Following on the success of Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers, Dan Trachtenberg is pushing the Predator movie series in a wildly different direction, with the famous alien hunters (or at least one of them) set as the protagonists in a faraway future that’s a bit familiar. Here’s everything we know about Predator: Badlands.
Unlike Prey, which was a Hulu/Disney+ exclusive, this new Predator flick will hit cinemas worldwide. After the huge success of Dan Trachtenberg's prequel on streaming and Alien: Romulus' triumphant takeover of theaters last year, we fully expected Disney to bring back the sci-fi action/horror series to the big screen again.
Perhaps more surprising was the announcement of an animated anthology movie hitting streaming before it: In June, Predator: Killer of Killers expanded on the advanced alien species’ past jaunts to Earth across some of our history’s bloodiest episodes.
Disney isn’t done with sci-fi this year after Predator: Badlands. Very soon, we’ll be preparing to finally see what goes down in James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, which will no doubt be the biggest movie of Christmas 2025. Beyond that, the 2026 hype belongs to The Mandalorian & Grogu and Avengers: Doomsday.
Predator: Badlands release date
Predator: Badlands will release exclusively in theaters on November 7, 2025, in both the U.S. and the U.K. The movie is also set to hunt down as many IMAX screens as it can, taking moviegoers on a stunning journey to a new alien world in the far future.
Most international territories will be getting it around the same date. European countries such as France and Sweden are ahead of the pack with a November 5 release date. In the case of Australia, Brazil, or Germany, we're looking at November 6. You can check out the full list of confirmed countries and release dates here.
Predator: Badlands trailers
Three full Predator: Badlands trailers (along with a bunch of international variants, clips, and spots) have been released ahead of the movie’s theatrical debut.
The first one, released on April 23, is more of a teaser trailer and runs for barely over a minute, but it was more than enough to excite us and tease a new direction for the franchise. It's also set to 'Wolf Totem' by The HU, so that's a nice bonus.
On July 21, a full trailer decloaked, giving us a deeper look at both the Predator protagonist and Elle Fanning's Thia as well as the obstacles their unlikely alliance will have to overcome. And yes, we've received further confirmation that she's a Weyland-Yutani synthetic and the company will have a large presence in the movie. Watch it here:
The final trailer (but not the end of Disney’s aggressive marketing push) landed on October 6. This one’s more spoilery, so feel free to skip it if you’d rather not learn nearly everything about the movie’s structure and main plot beats. But we’re also suspecting a lot is saved for the movie.
If you’re brave enough, catch it below:
Past this point, it’s all spots and shorter trailers cut down from what we’d already seen, with some new snippets that you might want to avoid. That said, if you really want to get a feeling for the movie’s uncut action and drama, check out these two clips:
How to watch Predator: Badlands
Predator: Badlands will be a theatrical exclusive when it launches on November 7, 2025, so you'll have to head out to your local theater to watch it on release day. It will certainly be appearing on streaming platforms after its run in theaters, though.
We expect to see Predator: Badlands on Hulu in the US and Disney+ elsewhere in the world. We don't have an exact release date for this, but early 2026 is a good guess.
If you're going to be out of the country when the movie hits streaming services, you can still watch it using a VPN. You'll be able to connect to the service you've paid for, no matter where you are (on Earth, it won't work in space, sorry).
There are many great VPN services out there, but if you're wanting a recommendation, NordVPN is our top pick.
What is the plot of Predator: Badlands?
Predator: Badlands will take us to a "world of hurt" called Kalisk through the eyes of a Yautja "runt" named Dek, writer-director Dan Trachtenberg confirmed. While the story will also be told through the eyes of Elle Fanning's Thia (and a rumored twin character), the main goal behind the movie is to put the Predator front and center, inverting the dynamics we'd gotten used to. Alien vs. Predator fans, however, still remember that Scar/Lex team-up back in 2004, though.
Speaking of AvP, it seems the long-rumored crossover set in the future could be close to happening now, as Thia has been openly revealed to be a Weyland-Yutani synthetic in the two trailers we've seen. Moreover, large civilian vehicles belonging to the Alien series' big evil corporation, a large mech of sorts, and other synth models can be spotted too. We're not counting on Xenomorphs showing up in this movie, as the director told Empire they won't be making an appearance, but the board has been officially set now. Trachtenberg insisted at SDCC 2025 he’s being “cautious” about pushing too hard too fast into crossover territory, though.
Regardless, Predator: Badlands is leaving the rest of the Predator timeline behind and leaning heavily on elements from the "extended lore" which were mostly developed through the video games and comic books. Mercifully, though, without Yautjas utilizing their prey's DNA to become stronger, we're leaving all that nonsense behind. Instead, it will take cues from classic stories like Conan the Barbarian tales and games as mighty as Shadow of the Colossus.
Meatier plot details haven't been shared yet, but it's been confirmed that the young Predator Dek is an outcast from his clan after failing the group, not showing enough strength, and getting his brother Kwei killed by their own father. This kickstarts his quest to find "the ultimate adversary" on the remote planet of Kalisk, where he also comes across Thia and has to overcome unexpected challenges, including savage beasts and deadly plant life. It looks like unfriendly synthetics and a non-Predator masked hunter are tracking him too, so expect plenty of blood to be spilled... whether it’s red, green, or white.
Who is starring in Predator: Badlands?
Only two actors have been officially announced, and the character rumors didn't point to additional cast members, so we're left in the dark until the movie releases... except for one more bit of news (spoilers below):
- Elle Fanning (Super 8, The Neon Demon) - Thia and her (also synthetic) twin sister Tessa
- Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi - (The Panthers, Far North) as Dek
Who are the Predator: Badlands director, writers, & crew?
Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane, Prey) directed a script written by himself and Patrick Aison (Prey, Jack Ryan). The writer-director is also producing alongside John Davis (The Predator), Marc Toberoff (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), Ben Rosenblatt (Tokyo Vice), and Brent O'Connor (Alien: Romulus).
Jeff Cutter (Prey) is handling the cinematography once again, with Ra Vincent (Thor: Ragnarok) on board as the production designer, plus Zahra Archer (A Minecraft Movie) and Sam Storey (Avatar: The Way of Water) serving as art directors. Sarah Schachner (Prey) and Benjamin Wallfisch (Predator: Killer of Killers) have also joined forces for the soundtrack.
