Predator: Badlands is a Predator film unlike anything fans have seen. It takes the iconic monster in a completely new direction, making him the hero of the story. Not only does it do that, but Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi's Dek is an underdog as well, a classification given to a Predator. To make the story even more interesting, the movie also features Elle Fanning's duo Weyland-Yutani synthetics Thia and Tessa—making this film an Alien crossover of sorts.
The story didn't start from there, however. The Direct sat down with Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg, who also directed Prey and co-directed Killer of Killers, where he revealed the surprising origin of the movie's story, which almost featured Nazis in World War II.
Dan Trachtenberg teased that "the very first nugget of the idea was, what if the Predator wins," though he decided he really "didn't want it to be a slasher movie where the slasher wins." From there, though, he shifted direction while still focusing on the idea of audiences rooting for the Predator himself. This is where the Prey director played around with the idea of a story "set in WWII" where a Predator would "[kick] Nazi butt."
Eventually, it evolved into the Predator being "the protagonist of his own story" on "his own journey, his own adventure."
The Direct's Russ Milheim also spoke with Predator: Badlands stars Elle Fanning (Thia & Tessa) and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (Dek), who spoke about how they brought such a unique mark to the franchise with their characters. More of the interviews with everyone can be seen and read below.
Disney's Predator: Badlands hits theaters on November 7, 2025.
The Crazy WWII Origin Story of How Predator: Badlands Came to Be
What If the Predator Was Unleashed Against the Nazis?
- The Direct: "When you were thinking of this idea, what was some stuff that maybe, as you're thinking about these wide swings, what was maybe too much or too far?"
Dan Trachtenberg: The very first nugget of the idea was, what if the Predator wins? And I just really didn't want it to be a slasher movie where the slasher wins, I really wanted you to root for the guy, and then, in rooting for it, I was like, Well, I guess he could be, like, set in WWII, and he's kicking Nazi butt or something. But even then, I felt like that's not really a special new movie. And then it became, wait a second, what if he's really the protagonist of his own story, and I get people to really root for him on his own journey, his own adventure.
What was too far? I don't know. There were probably just some designs, because every time I sort of asked people to kind of break down what the idea is of a Yautja to try and find a new look for it. And there probably were some designs that were like too far gone, and even some of the wardrobe designs were maybe too cultured...
... Ngila Dickson was our costume designer who won an Academy Award for 'Lord of the Rings.' Usually, the Yautja's costuming is done just by the creature designers. This is the first time we really had someone who's like the costume department, a true artist of that specific craft is designing their wardrobe and some early designs felt like a little too medieval and too Earthbound, and really tried to find something that spoke to, and was a little bit more Spartan, since their culture is so hardcore, and also that was A little bit more like Conan Barbarian nomad, nomadic culture.
Elle Fanning on How She Made Her Mark on the Franchise's Synthetic Legacy
Fanning's Thia and Tessa "Have a Bigger Personality" Than Normal.
In Predator: Badlands, Elle Fanning plays Weyland-Yutani synthetics Thia and Tessa. Thia, who was left for dead, so to speak, is a notably empathetic synth who is discovered by Dek early on in the film and is used as a tool to aid him in his hunt. Tessa's sister is a little more hardcore and not nearly as nice.
Elle Fanning talked to The Direct about getting to put her own stamp on the franchise and creating a unique synthetic to add to the larger-than-life legacy of the Alien and Predator franchises.
Elle Fanning: I am a huge fan of the Alien Universe, and to join the other actors who have played these iconic, you know, who've worked for the company, Weyland-Yutani, it was really special for me. But also, Dan [Trachtenberg], you know, we wanted to create a synthetic that we'd never seen before, like you said, and this film is set for this into the future of any 'Alien' movie or any 'Predator' film.
So because of that, we were able to really create androids we'd never seen, where her emotions, Thia's particularly, could be more advanced and more human-like, and she could have a bigger personality. All while, still, there are robotic elements to her, but she is quite empathetic, which I love about this film, because it's literally a monster and a robot, but it's a very human story, and has so much heart in a movie where there are no humans. I'm a big Bishop fan, and 'Prometheus,' I mean, [Michael Fassbender] got to play dual roles, so I can say that I've done that as well.
I feel like Tessa is, well, she's more hardcore. She's very on a mission, much more scientific in her way of being. And I think the difference there is that Thia, you know, she's broken, so she's seen a lot of the world, but she's been stuck in this nest, and she's got to see the beauty of this planet. And I think that that's grown her personality and her want for connection, even as a synthetic being. So we had a lot of fun playing with the lore and the history. And that's something that Dan is a fan of himself, so I think he has a right to push the franchise in a new direction.
Predator: Badlands Star Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi on Creating a Truly Unique Yaujta
"Having a Predator Be the Underdog Is Such a Crazy Premise."
There would be no Predator: Badlands without Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who plays the Yaujta named Dek. Dek is an underdog who is smaller than normal and the runt of his family—needless to say, he's hellbent on proving himself.
The star behind the film's key Predator spoke to The Direct about how he discovered and built up his unique Yaujta, who is different than any who have ever come before:
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi: For Dek, I guess discovering him and building him from the ground up [was] really cool. What intrigued me the most about the script when I first read it was how different of an approach this is to any movie that has been in the franchise. I think having a Predator be the underdog is such a crazy premise.
You know, we've only ever seen them as, you know, these apex predators. They are usually the dominators. They are usually the ones that take over the screen and make you feel uneasy every time they appear. So, I was still trying to hold on to those aspects, so I re-watched all of the films, read up on the comics as well, and wanted to still use everything that makes them iconic, use things that made people fall in love with them. You know, it's a 40-year franchise. So there are things that are working and have worked.
But I also wanted to, like you said, have my own kind of flavor and put that kind of uniqueness into him, because he is a unique Yaujta. You know, he's undersized. He is the runt of his family. He is on a mission, not only to hunt the biggest and baddest, but it's a mission to prove himself. It's a mission of redemption for him, so his whole story is different. And, yeah, I wanted to really just pay homage to what's been before, but also inject the whole new energy into the franchise that I think really works. And I think Dan did such a great job of illustrating these characters.
The full interviews can be viewed here:
