Last year, Predator: Badlands went on to become the highest-grossing film in the nearly 40-year franchise. It’s an incredible feat, given many crucial factors. For starters, it’s the first movie in the series to feature a Yautja alien as the protagonist, rather than the story’s main monster villain. Secondly, while writer-director Dan Trachtenberg found great success with his prior two entries, Prey (2022) and the animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers (2025), on streaming via Hulu, a Predator film had not been released in theaters since 2018’s The Predator. Well, it turns out 7 years was more than enough to leave moviegoers hungry to see this blood-curdling sci-fi franchise on the big screen again.
Now that Predator: Badlands is streaming on Hulu and coming to 4K UHD and Blu-ray on February 17, audiences can finally dig into one of the best sci-fi action movies of 2025 from the comfort of home. The film centers on the epic quest of Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a Yautja runt who travels to the death planet Genna to complete his first hunt and gain acceptance into his family’s ruthless clan. With the odds stacked against him, due to his smaller size and inexperience, the naive, young warrior is left with no choice but to partner with Thia (Elle Fanning), a damaged Weyland-Yutani synthetic. Only together can they find his trophy: an apex predator known as the unkillable Kalisk.
Dan Trachtenberg Originally Feared He was Making the Next Howard the Duck
DiscussingFilm was lucky enough to catch up with filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg for an exclusive interview in honor of the streaming and home release of Predator: Badlands. Fans now recognize him as the godfather of the Predator franchise, having spearheaded the last three movies and quite possibly the next one as well. However, Trachtenberg didn’t always see himself in this position. In fact, in his own words, he was almost convinced that Badlands wasn’t going to work early on in the process. When asked whether he feels validated by the success of his latest film, given that the concept of having a Yaujta protagonist was once met with skepticism, Trachtenberg says, “More than anything, it’s relief.”
Courtesy of Disney
Trachtenberg tells us that “when we first started, I was really bolstered by how excitingly new and fresh an original movie like this would be… then halfway through, reality set in.” That harsh reality, oddly enough, echoed Lucasfilm’s 1986 critically maligned box-office bomb, Howard the Duck.
Dan Trachtenberg: “I would say to my producer, ‘We could be making Howard the Duck right now,’ you know? When they made Howard the Duck, it was post-Star Wars, and ILM was doing the visual effects. They had these incredible duck suits, and they were probably looking around, saying, ‘Look at the crazy movie we’re making, isn’t this awesome that we’re making such an original movie!?’ I would find myself looking around and going, ‘It’s so cool, we’re making this original, unique movie,’ and then it occurred to me. Like, this could be ridiculous; it could be so silly. People could make fun of me for the rest of my career for thinking this was a good idea.”
Oscar-nominated Writer Drew Goddard Was the First Person Invited to Give Feedback on Predator: Badlands
“It’s one thing to be praised; it’s another not to be ridiculed,” Dan Trachtenberg explains. That fear comes naturally when taking huge creative swings, especially in a multi-million dollar sci-fi blockbuster. When it came to easing those fears and self-doubt, two major names came to Trachtenberg‘s aid, and they are both thanked in the credits for Predator: Badlands. The first is Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron, who gave Trachtenberg some early words of encouragement while Badlands was in pre-production in New Zealand, nearby where he was editing Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025). The second is Oscar-nominated writer Drew Goddard, best known for adapting World War Z (2013), The Martian (2015), and the upcoming sci-fi adventure Project Hail Mary (2026).
Goddard’s work dates back to writing for hit shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias, and Lost. As he crossed paths more with producer-director J.J. Abrams, Goddard found himself writing the found-footage kaiju movie Cloverfield. Of course, this would eventually pave the way for Trachtenberg’s directorial debut, 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016). Because of their shared history, Goddard was the very first person (other than those already working on the movie) to watch a rough cut of Predator: Badlands, even before studio executives.
Dan Trachtenberg: “When we were in the middle of a director’s cut, before I showed the studio, Drew was on the Disney lot working. He was also among the first people to see 10 Cloverfield Lane because he had worked on the original Cloverfield, and J.J. had him come in. I’ll never forget [that screening in particular], because that was my first movie, and I had no idea what I had just done. I was sitting behind him, and he turned back to me halfway through and was like, “This is fucking awesome.” It was such a relief to hear someone whom I’ve been such a fan of for years say, ‘This movie’s going to be alright,’ you know?”
“Maybe this is actually going to be cool?”
Aside from his stacked resume as a screenwriter, Drew Goddard has also taken to the director’s chair on two occasions: The Cabin in the Woods (2011) and Bad Times at the El Royale (2018). Notably, his next project is reportedly a fifth sequel to The Matrix, which he is both writing and directing. Trachtenberg notes that Goddard’s work was a major inspiration for Predator: Badlands, in terms of its narrative and tone. Thus, his eyes being the first to see a director’s cut, even before the executives at Disney and 20th Century Studios, was a big deal. As it turns out, Goddard gave Trachtenberg the reassurance he needed to know they had something truly special on their hands.
Dan Trachtenberg: “I thought of Drew pretty quickly, and wanted Badlands to be tonally similar to his work, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer all the way through all the movies he’s worked on. Something that was funny, heartfelt, and also thematically oriented, all the things that Drew is so talented at. So, he was the first person to see Badlands, and just really put a lot of wind in our sails. As I said, I was doubting myself, and that was probably the first moment where I felt like, “Maybe this isn’t going to be like Howard the Duck… maybe this is actually going to be cool?” Drew picked up on everything that we were putting down.”
Predator: Badlands is now streaming on Hulu!
Release Date: November 7, 2025.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg.
Screenplay by Patrick Aison.
Story by Dan Trachtenberg & Patrick Aison.
Based on characters created by Jim Thomas & John Thomas.
Produced by Dan Trachtenberg, Ben Rosenblatt, Brent O’Connor, Marc Toberoff, & John Davis.
Executive Producers: Lawrence Gordon & Stefan Grube.
Main Cast: Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Elle Fanning, Reuben de Jong, Mike Homik, Rohinal Narayan, Cameron Brown, & Alison Wright.
Cinematographer: Jeff Cutter.
Composers: Sarah Schachner & Benjamin Wallfisch.
Editors: Stefan Grube & David Trachtenberg.
Production Companies: Lawrence Gordon Productions, Davis Entertainment, & Toberoff Entertainment.
Distributor: 20th Century Studios.
Runtime: 107 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
