Predator: Badlands Recasts the Title Creature as Its Leading Man

In conversation with Empire Magazine, Prey director Dan Trachtenberg revealed his upcoming follow-up, Predator: Badlands, is set on an alien world and stars a representative of the “yautja” species as its main character.

According to Trachtenberg, “The creature is front and center, leading the charge. He’s still badass, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally, too. Creating a character you connect with, but are also super-intimidated by, has been challenging. But exciting.”

As the director noted, the impetus for turning the title monster into an unconventional leading man was to “find another essential piece of cinema that does what Prey did spiritually—pushing the franchise’s boundaries, letting us root for a hero we rarely get to root for—but in a different way. And that transformed into this big idea of rooting for the Predator.”

“But wait,” you may be asking, “doesn’t this movie star Elle Fanning, in multiple roles, as previously reported by this very website?” Yes, apparently, since two things can be true at once. When pressed, Trachtenberg confirmed the actress “faced intense challenges on this movie” in ways both “dramatically, physically” and “logistically.” Could this mean Elle Fanning is playing the Predator?

Unfortunately, this is also unlikely as the casting call acquired by AVP Galaxy (should it prove to be true) suggests Fanning is playing twin sisters named Thia and Tessa. Thia is described as being “incredibly smart” though “has spent most of her life in a laboratory and is now embarking on her first big adventure in the world.” Her twin sister, Tessa, however, “has an innate disregard for danger, not because she’s fearless, but simply because she’s naive.”

No confirmation if those character descriptions are accurate, but perhaps Trachtenberg will be taking a page from recent successes like In A Violent Nature, the recent slasher movie that (mostly) sticks with its undead killer, or the largely silent alien invasion movie, No One Will Save You. Genndy Tartakovsky’s pretty much silent animated series, Primal, also wouldn’t be a terrible touchstone for a new Predator story set on an alien planet.

But still: a movie about a big-game hunting alien its director promises will “touch you emotionally,” co-starring a pair of mismatched twin sisters in over their heads?  I’ll be disappointed if it isn’t Apocalypto meets The Patty Duke Show by way of the “Arena” episode of Star Trek. Won’t you?

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.