The surprise hit Prey helped revitalize the struggling Predator franchise in 2022, and now the intergalactic hunter is returning in another standalone movie called Predator: Badlands. The Predator franchise first launched with the release of the eponymous film in 1987, which saw mercenaries on a rescue mission in South America who take on an alien creature that hunts them for sport. Besides being a hit Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle, Predator also had clear franchise potential that filmmakers couldn’t leave alone throughout the ensuing decades.

Predator 2 arrived in 1990 and was reviled by critics even though it introduced new lore about the Predator that is still part of the series today. Most notably, the sequel teased a crossover with the Alien franchise, which culminated in various games, movies, and comic books on the subject. Two failed sequels in the 2010s nearly spelled doom for the ’80s icon, but 2022’s Prey showed that the beleaguered property still had legs. Badlands is aiming to continue that trend by putting the eponymous alien hunter in another new environment, and stretching the boundaries of the beloved sci-fi franchise.

Predator: Badlands Latest News

The First Badlands Trailer Arrives

A few weeks after the first footage from the movie screened at CinemaCon 2025, the latest news arrives in the form of a full trailer for Predator: Badlands. The one-minute teaser opens with a voice-over from Elle Fanning’s Thia and shows the interior of a Predator ship with its gruesome trophies displayed on the wall. Various scenes follow, including soldiers forming ranks, a person being attacked by dangerous plant spores, and a looming Predator with long white tendrils on its head.

Perhaps most interesting of all, Thia is shown wrapped in vines and her eyes turn a milky white shade that is much like the androids from the Alien franchise. The fact is further corroborated by the presence of a Weyland-Yutani logo shown later, and suggests another crossover between the two series. Finally, the Predator that Thia has been talking to throughout the trailer squares off with a mᴀssive beast, and later fights tentacles that shoot out of the woods.

Predator: Badlands Release Date

The Next Predator Film Arrives In 2025

Announced around the same time as Prey 2, it was officially confirmed in February 2024 that a standalone Predator movie called Badlands was in the works. Prey director Dan Trachtenberg has returned to helm the project, and he co-wrote the script along with Patrick Aison. Fox (through Disney) has penciled the movie in for a theatrical release on November 7, 2025, taking over the spot previously held by the MCU’s troubled Blade movie. This release strategy is different from 2022’s Prey, which was a streaming exclusive on Hulu.

Predator: Badlands Cast Details

Elle Fanning Stars As Thia

Though the film’s release date is looming nearer, there is actually very little known about the cast of Predator: Badlands. In fact, the only recognizable star currently attached is Elle Fanning (The Great) who is set to play Thia. Unlike previous installments in the franchise which have pitted a hero against a Predator, Thia is actually an ally for the film’s outcast alien. Thia is a Weyland-Yutani android from the Alien franchise, though it’s unclear what other aspects of Predator‘s sister series will be included.

Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi (Red, White & Brᴀss) plays the role of Dek, an outcast Predator who teams up with Thia on his great hunt. No details have been revealed about why Dek has been kicked out of Predator society, though his Quixotic hunt in Badlands may be an attempt to prove himself as a worthy member of the alien hunter race.

The cast of Predator: Badlands includes:

Actor	Predator: Badlands Role
Elle Fanning	Thia
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi	Dek

Predator: Badlands Story Details

A Predator & Android Team Up For The Ultimate Hunt

The beautiful part of the Predator franchise is that the Yautja (Predators) can appear at any place and any time because they have been a space-faring species for centuries if not millennia. Predator: Badlands is set on a remote planet, and will follow a lone Predator (Dek) as he tries to hunt the dangerous game that lives there. Though it’s unclear exactly why, Dek is an outcast from Predator society, and his ᴅᴇᴀᴅly hunt is likely a way of proving himself worthy.

Though the trailer reveals humans are also on the as-yet-unnamed planet with Dek, they aren’t his principal concern. Instead, the many ᴅᴇᴀᴅly monsters seem to be what he’s after, and he will have the unlikeliest of allies on his mission. Thia is an android from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and she has decided to help Dek on his hunt, though it’s not certain why. The trailer also teases another mᴀssive Predator who seems to be chasing after Dek, and it could be that he’ll have his own people to contend with as well.

Predator: Badlands Teaser Trailer

Watch The First Trailer For Badlands Below

The first trailer for Predator: Badlands arrived in April 2025, and it offers a revealing look at the action sci-fi film. Opening with narration from Thia and showing the interior of a Predator’s trophy room, the teaser then shows various action sequences, including an army in formation, ᴅᴇᴀᴅly plants, and a mᴀssive Predator who looms over a battlefield. It’s then revealed that Thia is an android, and that she wants to help Dek on his dangerous hunting mission. The trailer ends with Dek doing battle with one of the planet’s monsters.