Warning: SPOILERS for Predator: Killer of Killers

Predator: Killer of Killers is an ambitious animated anthology film that is the first entry in the franchise since 2022’s standout Prey. Told across three stories, Predator: Killer of Killers explores Viking-era Scandinavia, feudal Japan, and the heat of battle in World War II. Through it all, people from very different eras are forced to fight to the death against some of the most frightening fictional creatures of all time.

The Predator: Killer of Killers cast boasts an exciting array of performers, but one of the most consequential names is that of someone behind the camera. The movie was co-directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who has been credited by many with somewhat revitalizing the Predator franchise thanks to his work directing and co-writing Prey. Trachtenberg is joined on Predator: Killer of Killers by co-director Joshua Wᴀssung, the bulk of whose experience lies in the realm of visual effects. Wᴀssung’s previous work on the VFX side includes Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Masters of the Air, and Prey.

ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier spoke with Predator: Killer of Killers directors Dan Trachtenberg and Joshua Wᴀssung about their work on the epic animated film. The directors discussed what ScreenRant’s Predator: Killer of Killers review dubbed “intriguing Predator lore” and the tricks to making a standout entry in the franchise. Plus, Trachtenberg weighed in on whether audiences might see exciting Predator-verse crossovers in the future.

Predator: Killer Of Killers Ending Cryo Pods Explained By Dan Trachtenberg

“It Was Earth Night At The Coliseum”

At the end of Killer of Killers, audiences are treated to a big surprise when cryo pods containing the warriors are shown. One warrior in particular may look familiar to fans: Amber Midthunder’s Naru from Prey is shown in one of these pods, which hints at a continuation of her story. Trachtenberg took some time to clarify this moment and what the pods mean for the franchise at large.

“I mean, I’ll clearly say it is not time travel. They are not time traveling,” the director said. “That is the benefit of the cryo pod – they are plucked from their time period and then put into stasis and then unleashed when decided upon for that evening’s delightful entertainment.”

He made sure to inject some levity into this truly horrifying situation, though: “We [tried] to come up with some sort of joke of making it: it was Earth Night at the Coliseum that night [laughs].”

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Killer Of Killers’ Predator Variants Explained

“They’re Not Putting On A Costume”

Most sci-fi fans know what the alien species in the Predator franchise looks like, but Trachtenberg and Wᴀssung worked to tweak the looks of the iconic aliens to best fit their anthology-style storytelling. They took plenty of care in doing so, Wasung revealed: “It was really important for us to find the appropriate match because, on the one hand, we did not want to look like the Predator was dressing up like that culture. That was very, very, very important to us–that we’re like they’re not putting on a costume.”

Even so, shared the director, “We needed a good metaphor–a good match for these foes. Alec Gillis and the art department did an incredible job and had tons and tons of options.” The directors then matched the art with the corresponding story —“We were like, ‘Oh, man, that behemoth has got to go with the Vikings, and this guy … he’s kind of a ninja, but not'”--and chose their villains based on how “they kind of spoke to us.”

Dan Trachtenberg Explains Expanding The Predator Universe With Prey, Killer Of Killers & Badlands

“That Really Was The Crazy Undertaking Of This Whole Endeavor”

Dan Trachtenberg is deep into the Predator-verse at this point in his career. “I’d like to think that I am now four movies deep into the Predator franchise,” he shared. “Not really,” he added, continuing, “but that really was the crazy undertaking of this whole endeavor–telling three complete stories that had merit to be told in their own right, yet [were] also all kind of interwoven and coming together in ways that I think people will find incredibly unexpected and rewarding.”

“It’s been a blast to be able to not just tell more interesting stories of martial combat throughout history and characters that are faced with an intense emotional and physical gauntlet before a Predator even shows up,” Trachtenberg reflected, “But also being able to expand on the lore that now we can see maybe this sort of thing was happening in the background always without getting mired in deep history and Senate trade agreements.”

The director is even working on Predator: Badlands, which is set to be released in November. About that project, he said, “And Badlands, which is coming out later this year, is not at all [like that], even though it’s so Yautja-focused, and this movie has much more in it about the culture than other films. But still, it’s all to amplify all the badᴀss stuff that happens rather than be a deep dive into a lore filled Wiki entry.”

Future Predator Crossovers Teased By Dan Trachtenberg

“There’s Complicated Rights Things”

When asked if Killer of Killers was meant for the big screen, Trachtenberg made it clear that he “would love it” if the film made it to theaters at some point. But, “There’s complicated rights things that make it challenging for all the stuff to go to the big screen, and certainly adult animation in the United States is very tricky theatrically. So that all makes it challenging.“

He’s not counting it out just yet, though, even hinting that characters in animation and live-action could find themselves switching places. “But who’s to say if this is a wild success?” Trachtenberg pondered. “We never know. It could be exciting to see animated characters show up in live action or live action characters show up in animation and all that kind of thing is really fun if people respond to it.”

Josh Wᴀssung Says Killer Of Killers Was Always Meant To Be A Predator Anthology

“We Really Wanted To Surprise Fans”

The stories in Predator: Killer of Killers are so unique that it’s easy to imagine them originally being conceived as their own films. When asked if that had been the case, Josh Wᴀssung replied, “No, we didn’t [think of them like that] because the core conceit was [that] we really wanted to surprise fans with multiple at the same time. From day one, we [were] like, ‘We’ve got to fit these epic stories into one movie,’ so it was really more like, ‘Okay, well, how can we do it?'”

“‘These are really big stories,'” Wᴀssung continued, adding, ‘”How can we cram them in and be as efficient as possible to, hopefully, make you care, but also get all the coolest action you can imagine?’ So, it was a day one plan.”

Source: Screen Rant Plus