can thrive beyond live-action limitations.
Importantly, Trachtenberg avoids creating a blueprint for endless spin-offs. Instead, he packages these stories together, capturing the thrill of possibility without diluting the premise. The film reinforces the idea introduced in Prey: the Predator franchise isn’t bound to any single timeline or protagonist. It can be a global, multi-era tapestry.
And by exploring that premise so fully, Trachtenberg clears the slate for his boldest pivot yet.
“Predator: Badlands” Finally Gives the Yautja a Story of Their Own
Trachtenberg’s most daring reinvention arrives with Predator: Badlands, the first film in the franchise to follow a Yautja protagonist. Set on a hostile alien world where every species has adapted to kill, the film centers on Dek, a young Yautja struggling to prove himself.
Though previous entries hinted at a warrior code, Badlands is the first to dramatize Yautja culture from the inside. Through action—not exposition—we see rites of passage, earned cloaking privileges, the weight of tribal hierarchy and the brutal expectations placed on the weak. Dek, small for his age and labeled a runt, gives the Yautja something they never had before: vulnerability.
When Dek encounters Thia (Elle Fanning), a synthetic abandoned on the planet, he begins to question the clan doctrines that prize strength over thought, dominance over connection. Their uneasy alliance reframes the Yautja not as mindless hunters but as a society capable of conflict, doubt and evolution.
Though Badlands carries a PG-13 rating—a choice that divided longtime fans—Trachtenberg uses the constraint to focus on tension, character and emotional stakes. Dek emerges as the franchise’s first fully dimensional Yautja character, and the film opens a new era in the mythology.
Trachtenberg also lays grounded, subtle links to the Alien universe, including Weyland-Yutani’s presence, though without pandering to crossover spectacle. The world-building is connective, not gimmicky.
A New Legacy: Reinvention Without Losing the Franchise’s Core
Across three projects, Trachtenberg proves the franchise can be reinvented without losing its primal identity.
- Prey perfected the core formula by rooting it in character and culture.
- Killer of Killers expanded its aesthetic and narrative horizons.
- Badlands deepened its lore and gave emotional resonance to the Yautja themselves.
Rather than chasing nostalgia, Trachtenberg interrogates the themes that make Predator endure: strength, honor, survival and identity. Under his vision, the franchise becomes flexible—capable of intimate dramas, mythic tales, historical epics and futuristic odysseys. He didn’t rewrite Predator; he broadened it.
In four years, Trachtenberg has opened every possible direction the series can travel—backward, forward, sideways and off-world entirely. It is now one of science fiction’s most versatile universes.
FAQs
Predator: Badlands marks the largest departure, as it centres on a Yautja POV for the first time and explores their culture from the inside.
Prey and Badlands both leave room for follow-ups. While no official sequels have been announced, Disney and 20th Century Studios have expressed interest in expanding both timelines.
The anthology format and animation allowed him to explore multiple eras, cultures and action styles without the constraints of live-action budgets, locations or practical effects.
Yes, but subtly. Weyland-Yutani appears, suggesting shared continuity, but the film avoids overt crossover setups like Xenomorph teases.
Trachtenberg collaborated with writers, cultural consultants (for Prey), animators and effects teams, but his vision shaped the tone, emotional core and structural reinventions across all three projects.
