The 1st ‘Predator: Badlands’ trailer looks amazing, but it’s the ‘Alien’ universe teases that have us most excited (video)

After descriptions of the first Predator: Badlands trailer arrived from CinemaCon earlier this month, we knew a public release was right around the corner. Well, we don’t have to wait any longer, as it’s finally arrived.

We get to see the interior of a Predator spaceship filled with trophies that may include an Independence Day alien’s skull and a T. rex skull, a synth character (played by Elle Fanning) of Weyland-Yutani origin, harsh alien worlds, and a young Predator protagonist in trouble. For a preview that’s barely one minute long, this teaser trailer — set to ‘Wolf Totem‘ by The HU — sure packs in a lot.

Veteran fans of the franchise know this isn’t exactly the first time we’ve had a ‘good guy’ Predator on the big screen (AVP was the first, whether you like it or not), but it’s refreshing to see executives and creatives betting so many chips on making a Yautja the main protagonist of a movie. We have Prey (2022) to thank for that, since it proved the series could both regain some of its lost identity and explore new territories under Dan Trachtenberg’s guidance.

The writer-director is back for more (as is co-writer Patrick Aison), but choosing to focus on telling a new story versus jumping into a potential Prey 2 right away (though that’s on the table still). This information, coupled with this first trailer, should be enough to sell most sci-fi and horror aficionados on the new movie, but what about an IMAX release as the cherry on top? After the previous Predator movie – arguably the best Predator movie since the original – skipped theaters and went to Disney+ instead, that’s an extra reason to celebrate this new installment.

Of course, Disney and 20th Century Studios also shared a killer teaser poster you might want on your nerd cave’s wall if the movie doesn’t disappoint when Predator Badlands releases November 7.

According to the press release and everything we’ve heard so far, Predator: Badlands is “set in the future on a remote planet” and follows a young Predator (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who must prove himself after being “outcast from his clan.” On this big, mean alien world, he comes across “an unlikely ally” in Elle Fanning’s Thia. Word on the street is she’s also playing a twin character, but there might be a huge twist to the rumors, considering this trailer presents Thia as a Weyland-Yutani synthetic (look at her eyes when she’s trapped).

Indeed, that long-teased Alien vs. Predator revival could be around the corner. In fact, those final shots of the preview (0:53) contain a second connection to the Alien continuity: the Weyland-Yutani logo is clearly visible on a trashed yellow truck next to the Predator, just before he screams at a massive kaiju-like alien beast. We’ve theorized for a very long time about how all this could work out under Disney’s umbrella, and it seems we’re quite close to something major happening in the near future.

With Badlands and the animated anthology flick Predator: Killer of Killers primed for release this year and Prey 2 floated as a likely next step for Trachtenberg and Aison, it seems Predators won’t be returning to a modern-day setting anytime soon. While we’ve got some neat ideas for a proper Predator ‘legacy sequel’ of sorts, we’re happy to see it broaden its horizons and shake things up. November can’t arrive soon enough.