The first trailer for Predator: Badlands is here, and it reveals a surprising twist involving Elle Fanning’s character, connecting her and the movie to the Alien franchise. Following the success of 2022’s Prey, the sci-fi franchise is back with a new film set in the distant future with a Yautja as the protagonist. Details on the film’s story are still quite vague, except that it follows a new, young Yautja who is tasked with killing an enemy.
With the release of the first Predator: Badlands trailer, the first glimpse at what director Dan Trachtenberg has planned is now clear. The footage shows the futuristic setting and fresh lead perspective, with the Yautja training for and in the midst of a hunt. What’s most telling, though, is a glimpse at Elle Fanning’s character, which reveals that she is much more important than the average human lead. She’s even connected to the Alien franchise.
Predator: Badlands’ Trailer Reveals Elle Fanning’s Character Is A Weyland Android From Alien
A shocking reveal comes at the 26-second mark of the Predator: Badlands trailer, as Elle Fanning’s character is revealed to be an android from Weyland-Yutani, the corporation from the Alien franchise. Her eyes flicker briefly and show the Weyland-Yutani logo, which is a signature aspect of androids/synthetics in 20th Century’s other iconic sci-fi franchise. This happens as she’s tied up in some sort of trap. While it’s a quick moment, the recognizability of the logo connected to Alien is impossible to miss and certainly not one to ignore.
Androids have been part of the Alien franchise since Ridley Scott started it over 45 years ago. The movies have included a number of recognizable androids, including Michael Fᴀssbender’s David or David Jonsson’s Andy in Alien: Romulus. The latter gave a great look at the Weyland-Yutani logo eyes that the androids have, as Andy’s eyes flash the logo when he’s reset. This could be what’s happening to Elle Fanning’s character in Predator: Badlands, then, based on her eyes also flashing the logo.
What’s unclear about Elle Fanning’s android character in Predator: Badlands is how her model connects to the others. The movie is confirmed to be set in the distant future, but where it falls on the Alien timeline is still unclear. It’s possible that Fanning’s character is the most futuristic version of an android ever seen, if this story takes place after Alien: Resurrection. She’s even wearing a suit with the Weyland-Yutani logo on the shoulder at the 50-second mark, indicating she’s still deeply connected to the organization.
Why Predator: Badlands Has One Of Alien’s Androids In It
The Franchises Have A History Of Connecting
The presence of an Alien android in Predator: Badlands is unexpected, but it is not completely out of left field. Alien and Predator are both franchises under 20th Century Studios, formerly 20th Century Fox. While they each existed on their own for decades, the studio brought them together in 2004 with Alien vs. Predator. One crossover wasn’t enough, either, leading to Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007. Those films primarily focused on the Yautja and Xenomorphs interacting rather than including the androids that Weyland-Yutani pioneered.
While the history between Alien and Predator helps make sense of Elle Fanning’s character in Predator: Badlands a bit, it doesn’t fully explain why an android is meeting a Yautja like this. It is possible that the planet Predator: Badlands is set on is one that Weyland-Yutani has colonized. The 53 second mark of the trailer shows a smashed truck with the Weyland-Yutani logo also on it. This suggests that the connections between the two franchises in Predator: Badlands go beyond Fanning’s android character.
What Elle Fanning’s Android Character Means For The Predator & Alien Franchises
The Crossover Opportunities Grow
The presence of an android in Predator: Badlands is incredibly exciting for the Predator and Alien franchises. Both have been successfully revived in recent years after Disney took over 20th Century, with Prey and Alien: Romulus reinvigorating interest in each. Disney and 20th Century are working to keep expanding the reach of these classic franchises, with Predator: Badlands and Predator: Killer of Killers coming this year and new Alien movies in development. That only brought more questions about when they’d crossover again.
Predator: Badlands bridging the franchises in this way is a smart way to lay the groundwork for this possibility. It’s not as heavy handed as a Xenomorph appearing in Predator: Badlands or doing a full film based around the crossover like earlier Alien vs. Predator films. Instead, Predator: Badlands can bring the two worlds together in a fresh way. The film is seemingly an android and Yautja team-up story. That’s a fresh idea for these IPs. And if everything goes well with Predator: Badlands, more crossovers can happen.
