New Predator Movie Badlands Brings In A Leading Lady With Sci-Fi Experience

It's "Alien" vs. "Predator" all over again. As the next installment of the classic horror franchise is set to arrive later this year with "Alien: Romulus," the rival "Predator" series is gearing up for a revival of its own. Director Dan Trachtenberg's "Prey" injected fresh blood into the IP in 2022, stripping away all the flashy bells and whistles from Shane Black's messy sequel and instead taking things back in time to colonial America. In fact, the Hulu film earned such glowing praise that it led to a buzzy announcement earlier this year, when we heard the promising news that 20th Century Studios would be bringing Trachtenberg back for more movies to come. At the time, all that was revealed was the title of the next planned feature — "Badlands" — but now we know which actor has been handpicked to lead Trachtenberg's new film.

According to Deadline, rising star Elle Fanning is currently in negotiations to join the next standalone "Predator" movie in her first big blockbuster as a leading lady. The actor is perhaps most well known for strong roles in smaller films helmed by visionary filmmakers, such as Nicolas Winding Refn's "The Neon Demon," Mike Mills' brilliant "20th Century Women," and Sofia Coppola's remake of "The Beguiled." Of course, she also rose to prominence in the first place thanks to her turn in J.J. Abrams' Amblin homage "Super 8," making this a long-awaited return to sci-fi. The report indicates that after the success of "Prey," the creative team wanted to find more of an established star this time around and quickly zeroed in on Fanning. While we wait for additional casting info to come in, Trachtenberg will direct from a script co-written by himself and "Prey" screenwriter Patrick Aison.

But that's not the only major "Predator" update.

In an additional bit of reporting, Deadline also indicates that plans for a "Prey" sequel remain alive and well at 20th Century Studios, with original star Amber Midthunder intended to return to reprise her role as the Comanche warrior Naru. The film is currently in "early development" and sources went out of their way to emphasize that there are no official casting details available just yet, but this would mark franchise history should it come to fruition. As fans well know, this would be the first time a "Predator" sequel ended up starring the same (human) character the next time around. Previous leads have included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Glover, Adrien Brody, and Boyd Holbrook. Specifics regarding the plot for the "Prey" sequel will have to wait until the production gets closer to getting the official green light, but director Dan Trachtenberg has previously spoken about his ideas for potential sequels – time will tell if any one of those end up being the main premise of this "Prey" follow up.

As for "Badlands," it's an open question whether the film will receive another straight-to-streaming release on Hulu or, in a welcome change, receive a theatrical rollout deserving of such a storied franchise. While the vast majority of audiences had to settle for a night in for "Prey" from the comforts of their living room, recent trends make a theatrical release for "Badlands" (and the other "Predator" films that may come in its wake) more likely. "Alien: Romulus" most recently reversed course on a streaming release and will bow in theaters later this year, so 20th Century Studios at least seems to be willing to listen to reason and deliver on the big-screen experiences that audiences deserve.