Back in February, it was announced that Prey director Dan Trachtenberg would become the first filmmaker to take the helm of two films in the Predator franchise, as he was moving ahead with a new Predator film titled Badlands, working from a screenplay by Prey screenwriter Patrick Aison (based on a story crafted by Trachtenberg himself). That movie started filming in New Zealand earlier this year, with Super 8‘s Elle Fanning in the lead, aiming for a November 7, 2025 theatrical release – and last week, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell let it slip that we’re actually getting two new additions to the Predator franchise, both directed by Trachtenberg, in 2025! During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Asbell referred to Predator: Badlands as “the live-action Predator film,” stirring speculation that the other movie might be animated. Now, io9 reports that “multiple sources” have told them the secret Predator movie that Asbell couldn’t say much about is an animated anthology!
According to io9, “Multiple sources told (us) that the secret Predator project is in fact an animated feature, as many speculated. The twist though is it’s almost an anthology, telling three separate stories of Predators fighting warriors in multiple eras. One is potentially pirates, one is potentially samurai, and there’s a third one too.” I know a lot of Predator fans, myself included, are anxious to see a story that takes place in feudal Japan and pits a Predator against a samurai, and I have seen fans requesting pirate stories as well, so an anthology like that would be a nice gift. While I would prefer to see the samurai story presented in live action, it would be cool to see it told in animated fashion as well.
Asbell told The Hollywood Reporter, “After Prey became a success, Dan [Trachtenberg] came back and said he didn’t want to do Prey 2. And we’re like, ‘What do you want to do?’ And he rattled off a bunch of ideas that were really crazy but really cool. We’ve actually done two of them. Two are coming out next year.” As mentioned, Predator: Badlands will be getting a theatrical release. The other new Predator movie that Trachtenberg has directed, whether it be an animated anthology or not, is expected to be a streaming release.
What do you think of the rumor that the secret Predator project is an animated anthology? Let us know by leaving a comment below.