Badlands Will Only Give A "Nibble" Of The Predator Culture & Homeworld Explained By Director

Despite the trailer pointing towards more insight about the Predator culture and Yautja homeworld, Predator: Badlands apparently only provides a brief glimpse at where the cosmic hunters come from as explained by director Dan Trachtenberg. Set for a November 7th, 2025 release date, Predator: Badlands is the seventh movie in the mainline Predator franchise.

Set somewhere in the untold reaches of space, Predator: Badlands chronicles the first hunt of an outcast Predator named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi). With the help of a Weyland-Yutani android named Thia (Elle Fanning), Dek battles his way across the most dangerous planet in the universe in search of an apex predator that will allow him to regain his place among his clan.

During an interview with Screen Rant‘s Joe Deckelmeier at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg revealed that the new movie only provides a small taste of the Predator culture and homeworld. Per Trachtenberg, he didn’t want the movie to be weighed down by the minutiae of introducing an entire culture.

Well, yeah, I mean certainly the movie and the story starts on the Predator home planet, so we do get a glimpse of their culture. It was important to me, though, that we didn’t make a mistake or something. I sometimes get a little abrasive, I sort of relent when a sequel, or some big franchise, starts to deep dive into the lore rather than the story. I think there’s a difference between the two, and I was not at all interested in telling the story of the senatorial disagreements between trade alliances of the different Yautja tribes. So, the movie is still very much an aggressive, vertical gauntlet, but we do get just a nibble of Yautja culture.

Predator: Badlands is already swerving into uncharted territory by setting up a Predator as the movie’s protagonist, so it’s understandable that Trachtenberg would want to use most of the movie’s runtime exploring that new character.

The Movie Dives Right Into The Action

The teaser and action-packed trailer for Predator: Badlands have revealed plenty about the movie’s setting, which takes place at least partially on the Yautja homeworld, with the rest occurring on an alien planet loaded with ultra-dangerous flora and fauna. However, Dan Trachtenberg’s comments make it seem like we will only get the briefest glimpse of the former.

Most of the action in the trailers revolves around Dek fighting against animals, plants, and even other Yautja opponents. With the exception of the white-dreadlocked Predator that’s featured prominently, most everything else appears to occur on the more savage world.

All Mainline Predator Franchise Movies
Movie	Release Date	RT Tomatometer Score	RT Popcornmeter Score
Predator	1987	80%	87%
Predator 2	1990	30%	44%
Predators	2010	65%	52%
The Predator	2018	34%	32%
Prey	2022	94%	74%
Predator: Killer of Killers	2025	95%	88%
Predator: Badlands	2025	N/A	N/A
Prey 2	TBD	N/A	N/A

It stands to reason that the movie may begin on the Yautja homeworld, and the first few minutes likely chronicle Dek’s exile from his clan. Tractenberg’s comments make it seem like that will be a brief segment, and that Predator: Badlands will dive right into Dek’s fight for survival on the new planet.

Trachtenberg Is Taking Notes From Another Iconic Sci-Fi Franchise

Trachtenberg’s comments mention trade alliances between the Yautja tribes, which some will recognize is likely a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The first movie in particular infamously was weighed down by far too much information about the galaxy’s economics and politics, which is clearly what Trachtenberg is trying to avoid.

The Grendel King from Predator: Killer of Killers

Predator’s Future Is Revamped With Franchise-Changing New Scene

Dan Trachtenberg revealed a new change to Predator: Killer of Killers’ coda that’s set to completely change the trajectory of the franchise.

It’s frankly smart on his behalf to keep up the momentum that the franchise currently has after the highly acclaimed 2022 entry Prey and the surprise animated anthology movie Predator: Killer of Killers. Interest in the franchise is at an all-time high thanks to Trachtenberg producing tight, exciting narratives in the last two movies, and now is not the time to try and introduce an entire culture.

Trachtenberg understands what people want out of the Predator franchise: sci-fi action, brutal kills, and badass heroes. Predator: Badlands is set to deliver more of the same if his latest comments are to be believed.