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Predator: Badlands is the next addition to the expanding Predator franchise. Dan Trachtenberg, who also directed Prey, is the upcoming film's director. He has written its screenplay with Patrick Aison. Here's the official synopsis:
"A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary."
The makers have recently released their official teaser trailer, and I noticed a hint of a different franchise, which is not Alien. It's actually Independence Day. So let's find out what that easter egg is, and all the details about the forthcoming science-fiction action film.
Predator: Badlands trailer has a surprising easter egg
On April 23, 2025, the official teaser trailer of Predator: Badlands was released on YouTube. The video runs for one minute and 11 seconds and provides a glimpse into a world where we see Dek, a predator who befriends a Weyland-Yutani android named Thia. The character being an android links the film to the Alien franchise.
But this is not the only franchise easter egg in this trailer. While I was going through the video, I noticed something really striking. In the opening scene of the trailer, we see several skulls stored in a place by the Predator that were collected from his earlier victories.
One of these skulls belongs to the alien race called Harvesters. They were featured prominently in the science fiction film Independence Day. This might suggest that the Yautja (the alien race in Predator: Badlands) might have a crossover with Harvesters.
Earlier, the franchise did a crossover with the Alien in films like Alien vs Predator and its sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. If the Harvesters are actually featured in the film, fans can expect a possible crossover with the Independence Day franchise.
Dan Trachtenberg has written the story of Predator: Badlands and has also directed it. The screenplay is by Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison. John Davis and Brent O'Connor are the producers. Trachtenberg had earlier directed Prey (a 2022 spin-off of Predator) and is also directing the forthcoming animated anthology film Predator: Killer of Killers. Badlands features Elle Fanning as Thia while Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is Dek.
In an interview with IGN, Trachtenberg revealed that the dynamic between Thia and Dek was inspired by a video game. He said,
“As inspired as I am by movies, I’ve been very inspired by video games [like] Shadow of the Colossus, where you have a protagonist paired with someone else who provides color and connection."
He added,
"There’s a thing with a horse in Shadow of the Colossus that’s devastating when you play the game. And so [Predator: Badlands] was a little bit inspired by that in terms of wanting to see the Predator with someone else, this character who’s the opposite of him. He’s very laconic, [Fanning] is not. She’s capable in ways that he is not. Physically, she’s got a real thing that I’m so excited for you guys to see. But I want to let eventually some of that speak for itself.”
What do you think of this easter egg?
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