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Credit: LucasfilmEver since The Mandalorian debuted in 2019, we’ve become very familiar with a certain small, wide-eyed creature. Originally labeled “Baby Yoda” by fans, Grogu became an instant cultural phenomenon — the kind of character most studios only dream about, moving merchandise by the truckload, year upon year.
So it’s no surprise that Disney wants to bottle that magic once again with the upcoming big-screen adaptation, The Mandalorian & Grogu.
But it seems they’ve already grown impatient to try to sell more merchandise again.
Enter Predator: Badlands, the studio’s latest addition to the long-running sci-fi franchise it inherited from 20th Century Fox. The film introduces “Bud”, a curious, big-eyed alien who accompanies the Yautja warrior Dek across a harsh desert world. She’s cute, expressive, and undeniably designed to sell toys.
The pairing of grizzled hunter and adorable sidekick feels deliberate — a formula that worked for Star Wars, now repurposed for Predator.
The echoes don’t stop there. Dek’s partnership with Thia (Elle Fanning), a damaged android he carries across the wasteland, directly recalls Chewbacca hauling the disassembled C-3PO in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) — director Dan Trachtenberg has openly acknowledged that inspiration.
From glowing weapon duels to the film’s mix of myth and machinery, Badlands often looks more like Star Wars in different armor than a continuation of the bloody survival horrors that once defined the series. Speaking of armor, the only thing that feels missing is the Predator’s signature helmet, which would complete that “Mando” look.
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Since acquiring Fox in 2019, Disney has broadened Predator’s accessibility. First with the streaming hit Prey in 2022, which was nowhere near as violent as its predecessors, then with the animated anthology film Killer of Killers earlier this year. And now, with Badlands, which is rated PG-13 — a significant age-rating-drop that completes the transformation.
But the film’s most obvious attempt at cashing in on younger audiences is Bud — a ready-made plush icon who looks like she’s come straight out of the same factory as Grogu. And let’s not forget Elle Fanning’s Thia, a wise-cracking sidekick inserted largely for comic relief.
For Disney, that may be smart business, but for longtime fans, it’s another reminder that even the galaxy’s deadliest hunter isn’t immune to the pull of family-friendly branding.
Predator: Badlands is in theaters now. Watch the trailer below:
Disney’s official synopsis reads: “Predator: Badlands, which stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator (Schuster-Koloamatangi), outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.”
Do you think Predator: Badlands feels more like a Star Wars movie? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!