Predator Sequel, Badlands, Finds Its Female Lead in The Great Star

The next installment in the Predator franchise, Badlands, has reportedly found its lead, with The Great star Elle Fanning now in talks to star. As per a report by Deadline, Fanning is now “in negotiations to star in the film,” with Prey director Dan Trachtenberg set to return to the helm alongside writer Patrick Aison. Plot details for Badlands remain largely under wraps at this time, but it has been revealed that it will be set in the future and, much like 2022’s critically acclaimed Prey it will be another standalone outing in the Predator series.

Elle Fanning is best known for her roles in the likes of J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 and the Disney movies Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in which she starred alongside Angelina Jolie, as well as the likes of The Neon Demon, Sofia Coppola’s drama Somewhere, The Girl from Plainville, and the historical comedy series The Great, for which she has received nominations for an Emmy Award and two Golden Globes.

The Predator remains one of the most iconic creatures in science fiction, with the extraterrestrial hunter, of course, first introduced opposite action movie superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger way back in 1987. The alien warrior has since done battle with Danny Glover, Adrian Brody, Boyd Holbrook, and the Xenomorph. While the series has largely floundered since the beloved first outing, Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey has once again made the franchise a high priority for the studio.

Prey 2 Is Also Now in Development Alongside Badlands

Prey

Release Date

August 5, 2022

Cast

Amber Midthunder , Dane DiLiegro , Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat , Dakota Beavers

Runtime

1hr 39min

Writers

Patrick Aison

Format

Streaming

Studio

Hulu, 20th Century Studios, Davis Entertainment

Franchise

Predator

Released by 20th Century Studios as a Hulu original film last year, Prey reignites the Predator franchise, dropping the alien hunter 1719 and pitting it against Amber Midthunder as Naru, a young Comanche warrior. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg and written by Patrick Aison, Prey follows Amber Midthunder as a skilled Comanche warrior who must protect her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans for sport, fighting against wilderness, dangerous colonizers and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.

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Predator’s Prey: What We Could See in a Potential Sequel

The new Predator film reinvigorated the franchise. What could the upcoming sequel and spin-off film Badlands look like?

Released in August last year, Prey was met with critical acclaim, and fans have been calling for a further sequel ever since. Well, good news because, alongside Badlands, Trachtenberg is also now developing Prey 2, with earlier reports revealing that the follow-up will “return to the films original setting and with the films star, Amber Midthunder, potentially returning.”

Discussing a potential sequel last year with Comicbook.com, Trachtenberg teased what his intentions are with Prey 2, saying…

“You finally asked the right question. For everyone who’s been asking me about sequels, it’s like, that is the thing, is that oftentimes someone does a cool thing and the sequel is just….and then the next part, and then it’s like, oh, well then that’s just following up the cool. That isn’t what that thing was. And so yes, in thinking about what sequels could be, the primary conversation was and always will be, what we can do that is also special, that hasn’t happened yet. Not just for the Predator franchise, but for this kind of genre in particular. Can we still be doing something cool?”