MOVIE NEWS – In just three weeks, one of the most anticipated science fiction films of the year will hit theaters, continuing a 38-year legacy with new stars, bold ideas, and a fierce tone.

Dan Trachtenberg, a devoted fan of fantasy, thrillers, and sci-fi worlds, has done what few expected: revive a franchise that had long struggled to connect with audiences. This November, the highly awaited Predator: Badlands arrives in theaters on November 7, marking a major milestone for one of cinema’s longest-running sci-fi sagas.

Directed by Trachtenberg and starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, the film follows Thia, a synthetic being who teams up with Dek, a young Yautja warrior, to undertake a perilous mission to find the ultimate adversary.

Dan Trachtenberg’s New Era for the Predator Universe

Trachtenberg has become a major creative force in the franchise that began with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic 1987 classic Predator. His 2022 film Predator: The Prey breathed new life into the series, telling the story of Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche woman who becomes the only member of her tribe capable of facing the alien threat.

The director’s inventive streak continues with Predator: Badlands and the animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers (2025), co-directed with Josh Wassung and released directly on Disney+. The anthology opens with a Viking warrior seeking bloody vengeance against a Yautja, followed by tales of a ninja in feudal Japan and a World War II pilot locked in a deadly aerial hunt.

Trachtenberg took over the franchise after the failure of Shane Black’s 2018 Predator, which was both a critical and commercial disappointment. The saga has endured through highs and lows, with earlier entries like Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), and two crossover films: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).

Source: Sensacine