Director of upcoming 'Predator: Badlands' compares its Yautja protagonist to Mad Max and Conan the Barbarian

After the original Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, director Dan Trachtenberg recently got us excited in the Predator universe again with two stellar entries in the 'Yautja' franchise in the form of the live-action feature Prey and the animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers (streaming on JioHotstar in India). He is back with another live-action Predator project gearing up for release, a futuristic spin-off, in which a Predator character becomes a protagonist for the first time in franchise history.  

The Predator lead of Predator: Badlands is Dek, an extraterrestrial member of the Yautja race, described as the "runt of the litter" — someone with a disadvantage — by Trachtenberg. Played by New Zealand-born actor Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who is of Samoan & Tongan heritage, the character is being compared to dystopian and fantasy fiction heroes such as Mad Max and Conan the Barbarian, by Trachtenberg, in an interview with Empire magazine.

“He’s a thing of few words, pretty blunt. He cuts straight to the point. Literally and figuratively,” adds Trachtenberg, who has by now proved himself to be a filmmaker with plenty of ideas, someone capable of taking the franchise in exciting directions. In Badlands, Trachtenberg's idea is to make audiences root for Dek, unlike the previous films which pitted a human protagonist against a Yautja creature.

“In most sci-fi universes, the ‘creatures’ are either bad guys or sidekicks. Here, it’s: ‘What if you were with the creature on this crazy mission to prove itself, seeing everything through its eyes?’” It’s a fascinating idea."

ALSO READ: 'Predator: Killer of Killers' review: Dan Trachtenberg teases bigger plans in spectacular Yautja anthology

Trachtenberg teases that after the release of Prey and the positive reception it got, he thought of three ideas, two of which became Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands. The third one, however, is yet to be made. "So, there are other awesome ideas and time periods it’d be exciting to explore, and all that’s been part of our discussion for [what’s next].”

Notably, aside from having a Predator as a protagonist for the first time, Badlands is also expected to feature a crossover possibility with the Alien franchise, considering the appearance of an android character manufactured by the Weyland-Yutani corporation.

The surprises that Trachtenberg springs in the finale of Killer of Killers tease potential connections to other previous entries in the franchise as well. It remains to be seen whether we'll get to see any of the franchise's favourite human warriors or elements from Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers in future instalments, especially in Badlands. 

Unlike Prey and Killer of Killers, Badlands is planned as a wide theatrical release.

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