Disney and 20th Century Studios have published a new trailer for the next “Predator: Badlands” today, and he gave a much more in-depth look at the live follow-up of Dan Trachtenberg to the very acclaimed “prey” of 2022. While this film brought things back to the distant past, this new entry into the franchise will take us deeply in the future. He will also obviously offer a great science fiction crossover, perhaps even build a new cinematographic universe. Prepare for a new “Alien” https://www.slashfilm.com/ shared universes “Predator”.
The first trailer for “Badlands” presented us the character of Elle Fanning, an Android named Thia. Fans in the eyes of Eagle noticed that his eyes had a Weyland-Yutani logo, referring to the company that produces Androids in the “Alien” universe. It seemed to lay the foundations to bring these universes for the first time since the films “Alien vs. Predator” in the early 2000s. This last trailer undoubtedly clearly makes it exactly what is happening.
On the one hand, we see Thia in poor condition with the words “Weyland-Yutani” appearing on the screen on sight. The last plan of the trailer also presents Thia and his young predatory friend who compete against a large robot machine which does not resemble the charger of the end of “extraterrestrials”. Without going out and saying it, it is obvious what is going on here. The studio also keeps the specificities largely under the Wraps, because the official synopsis, which can be read as follows, maintains things quite vague:
“Predator: Badlands”, which features Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, takes place in the future on a distant planet, where a young predator, purc of his clan, finds an improbable ally in Thia (Fanning) and embarked on a fishing trip in search of the ultimate opponent.
The predatory and extraterrestrial universes are about to collite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43R9L7EKJWE
There are other clues in the last trailer “badlands” which suggests that more things are going on. At one point, Thia said: “You came to the most dangerous planet in the universe” while speaking to the young nameless predator at the center of history. She then adds: “You are looking for a creature that cannot be killed. The final predator.”
The planet remains without name and there are a lot of great dangerous creatures in the trailer. But reading between the lines, it seems that Thia can speak of a xenomorph, as opposed to everything we see on the screen. Whether the xenomorph appears in this film or not in this film, however, the result is the same: the “Alien” films and the films “Predator” clearly exist in the same universe. Which has major implications.
“Alien vs. Predator” was a solid hit from the box office in 2004, leading so much unloved “Alien vs. Predator: Requiem”. These films are no longer part of the “extraterrestrial” cannon, but there has always been a belief among the fans that they are canon in the “Predator” universe. With what Trachtenberg does here, it seems likely that Disney completely increases these guns from the cannon.
The other important thing to discuss is “Alien: Romulus” from last year. Directed by Fede Alvarez, the end of “Romulus” saw the rain (Caiee Spaeny) and Andy (David Jonsson) head for an unknown world. Without diving too far in a speculative territory here, could their final destination involve predators and xenomorphs? The evidence rises that a more significant crossing is in the cards.
Does Disney build a new extraterrestrial film against predator?
So what is this end of the game, exactly? Another film “Alien vs. Predator”? It would make sense, but the chief of the 20th century studios Steve Asbell addressed this question in an interview of October 2024 with The Hollywood Reporter, suggesting that it would not be as simple as that. Here is what he had to say about this:
“It would not be in the way you think. This is the thing. Not in the way it will simply be called Alien VS. Predator or something like original films. If we do it, they will be created in an organic way from these two franchises that we have continued with characters from whom we fall in love and these characters will combine … Maybe.”
Where does that leave us? We know with certainty that a suite “Alien: Romulus” is already in preparation. This could help build a bridge towards this crossover “Predator” more, whatever the form that takes. As Asbell says, it would not be as reducing as a “AVP” restart. Making more speculation on details seems to be a crazy race. We will probably know much more once “Badlands” will be released.
The other key is that the “Predator: Killer of Killers” animated “added a crazy S *** to tradition, clearly indicating that anything is possible in this universe. If xenomorphs exist in the same galaxy as the Yautja, they undoubtedly met with each other. We will have to wait and see how Trachtenberg decides to connect these points.
“Predator: Badlands” will be released in theaters on November 7, 2025.
