At San Diego Comic-Con, Predator franchise director Dan Trachtenberg addresses the possibility of making a new Alien vs. Predator movie. Both the Predator and Alien franchises have been going on for decades now, and famously had a crossover with Alien vs. Predator. The 2004 movie was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. It was followed by a Requiem sequel, but the attempts have failed to impress critics.

However, Trachtenberg became a key filmmaking figure behind the modern Predator franchise. His tenure started with the prequel film Prey, which was well-received upon its 2022 release. The success continued with Predator: Killer of Killers and is set to helm Predator: Badlands, which releases this fall.

At an SDCC panel to speak about Badlands, Trachtenberg discussed the challenges of making a new Alien vs. Predator movie. The director explained that it is hard to do such a crossover without feeling the “seduction to grab all the action figures and smush them together.” Check out the full quote below:

The next stop was like okay, Predator and a Robot. It will be a really human story, but its about a predator and a robot, creature and a robot. And then I thought, I know someone who makes robots. And so that was the Weyland-Yutani of it all. And that of course leads to even more cool ideas, but I think sometimes people that are dabbling in cinematic universes, there’s a seduction to grab all the action figures and smush them together. And I really didn’t want to do that, and I wanted to make sure that if we ever did something, it would be a little bit more elegant.

This was not Trachtenberg saying that another Alien vs. Predator movie is out of the question. In fact, when asked whether he would direct a potential crossover, the director responded:

“Wouldn’t it be cool? Wouldn’t it be cool.”

What This Means For The Alien Franchise

The Alien vs. Predator Series Hasn’t Been So Great, But There’s Hope

The track record for the Alien vs. Predator series isn’t so great. The 2004 installment was able to reach a 21% Tomatometer, while the 2007 sequel fared even worse with just 12%. While both performed well enough to achieve profitability, they didn’t reach the scale of their respective franchises. Alien vs. Predator made $177.4 million worldwide against a $60 million budget, while Requiem collected $130 million against a smaller $40 million budget.

Plans to continue with the crossover were paused, and each franchise continued with its standalone movies. However, both franchises endured hiccups with the mixed receptions of Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, and 2018’s The Predator. While it seemed that neither was able to reach the heights of yesteryear, that’s changed in just the last five years.

Alongside Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers rejuvenating the franchise, Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus also reawakened Ridley Scott’s beloved sci-fi classic. Hence, it makes sense that the demand for the crossover has gone up, given the new visions for each franchise.

Our Take On Another Alien Vs. Predator

Now Is The Right Time For It

Making an Alien vs Predator will be quite a task since it’s hard to crack the concept with the right story and characters. Hence, it makes sense why there could be any hesitancy from directors like Trachtenberg, who acknowledge where the issues may lie. Even then, it’s easier said than done, which only makes the crossover such a high-risk project.

That said, now is a better time than ever to try Alien vs. Predator. Through well-received recent entries, including Alien: Romulus and Predator: Killer of Killers, the Alien and Predator movies have won back audiences’ hearts after a years-long slump. If Predator: Badlands does as well as it has the potential to, Trachtenberg may see an Alien vs. Predator offer coming his way.