20th Century Studios has unveiled the first trailer for Predator: Badlands, revealing a reimagined take on the iconic alien hunter. The film, directed by Prey filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg, follows a younger Yautja facing exile and forming unlikely alliances on a remote planet. The trailer has sparked debate, with many fans reacting to the Predator’s bold new face design.
Fans react to Predator’s new face design in Badlands trailer
In the trailer, the young Yautja, portrayed by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, appears slimmer, more agile, and features an altered facial design. Fans quickly took to social media to express a mix of curiosity, humor, and criticism.
One user commented on X (formerly Twitter), “PREY was an amazing movie with one of the worst Predator designs ever. Wait and see the movie before writing off the design of the new one.” Another joked about the character’s hairstyle, saying, “People freaking out because the new Predator design has the seemingly adolescent Yautja tying up his dreads has me cracking up.”
Some reactions were more critical, including one that stated, “Still to this day, Hollywood can’t get the face right since the original. I guess it’s a lost art or they don’t know how.” Others praised the new look, with one fan writing, “the mask?! the cloak?! the fit?! the gold against white dreads?! just pure aurafarming…”
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (Prey), Predator: Badlands follows a young, exiled Predator who allies with Weyland-Yutani android Thia, played by Elle Fanning, on a hostile planet. The film introduces a smaller, more emotionally complex Yautja, with Trachtenberg stating in an interview with Empire, “He’s still bad—, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally.”
The movie features a confirmed Alien tie-in, with Thia’s android nature revealed through the Weyland-Yutani logo on her uniform. Fanning told audiences at CinemaCon, “My character actually teams up with the Predator, and you get to see him in a whole new light” (via SFF Gazette).
Predator: Badlands will be released exclusively in theaters on November 7, 2025.
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