According to an article in The Hollywood Reporter On Friday, director Dan Trachtenberg received the green light for a second Predator film, following his straight-to-video Hulu horror thriller prey. But during prey‘S critical success and streaming success as Hulu’s most-watched premiere of all time The fans expected one Prey 2 would be filmed at some point, the report states that Trachtenberg’s new Predator film will be called wastelandand will be determined “sometime in the future.”
As vague as that sounds – and as exciting as it may be to return to Amber Midthunder’s Great Plains Comanche warrior character Naru in a direct sequel prey – The news is the first indication that Trachtenberg will be given the freedom to make the Predator film he wants to make. And that’s generally good news for fans of the franchise.
“During manufacture [Prey]“We really enjoyed conjuring up all the special, unique things we could do, not just in this franchise but in this genre, that would be unexpected,” Trachtenberg told Polygon in late 2023. “Some things happened that were very much expected, but others were not at all. And so it was and is really fun to think about and explore all of these things.”
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Image: Hulu/Everett Collection
The idea to do prey as a period piece set in the 18th century rather than a modern thriller like the original film or Shane Black’s 2018 sequel The robber, was seen as a risk. It was an unexpected twist for the franchise that was guaranteed prey would not be able to rely on large cannons or high-tech weapons for its action. But this was also the film’s strength, both because the setting redefined the challenges for anyone fighting a Predator, and because it allowed Trachtenberg to control the visual design of the enemy and the methods of combat with which to face him , to reinterpret.
“We wanted to change it more than ever so that it could be a new sight and a new thrill for even die-hard fans of the franchise,” Trachtenberg told Polygon at the time.
It’s obviously too early to know how wasteland will follow Trachtenberg’s drive for innovation and the unexpected in the Predator series. But considering he’s not returning to the same designs, settings and characters in this next attempt at the series, it’s a safe bet that he wants to do something specific with it – and that the producers at 20th Century Studios trust his vision, rather than insisting that he imitate himself by reproducing all the elements that created him prey a hit.
According to THR, the studio is actually planning “a variety of Predator projects, with Trachtenberg at the center” – also a vague promise, but one that sounds a little like he’s become the James Gunn of the Predator franchise. Having a person in place to shape the series seems like a step in the right direction, especially someone who has already shown an interest in breaking it out of its monotonous mold.
No release date has been set yet wastelandbut THR states that production will occur in summer 2024, likely pointing to a 2025 release.
