Update 2: The trailer for Predator: Badlands has dropped!

Update: The first trailer for Predator: Killer of Killers has dropped and answers some of the questions posed in this article, including the animation style and periods in history that we’ll see the action unfold. While the rumour of the samurai plot is confirmed (as is the title), the pirate story is absent, instead being served by a WWII story and a Viking story. I’m a bit bummed at no pirates, but the other two arcs look satisfying. The art style is also uniform across all three segments and invokes Arcane or Blue Eye Samurai artistically. This one will hit streaming on June 6th.

Original article follows.

We have some new details and rumours about the Predator franchise this week. CinemaCon just wrapped up, and one of the closer panels was for Predator: Badlands, the upcoming theatrical film slated to be released in November. There’s also a juicy rumor from reputable insider Jeff Sneider about that second Predator film, so let’s get into it.

First, Badlands. Those in attendance at CinemaCon got to see a first look teaser for the upcoming sequel. Once again directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who directed Prey (thus making him the first person to direct multiple Predator films), Badlands is set in the near-future, and it does seem like the Predator himself will very much be a lead and a hero character, which is a big change of pace. Exiled by his tribe for being something of a failure, it seems, a teenage Predator finds himself teaming up with Elle Fanning’s character, who may be a synth, in order to hunt a prize worthy of coming home. That does sound a bit derivative of Prey, but it’s interesting to see this story from the perspective of the franchise antagonist and having him team up with a humanoid is certainly different for the franchise. The trailer also opens up with a Xenomorph skull, so Badlands could very well be setting up an Alien vs Predator situation, either in this movie or a future crossover event. But for this movie, the Predator and Elle Fanning’s character are hunting a massive alien beast on an alien planet, per the trailer footage.

The second film has some information courtesy of Jeff Sneider, who is a reputable insider who often breaks stories early. This rumour did run in October 2024, but having a second source run it almost confirms it’s accuracy, plus he has a title. According to him, the untitled film (also directed by Trachtenberg) is a Hulu animated anthology and is called Predator: Killer of Killers. In it, various Predators clash with warriors from the past, and if the rumours are true, one of them will be a samurai, while another will be a pirate (as stated in the update, the part about the pirate is now confirmed as false). The third story remains a mystery, as does the type of animation used in the anthology (I would assume three animation houses/styles, considering the anthology nature).

That’s the latest update on the Predator franchise, which one of the two are you most excited for? Let us know!