The upcoming science fiction film Predator: Badlands has been revealed to be the newest crossover between the Predator and Alien franchises thanks to the new teaser trailer. Predator: Badlands is being helmed by Prey‘s director Dan Trachtenberg as 2025’s second Predator movie. Predator: Badlands will follow a young Predator as they hunt impossible prey while also being hunted by a formidable enemy. The Predator: Badlands CinemaCon footage revealed the movie will also see the Predator team up with an “unprecedented” ally, played by Elle Fanning.
While it was previously ᴀssumed that the Predator’s new ally would be a human, the new teaser has confirmed that Elle Fanning will play a Weyland-Yutani android. This creates a very exciting connection to the Alien franchise that could certainly see the new movie go in unexpected directions. However, it is not just the Alien franchise that the new Predator movie has already created connections to. In fact, the Predator: Badlands trailer includes multiple Easter eggs to science fiction films, which could create the biggest crossover to date.
Predator: Badlands’ Skull Trophy Room Is Filled With Various Alien Movie Easter Eggs
The Predator Has Fittingly Faced Off Against Some Of The Biggest Sci-Fi Foes
The new Predator: Badlands trailer has gotten audiences even more excited about the upcoming film, thanks in part to the teased connections to other sci-fi movies. Fans have been quick to spot some familiar-looking skulls in the Predator’s trophy room, which is shown briefly in the trailer. While Elle Fanning’s character later tells the Predator that it is “hunting something that can’t be killed,” it is immediately clear that it will be following in the long line of Predators that came before it.
Some, like the human skull and spine and the huge dinosaur skull, are easy to spot and show how the Predators’ search for a worthy adversary has taken them across space and time.
Since it has long been established that the Predators, as a species, seek out the most difficult prey to prove themselves adept fighters and hunters, it makes sense that Predator: Badlands would enforce this narrative, even if will make the Predator into a protagonist. Some, like the human skull and spine and the huge dinosaur skull, are easy to spot and show how the Predators’ search for a worthy adversary has taken them across space and time. While others are much more difficult to identify, a few of the skulls are great Easter eggs for keen fans to find.
The Alien and Predator franchises have been connected in comics since 1989 and in film since 2004, but the Predator: Badlands trailer has now seemingly connected yet another well-known alien species. The skull in the middle of the Predator’s display appears to be a Harvester skull from the 1996 film Independence Day, marking the first time that the two series have been linked. It has also been speculated that the larger humanoid skull could be an Engineer, further linking the Alien and Predator series.
Predator: Badlands’ Alien Easter Eggs Copy How Predator 2 Set Up AvP
The Movie Can Now Hint At Future Connections
While the glimpse of the Predator’s trophy room is an exciting tease of things to come, it is actually not the first time that the Predator franchise has included that element. The trophy room tease first occurred in Predator 2 when Danny Glover’s character Mike Harrigan tracks it to its spaceship. Once inside, he sees a wall of skulls, including several human ones, and notably an Alien skull. Though some of the skulls are unidentifiable, the movie cleverly knew that fans of both franchises would be quick to catch the connection.
By including the Xenomorph skull, the franchise subtly told viewers that the two ᴅᴇᴀᴅly species had met before, teasing the possibility that those stories could be told in the future.
Even better, because Predator 2 itself had nothing to do with Alien beyond the brief inclusion of the skull, it was able to leave audiences wanting more. By including the Xenomorph skull, the franchise subtly told viewers that the two ᴅᴇᴀᴅly species had met before, teasing the possibility that those stories could be told in the future. Now, Predator: Badlands‘ use of the Harvester skull definitively shows that the Independence Day aliens do exist in the same universe and could be incorporated into a future movie.
Disney’s Next Alien vs. Predator Crossover Can Go Much Bigger Than AvP Now
The Franchise Could Bring In Exciting New Antagonists
Though Alien vs. Predator was a big crossover at the time it was released, Disney now has the chance to go even bigger in its future Predator projects. Instead of sticking with the Xenomorph versus Yautja plotline that has been done before, a future movie could incorporate Harvesters to add yet another series to the mix. Trying to understand the timeline continuity that would be created by combining Alien, Predator, and Independence Day might be confusing, but the outcome would be undeniably entertaining.
Additionally, if one of the other skulls does belong to an Engineer, future Predator and Alien crossovers could continue to explore varying points in time in the Alien series and the beings and technology that exist then. To a certain extent, this seems to perhaps be the intent of Predator: Badlands. Since Fanning’s character is a synth and is confirmed to be aiding the Predator, there is nothing to say that other humanoid beings, like Engineers, could not also make appearances.
What’s more, because Disney owns the rights to the Predator, Alien, and Independence Day movies, any properties that Disney or 20th Century Studios owns could hypothetically be incorporated. Any science fiction or alien invasion-related creatures that are owned by Disney or its subsidiaries could make appearances. Likewise, real but extinct predators such as dinosaurs could easily face off against the hunters to create even bigger threats.
Predator: Badlands Could Make A Yautja vs Other Movie Aliens Crossover More Likely
If The Movie Is A Success, Disney Will Want To Capitalize On It
Dan Trachtenberg’s previous Predator movie Prey was a success with critics and streaming audiences, and if Predator: Badlands can repeat that success with theatrical audiences, a sequel will be much more likely. IP movies make up a huge portion of the box office, and it seems unlikely that this will change if audiences continue to be interested in franchise films. Predator: Badlands‘ success is great for Disney because it definitively proves such audience interest.
Past Alien vs. Predator films were financially successful, as were the Independence Day movies, highlighting that a creatively done crossover could be equally successful.
If Predator: Badlands becomes a major hit with audiences, Disney could be incentivized to go forward with other Predator universe films and crossovers. Past Alien vs. Predator films were financially successful, as were the Independence Day movies, highlighting that a creative crossover could be equally successful. For now, Predator: Badlands‘ trailer looks very promising and teasing another related franchise creates interesting future possibilities, but audiences will have to wait for its release to learn if the movie can pay off its intriguing concept.
