The new movie Predator: Badlands has once again merged the Alien and Predator franchises – albeit without the Xenomorphs. The critically-acclaimed sequel pairs up the titular alien, otherwise known as a Yautja, with a Weyland-Yutani synthetic android. The interesting world-building behind the story there is something that has fans wondering if a new Alien vs. Predator could be in the works, and Dan Trachtenberg is now teasing the possibilities.
Of course, the premise previously led to two crossover movies in 2004 and 2007, though they were widely panned for being too different from their respective franchises as well as the games and comics which inspired them. Now Dan Trachtenberg is insisting that Alien vs Predator should only happen once things “simmer and boil and get up to the perfect temperature.”
This is certainly an exciting statement for fans who hope to see an Alien vs Predator movie live up to its full potential. And, if Predator: Badlands is any indication, then these franchises are being set up quite nicely to co-exist in the same narrative space yet again. Here’s the full quote Trachtenberg shared while speaking with The Direct:
“…For me, the coolest part of it would be grabbing these elements and letting them cook. You know, once again, we don’t want to pull it out of the oven too quickly and have it all just be raw. We really want things to simmer and boil and get up to the perfect temperature. I don’t know. I don’t cook. Too many, too many terms now!”
Interestingly, Trachtenberg further explained his desire to use a Weyland-Yutani synthetic as one of the leads of the film. Surprisingly, it wasn’t to begin a crossover event, but rather use an organic element that would compliment the story he had in mind:
“Idea number one was… Because ‘Prey’ was such a solo survival tale, I wanted this to be a relationship movie. Especially because we were going to have this Predator speaking in a different language and wanted to see it have a dynamic with something and interact, to get more of a window into its insides. Because it wasn’t certainly going to voice them out loud. I wanted to pair him with something, and I knew if we put a human in the movie, then it becomes the human’s movie, and he’s just in it. And T2 already exists, you know? And it was really like, ‘No, we’ve got to make sure that whatever else I put him in there with, he’s still the protagonist.’ And so I thought, a monster and a robot, there’s something that’s really fun about that.”
Hopefully we’ll see what else Trachtenberg has envisioned for the Predator and possibly Alien franchises in the future. Of course, any of those projects, and the likelihood of a new Alien vs Predator movie, all depend on the success of Predator: Badlands. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the Alien and Predator franchises as we have them.