Credit: 20th Century StudiosIt was only a matter of time before a follow-up to Prey (2022) was announced. The seventh film in the Predator franchise was a streaming service hit when it premiered on Hulu and Disney+ (region-permitted) in 2022, and was hailed as the best film in the series since the iconic John McTiernan-directed, Arnold Schwarzenegger-led 1987 original.
Now, Deadline confirms that a new Predator movie titled Badlands (TBA) is in the works, with Prey director Dan Trachtenberg back at the helm. However, the film will reportedly not act as a direct sequel to Prey, instead being described as “a new standalone pic.” Prey 2 (TBA) is said to be a separate project that’s also in early development.
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News about the spinoff coincides with the title reveal for the new Alien movie, which was recently confirmed to be Alien: Romulus (2024).
These franchises share a long and interesting history, having most recently enjoyed two crossover films with Alien vs Predator (2004) and Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007). However, there will be no connection between Badlands and Romulus, nor will there be any between the new Alien film and the upcoming Alien television series from Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley.
Nevertheless, it seems Disney, which now owns 20th Century Studios following the Fox acquisition in 2019, is interested in moving forward with IPs that are a proven success.
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This all comes amid several sequel updates made by Disney over the past week, with projects including Moana 2 (2024) — a surprise sequel that’s heading to theaters later this year — Zootopia 2 (2025), and Toy Story 5 (2026).
No plot details for Badlands have been revealed, but judging by the title and taking into consideration Prey‘s back-to-basics approach with the film taking place in the Northern Great Plains of 1719, it’s likely the upcoming instalment will also significantly predate the original 1987 Predator by opting for the distant past, with the ever-popular American Frontier (also known as the Old West and the Wild West) being the most obvious choice.
Badlands will follow Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990), Alien vs Predator, Aliens vs Predator: Requiem, Predators (2010), The Predator (2018), and Prey.
There’s no release date for the film.
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