Imagine a version of Predator: Badlands where iconic characters from both the Alien and Predator universes made surprise appearances! It turns out, director Dan Trachtenberg had some truly epic cameos in mind for an earlier cut of the film, but they ultimately didn't make the final version.
The core of Predator: Badlands centers on Dek, a young Yautja (that's the Predator species, for those new to the lore!), who finds himself in an unlikely partnership with Thia, a damaged Weyland-Yutani synthetic android. This connection to the Alien franchise is already pretty significant, but the director revealed that we almost saw even bigger nods to these beloved sci-fi worlds.
While there's a subtle, almost hidden, reference to Naru from Prey when Dek is searching for a new planet to prove himself, Trachtenberg confirmed to Screen Rant that he had originally planned for much more direct appearances. He revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger's iconic character, Dutch, the terrifying Xenomorph from Alien, and even a creature known as the "backbiter" from Predator: Killer of Killers were all considered for cameos.
But here's where it gets controversial... Trachtenberg explained that these planned cameos had to be cut because a particular dialogue scene was significantly shortened. "The scene got truncated," he mentioned, meaning the original, longer conversation allowed for more background holograms. As the scene was condensed, the visual focus shifted, and these elaborate cameos were essentially lost in the shuffle, becoming too faint for audiences to properly recognize.
He elaborated, "They had a longer conversation... but it was a little bit longer. So there were more holograms to be in the background. And what we have now is more soft focus in the foreground, you kind of see it and all that."
Trachtenberg also shared his vision for the Predator franchise, emphasizing a desire to focus on the creatures themselves. "The thing we haven't gotten in all the great sci-fi we've enjoyed over the years is that it's the creatures, it's their movie, that's it, no humans." He even had exciting ideas for Naru's future, musing, "I had other cool thoughts for what Naru could do in the future and was like, 'Oh, that would be awesome for that.'" He considered a scenario where Naru and Dek might have actually met on a planet, but decided to hold back some of those bigger story beats for future installments.
Interestingly, the animated film Predator: Killer of Killers established that Naru, Dutch, and Danny Glover's character Mike Harrigan were all cryogenically frozen and held captive on Yautja Prime. Trachtenberg hasn't revealed when or how he plans to explore this further, but it's clear he's actively dreaming up new possibilities for the franchise. He expressed his excitement about having a platform at Paramount to bring his original ideas and explore existing IPs like Predator.
It's definitely exciting to ponder the future of this franchise, and many fans still hold out hope for another epic Alien vs. Predator crossover movie!
Predator: Badlands grossed approximately $184.6 million worldwide against a budget of $105 million. While this makes its future as a priority for Disney a bit uncertain, one thing is for sure: we haven't seen the last of the Yautja on our screens! The film, starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, is set in the future on a distant planet, following a young, outcast Predator who forms an alliance with Thia and embarks on a perilous quest. Predator: Badlands is available on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray starting February 17th.
Now, over to you! Do you think it was the right decision to cut these major cameos to streamline the narrative? Or do you wish we could have seen Dutch and the Xenomorph make an appearance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
