As Alien: Romulus continues its successful theatrical run, the next Predator movie has quietly started shooting
We still don’t know what the ‘Badlands’ are though.
Most moviegoers agree that Alien: Romulus is a pretty fun time and perhaps even the sci-fi horror series’ best since Aliens (1986). Well, it depends on how crazy your personal ranking of the franchise is. Anyway, with both Alien and Predator now back on track, it appears that 20th Century Studios isn’t slowing down and has already started shooting the next Predator standalone flick.
Via AvP Galaxy, who have done a pretty great job over the years of staying on top of everything Alien and Predator, we’ve learned that Predator: Badlands is now filming in New Zealand. The directing-writing duo of Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and Patrick Aison (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) is again behind the wheel, so that’s reason to celebrate, as 2022’s Prey kicked ass.
This time around, however, the plan is to release the next Predator movie in theaters after Prey scored an incredible critical reception and pleased most fans. The folks at Disney know they screwed up by dropping it on Hulu/Disney Plus, and looking at the numbers that Alien: Romulus is making on a $80 million budget, chances are a pretty solid Predator movie could do well in theaters too.
Earlier this summer, we learned that Elle Fanning would star in Badlands, but details on her character were kept under wraps. Now, the AvP Galaxy guys have dug up a vague but intriguing synopsis: “A groundbreaking film in which one of the two main storylines delves into the intricate bond of two very different sisters, their familial ties are put to the ultimate test as they pursue divergent paths and missions.”
It appears the main characters, twin sisters, are both played by Fanning. While one is naive but fearless, it appears the other is more “militant” and intense. The actual plot and setting remain a mystery, but we’ve known for a while the story is set in the not-so-far future. If we combine that with the title Badlands, maybe we could theorize climate change is somewhat important to the plot. In fact, global warming could easily tie into the Predator mythos, as the species prefers warm environments.
Regardless, chances are we’ll be getting more official details and casting news in the coming months, as the movie is expected to wrap this autumn. This could indicate either a late 2025 or spring/summer 2026 release window, depending on how fast Disney and 20th Century Studios want to move forward with it.