Predator Badlands: An Interview with Dan Trachtenberg

Key Takeaways

Director Dan Trachtenberg discussed his distinct narrative approach to the Predator franchise, including the new film 'Badlands'.
Trachtenberg integrates existing Predator (Yautja) lore from various sources while developing his own cinematic canon.
The director expressed a preference for future 'Alien vs. Predator' films to focus exclusively on creatures, minimizing human involvement.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has approved Trachtenberg's work on the franchise and may potentially return in an animated Predator project.

Director Dan Trachtenberg shared his relief regarding the positive reception of the recently released 'Badlands', acknowledging the significant Predator fan base.
He has directed three films within the Predator series, employing a unique approach that explores themes of teamwork and underdog narratives.
Trachtenberg explained that the Predator's hunt for worthy prey often contrasts with characters proving their own worth, as exemplified in 'Prey' where the protagonist's fight is central.
The director's personal connection to these narrative elements influences his filmmaking choices within the franchise.

The lore of the Predator species, known as Yautja, is extensively developed in comics and novels, but lacks a single canonical 'bible'.
Trachtenberg collaborated with ADI (Alec Gillis and Tom Woodard), who worked on the original 'Predator', to access existing designs and lore.
He forms canon by blending existing lore with his narrative instincts, similar to comic and novel writers, and confirms the incorporation of elements like the net gun and combi-stick from various films and the AVP novel.
The term 'Yautja' originated from an AVP novel, not the films, with Trachtenberg noting pronunciation variations and his preference for 'Yaucha'; he considered it as a title for a recent movie.
The director critiqued human elements in 'Alien vs. Predator' films, advocating for future installments to focus solely on the creatures without human dialogue, as 'Prey' aimed to do by centering on a Yautja protagonist.

The Yautja societal structure is likened to nomadic, tribal groups such as the Dothraki, rather than having formal governments.
Lore suggests Yautja were once enslaved by the Amengi, from whom they stole technology; broken Amengi statues are visible in 'Badlands'.
The director confirmed Yautja procreate and express passion and love despite their anger, while advising against spoiling 'Badlands'.
Discussion included a skull seen in 'Badlands', debating if it belonged to an 'Independence Day' Harvester or 'War of the Worlds' creature, noting Disney owns 'Independence Day'.

The Predator's presence across different time periods is attributed to cryo-storage of bodies, not time travel.
The ending of 'Prey' (also referred to as 'Killer of Killers') features characters from other Predator films, including Dutch and Mike Harrigan.
The franchise has seen various comic crossovers, including with Marvel's X-Men and Archie Comics.
Brainstormed concepts included a celebrity Predator, a Predator worshipped as a mega-church pastor, and a Predator captured by the U.S. government in the 1960s for MK Ultra training.

The director clarifies his continued involvement in the Predator franchise stems from a desire to tell original stories within its universe, distinct from a never-ending series like 'Avatar'.
Arnold Schwarzenegger approved of the 'Predator: Killer of Killers' concept and the overall work on the franchise.
The possibility of Arnold Schwarzenegger returning to the Predator franchise, potentially in an animated format, was discussed.
'Badlands' is noted as a PG-13 film that incorporates elements typically found in R-rated films due to its creature and robot antagonists.

Trachtenberg's childhood parental restrictions on R-rated movies led him to imagine elaborate movie plots, inspired by soundtracks from films like 'Rambo 3' and 'Nightmare on Elm Street 4'.
His imaginative storytelling, fueled by limited access to movies like 'Predator', led him to design a level for a Predator video game magazine and envision alternative outcomes for scenes.
The scar received by Naru's brother in 'Prey' intentionally mirrors a detail Trachtenberg imagined for the character Billy in the original 'Predator'.
The director discussed the underrepresentation of French fur trappers in film and compared the game 'Concrete Jungle' to 'Badlands', mentioning the character of a teenaged runt training to kill a creature.