While Prey 2 might not be high on the Predator franchise’s priority list, it is hard to complain when Predator: Badlands and Predator: Killer of Killers both come from the acclaimed prequel’s director, Dan Trachtenberg. Sometimes, going back to basics is the best way to do something new. The Predator franchise’s timeline is dotted with countless attempts to reinvent the series, from Predators uprooting its action to an alien planet to the Alien Vs Predator movies pitting the тιтular killer against another famous sci-fi villain.

As such, it was somewhat surprising when 2022’s Predator prequel Prey opted to go back to the past for its inspiration. Set on the Great Plains in 1719, Prey followed Amber Midthunder’s Comanche warrior Naru as she avoided the Predator’s lethal hunt and proved herself to her tribe in the process. Coming from 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg and arriving on Hulu without much fanfare, Prey was the best Predator movie since 1987’s original Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.

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The prequel swiftly won over critics and fans alike, making the future of the series exciting for the first time in years. Understandably, viewers wanted to know when Prey 2 would arrive, so the continuing silence on this topic hasn’t been too reᴀssuring. That said, I’m convinced the Predator franchise is in good hands thanks to 2025’s two Dan Trachtenberg movies, Predator: Badlands and Predator: Killer of Killers. The former is a live-action Predator movie set in the future that will star Elle Fanning.

The latter is an animated anthology that takes the ingenious premise of Prey even further. After Prey’s success, viewers were inevitably left wondering how different human warriors from different historical eras would have handled the Predator’s attacks. Predator: Killer of Killers includes three stories wherein a Viking, a ninja in feudal Japan, and a World War II fighter pilot each duke it out against the franchise’s memorable monster. Predator: Killer of Killers is the movie fans have wanted for years, offering insight into how various types of human soldiers would take on the Predator over centuries.

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Prey 2’s Future Is Unclear Amid The Franchise’s Busy Future

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell mentioned that Trachtenberg was working on not one, but two Predator movies for the studio. Although Asbell did directly reference Predator: Badlands, he remained тιԍнт-lipped on the second project. Fans now know that it is the anthology movie Predator: Killer of Killers, another exciting, fresh spin on the franchise’s premise. However, not everything from this interview is unambiguously good news.

Asbell began by saying “After Prey became a success, Dan [Trachtenberg] came back and said he didn’t want to do Prey 2.” This is understandable considering how radical a departure Prey was from the Predator template. Trachtenberg won over viewers not by offering more of the same but by doing something genuinely new and risky, so it would be ironic and pointless for him to follow this up with a sequel that simply rehashed the thrills of Prey‘s story. However, while the Predator franchise’s future is exciting, it is hard to see when, if ever, Prey 2 is likely to happen.

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As noted above, Trachtenberg’s disinterest in Prey 2 makes sense. The director wants to do something new and revolutionary with the Predator franchise just as he did with Prey, so he is working on two follow-ups that are very different from the 2022 prequel. However, plenty of viewers still want to see Midthunder’s heroine return in a future Prey sequel, and even the actor herself said that she would love to see a follow-up to the prequel while promoting her 2025 movie Novocaine.

For Trachtenberg, Predator: Badlands and Predator: Killer of Killers are perfect Prey follow-ups. One is an animated anthology exploring different eras while the other is a standalone live-action film, so both offer very different viewing experiences and fresh takes on the series. However, of all the Predator movies, Prey is the only one that warrants a sequel thanks to its rapturous reception.

It is safe to say neither of these projects would have happened had Prey not been so well-received, so it would be a shame for the franchise to forget its prequel while exploring new avenues. Although Trachtenberg might not be interested in revisiting Prey’s story, there is no reason another director couldn’t be entrusted with Prey 2. After all, once Predator: Badlands and Predator: Killer of Killers arrive, there would be no better time for the Predator series to revisit Naru’s story with Prey 2.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter