Predator: Badlands Director Confirms 'Death Planet' Name, the New Predator’s Name, and Reveals Inspiration From Shadow of the Colossus

Predator: Badlands’ debut trailer has surely sparked a fig of questions among fans, not slightest astir the plan of the caller Predator himself.

In an interrogation with Bloody disgusting, manager Dan Trachtenberg revealed a fig of caller details astir Predator: Badlands, including his caller instrumentality connected the celebrated sci-fi hunter.

The caller Predator is called Dek and is played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. Dek is described arsenic an underdog Yautja “runt” successful the protagonist role. Predator movies typically diagnostic Yautja (the sanction fixed to the contention of alien hunters) successful antagonist roles.

Dek selects his hunting ground, a “Death Planet” called Kalisk, and it’s present helium fights to beryllium his worthy to his begetter and for acceptance wrong his ain clan.

Dek, clearly, has a antithetic plan to the Predators that person travel earlier him, with immoderate saying helium looks a batch much human-like than expected. Dek is besides not arsenic large oregon gangly arsenic immoderate of the Predator villains we’ve seen successful erstwhile films, which fits with his “runt” protagonist role.

Predator: Badlands is Dek’s story, but he’s not unsocial connected Kalisk. He besides works with a quality played by Elle Fanning, who arsenic IGN has discussed, precise overmuch looks similar a synth from the Alien franchise.

That's the Weyland Yutani logo connected Elle Fanning's eyes. Is she a synth?

Trachtenberg said the on-screen narration betwixt Dek and Fanning’s quality was inspired by 2005 PlayStation masterpiece Shadow of the Colossus.

“As inspired arsenic I americium by movies, I’ve been precise inspired by video games [like] Shadow of the Colossus, wherever you person a protagonist paired with idiosyncratic other who provides colour and connection,” Trachtenberg explained.

“There’s a happening with a equine successful Shadow of the Colossus that’s devastating erstwhile you play the game. And truthful [Predator: Badlands] was a small spot inspired by that successful presumption of wanting to spot the Predator with idiosyncratic else, this quality who’s the other of him. He’s precise laconic, [Fanning] is not. She’s susceptible successful ways that helium is not. Physically, she’s got a existent happening that I’m truthful excited for you guys to see. But I privation to fto yet immoderate of that talk for itself.”

Trachtenberg was, arsenic you’d expect, tight-lipped connected those Alien connections and Fanning’s character’s nature. “There’s a unsocial hook to her quality that is breathtaking successful the pairing of [her and Dek],” Trachtenberg teased.

Predator: Badlands launches connected November 7, 2025. Before that, Trachtenberg’s animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers comes retired successful June.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].