The fact that even Prey’s star doesn’t know what is happening with Prey 2 makes me worry, despite how fun Predator: Badlands may sound. The Predator franchise has had a hard time of it over the decades but, by the time Prey’s ending rolled around, I knew the 2022 prequel had saved the series. Director Dan Trachtenberg’s 2022 hit wowed critics with the inventive story of Amber Midthunder’s Naru, a Comanche warrior who utilized her hunting skills to evade the тιтular threat on the Great Plains.

Not only was Prey the best Predator movie since the 1987 original, but Trachtenberg’s movie succeeded primarily because it didn’t over-complicate the franchise’s setup. 2010’s Predators traveled to another planet, while 2018’s The Predator messily attempted to redesign the Predator itself as well as incorporating more lore than ever before. In contrast, the stripped-back simplicity of Prey made me eager to see how Trachtenberg’s upcoming Predator: Badlands would reinvent the series once again. Unfortunately, Predator: Badlands might be all that viewers should expect from the series anytime soon.

Amber Midthunder Doesn’t Currently Know What’s Happening With Prey 2

Prey 2’s Future Seems Bleak Considering Its Star Has No Update

In a Collider interview about her recent movie Novocaine, Midthunder said that although she has heard some “Fun ideas” about Prey 2, she has no substantial confirmation about the prequel’s follow-up. Per Midthunder, “I don’t know what’s happening. I genuinely don’t… I love that world, I love that character, and I think that there’s some fun ideas out there that I’ve heard that are very cool.” While not entirely hopeless, the star’s comments carefully avoid getting the fan base’s hopes up when it comes to the possibility of seeing Prey 2 anytime soon.

This is a shame since Prey truly was a landmark moment for the series. I could even believe that the Alien Vs Predator movies might be redeemed with a new installment after seeing the one-two success of Prey and director Fede Alvarez’s 2024 hit Alien: Romulus, another follow-up that succeeded in stripping the series back to basics while offering a white-knuckle thrill ride. Thus, it is disappointing to see that Midthunder has no idea what the future of the Prey movies is, but all hope is not lost yet. The future-set story of Predator: Badlands still sounds exciting.

Even Without Prey 2, The Future Of Amber Midthiunder’s Naru Still Sounds Promising

Midthunder’s Prey Heroine Naru Could Appear In Another Predator Project

Meanwhile, ᴀssuming Predator: Badlands proves as successful as Trachtenberg’s most recent addition to the series, there is also still a chance that Naru could return in another follow-up. When asked about hopes of Naru returning to the series later in the same interview, Midthunder said “We have to hope that will become real,” a comment that implies Prey 2 isn’t the only movie that could feature a comeback from the character. Currently, it is hard to imagine how Naru could return outside a direct sequel.

However, it is worth noting that one planned ending for 2018’s The Predator would have seen Aliens stars Newt and Ripley appear as Predator Killers over a hundred years before their movie takes place. As such, it is fair to say the series isn’t afraid of tangling up its timeline to facilitate a comeback from a fan-favorite character. With this in mind, I’m comfortably certain that the success of Predator: Badlands is likely to make Prey 2 a possibility, while the eventual return of Prey’s heroine is likely no matter what.