Predator: Badlands director teases further Alien crossovers

For decades, franchise fans of all kinds clamored for the chance to see the Yautja from the Predator series and the Xenomorph from the Alien series square-off cinematically. Both franchises were distributed by the same company in 20th Century Fox, both featured humans facing intergalactic terrors from the deep recesses of space, and both had James Cameron connections in one form or another. The idea was first concretely teased by the release of an Alien vs. Predator comic book by Dark Horse, which debuted in June of 1990. A few short months later, Predator 2 was released in theaters and contained an Alien Easter egg for eagle-eyed fans: a Xenomorph skull hanging on the wall of a Yautja trophy room.

As such, when it was announced that Fox would be moving forward with a proper Alien vs. Predator film in the early ‘00s, it was reason for excitement. Unfortunately, that excitement quickly dissipated once the film was released. Both the 2004 film Alien vs. Predator and its 2007 sequel Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem failed to live up to the original franchises or comics that inspired them, leaving a sour taste in audiences’ mouths. However, now, with the Alien and Predator series’ under new management and each having hit unexpected creative peaks in recent years, there’s reason to hope once more, as the franchises look to be crossing over again, this time to much more promising results.

Director Dan Trachtenberg has played an integral role in shepherding the Predator franchise over the course of the last several years, having spearheaded and directed Prey, the animated anthology film Predator: Killer of Killers, and the impending Predator: Badlands. When asked by Deadline about the potential for a future crossover with the Alien universe in subsequent sequels, Trachtenberg was quick to point out that not only are there plans in place for more, but that Predator: Badlands is a substantial crossover with the Alien franchise in and of itself.

Alien's Weyland-Yutani corporation is a "huge part" of Predator: Badlands

“I would say Badlands itself is definitely a crossover," Trachtenberg said. "We have the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as a huge part of the movie. Elle Fanning plays a Weyland-Yutani synth, and I think, sometimes the tendency is for a ‘versus’ movie to be just grabbing all of the action figures and smashing them together. I thought it was really cool to just take an element from one franchise and fuse it with this one. So yes, they’re a huge part of the movie.”

In his own subtle way, Trachtenberg is illustrating the difference of approach between the prior Alien vs. Predator films and the new one. Moving forward, it is clear that the franchises will interweave in a more graceful, effective manner, such as the presence of Alien elements in Predator: Badlands. While the previous films could be described by the filmmaker’s “grabbing all the action figures” comment, his statements here make it clear that the plan this time around is much more articulate and interested in retaining what makes each of these franchises so special.

For the first time in a long time, Alien vs. Predator fans have something to truly look forward to with hope and optimism, thanks to Predator: Badlands.

Predator: Badlands hits theaters on November 7.