Two Predator movies are confirmed for release in 2025. While talking about the anticipated Predator sequel, Badlands, with The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell revealed that a secret Predator movie had been made. The Predator franchise began in 1987, with Arnold Schwarzenegger's formidable team facing the alien hunter, while the Predator and Alien franchises later crossed over. Director Dan Trachtenberg took a risk by setting Prey in the past, but it earned a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, and Trachtenberg earned the studio's trust. He is now the director of both 2025 Predator movies.
Further hints from Asbell reveal some possible details about the movie, but where this secret Predator movie will fit in the Predator timeline is unclear so far, and the possibility of any Alien reference is unconfirmed. Asbell said that Trachtenberg had "a bunch of ideas that were really crazy but really cool," and has confirmed that despite the success of Prey, the new Predator movie will not be Prey 2. This only rules out a direct sequel, and based on Asbell's hints and industry rumors, the secret Predator movie may be unlike any others in the franchise.
10 A Live-Action Standalone Predator Movie
This Would Have Been An Enormous Secret For Predator To Keep
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For the secret Predator movie to be live-action, all the many factors that go into making a movie would have had to be done in total secrecy. If this is the case with the so-far unnamed Predator movie, it could be Hollywood's best-kept secret. However, while we cannot rule anything out at this stage, the possibility of the secret Predator movie being a live-action standalone movie is unlikely, as the live-action Badlands has already been confirmed for release in 2025.
Very little is known about Badlands, even before a second Predator movie was announced. In his interview, Asbell referred to the upcoming Badlands as "the live-action Predator film," confirming that Badlands would not be animated. Trachtenberg is the director, and it is possible that Prey writer Patrick Aison could have returned to write the movie. Elle Fanning is starring, but no details have been revealed about her story or character. With all the work involved in Badlands, it is unlikely that the secret movie will also be a live-action standalone Predator movie.
9 A Live-Action Prey Sequel
A Prey Sequel Offers New Possibilities For The Predator
Asbell said in his interview that "after Prey became a success, Dan [Trachtenberg] came back and said he didn't want to do Prey 2." This may sound as though the possibility that the secret Predator movie is a live-action Prey sequel has been ruled out, but that is not necessarily true. A Prey sequel could take place in the same period of history but with different characters and a different location, meaning that the story would center on another human hunter who finds themself facing the Predator.
Here is every Predator variant seen in the Predator movies, comics, novels, and more, from 1987's Predator to 2018's The Predator.
A Prey sequel could be approached in several different ways that do not involve creating a direct and formulaic Prey 2. The Predator could return to Earth and fight a different group of people, working in an entirely new climate. This would have a similar tone to Prey, with added interest and the potential for the Predator to reveal new and specialist weapons for hunting in a different environment. The Predator movies' settings have included a jungle, a city, and a forest, so bringing the hunter to a new climate is not a far-fetched idea.
8 A Live-Action Alien Vs. Predator Movie
The Studio President Thinks It Will Probably Happen
When Asbell was asked if audiences would eventually see another Alien vs. Predator movie, he confirmed, "probably." However, he immediately clarified that just as Trachtenberg didn't want to immediately create a Prey 2, any Alien vs. Predator movie would only be approached organically. "We're not just going to bang it out," Asbell said. This may come as welcome news for fans who prefer the creativity in a new approach to the Predator franchise over a series of similar sequels.
20th Century's president seems to tease a third Alien vs. Predator crossover movie featuring characters from the Prey and Romulus subfranchises.
While we cannot currently rule out the possibility that the secret Predator movie is a live-action Alien vs. Predator movie, it also seems unlikely. However, the movie may feature some references to the Alien franchise, as other Alien and Predator movies have previously referenced each other. Prey included hidden references to the Predator movies, and the secret Predator movie may take the same approach with the Alien franchise, depending on when it is set.
7 An Animated Predator Or Prey Sequel
This Could Explain The Secret Predator Movie's Early Release Date
Asbell might have revealed an early detail about the secret Predator movie when he referred to Badlands as "the live-action Predator movie." This seems to imply that the secret movie will not be live-action. Rumors have already been circulating that the secret Predator movie will be animated, but this is currently still speculation, and none of the rumored plot details have been confirmed. However, if the secret Predator movie is animated, that will explain a timing issue.
Making two live-action and visual effects-heavy movies within a year is a notoriously difficult task unless Trachtenberg and his team have a trick up their sleeves. There are many ways in which the team could have made the tight filming schedule work, and one of these is if the secret Predator movie did not need to be filmed at all. Creating an animated movie could potentially be done anywhere, ruling out location shooting and simplifying logistics issues.
6 The Secret Predator Movie Will Go Straight To Streaming
This Is The Same Approach That Prey Took
Though Prey could have been a box office success, the movie was released straight to Hulu. While Badlands has been confirmed for a theatrical release, it is likely that the secret Predator movie will not have a theatrical run. When Asbell was asked if the 2025 Predator movie would be released in theaters, he responded "yes, and no." This was the first hint that there would be more than one Predator movie arriving in 2025.
Asbell's answer seems clear, confirming that the secret Predator movie will not be released in theaters. This may be surprising, given the overwhelmingly positive critical response to Prey, but with one Predator movie already planned for theaters, it may be a smart move. The secret Predator movie will be released before Badlands, allowing audiences to watch both movies without having to choose between them, which might have happened if both had a theater release.
5 A "Stealth" Predator Movie
This Would Continue An Approach Started By Prey
Prey was not originally intended to be a Predator movie, with Trachtenberg and Aison working on a story about a young warrior proving herself. When the story developed to include the Predator, Trachtenberg had deliberately kept the name out of the title, with a plan to surprise audiences by revealing a late trailer for Prey that introduced the Predator. However, almost immediately, rumors began to circulate that this new movie was a new installment in the Predator franchise, and the secret was out.
As Trachtenberg has used this strategy before with Preyand 10 Cloverfield Lane, audiences might likely see it coming if he were to try and introduce a "stealth" Predator movie, but it is possible. Still, it would allow Trachtenberg to focus on telling a story that is different from expectations, which is an approach he values. Asbell even described Badlands as "a sci-fi thing, but it's not what everybody thinks it is," so anything is possible.
4 A Minimal Approach To The Predator Story
This Could Be A Very Different Predator Movie
While the details of the secret Predator movie are still being kept hidden, the one factor that could offer some details is the timeline. Badlands has just finished filming in New Zealand, and yet, although the existence of the secret Predator movie has only just been revealed, it is going to be released before Badlands. As it seems unlikely that an elaborate live-action Predator movie was filmed in this timeframe, there are other possibilities.
Trachtenberg could have taken a very minimal approach to the Predator story, taking the franchise in a completely different direction. The movie could have been shot in a very short period, in a relatively minimal environment, with few actors. If this is the case, then the secret Predator movie may be more of a survival story, set in either an enclosed space like a hidden research facility, or a situation that could challenge both the human characters and the Predator, like the open sea.
3 Short Predator-Themed Animated Movies
This Has Been A Very Successful Approach For Other Franchises
One of the biggest rumors surrounding the secret Predator movie is that it will take the form of a series of three separate animated short movies, involving the Predator being pitted against historical groups. It is established that the Predators love hunting humans, and while pirates and samurai are strong contenders for fighting the Predator, an unnamed third group is rumored. The premise is exciting, and as this approach has not been done before with the Predator franchise movies, this could be one of the "crazy ideas" Asbell mentioned.
This anthology approach was extremely successful in Netflix's cyberpunk series Love, Death, & Robots, in which different groups of creators told separate cyberpunk stories. The Matrix's animated series Animatrix also explored the lore of the franchise further, and the Predator franchise is certainly a good candidate for an anthology of its own. If one of the short movies references Badlands, this is likely to increase interest in Badlands too.
2 The New Predator Movie Will Be Different Genre Altogether
The Predator Movies Often Combine Genres
The Predator franchise might immediately be associated with the science fiction and action genres, but each of the Predator movies brings another genre into the story. The original Predator movie had elements of war movies, Prey felt like a period drama at times, and Badlands has been rumored to take place in a post-apocalyptic future. The secret Predator movie will likely bring in other genres too, continuing this franchise tradition.
If the rumors about an animated series setting historical groups of people against the Predator are correct, this would set the scene for several genres to appear in just this installment. Pirates and samurai are two of the three possible groups for the Predator to hunt, which already gives viewers two completely new settings, as well as the potential for interesting new human characters. If this Predator anthology happens, each installment might have another genre inside the historical setting — like a pirate horror story.
1 Both Badlands & The Secret Movie Were Filmed At The Same Time
The Two Predator Movies Are Not Connected
Trachtenberg was able to film two Predator movies in a very short timeframe, and there are a few explanations for the way he was able to do this. While the possibility of an animated Predator anthology is looking likely, there is another potential explanation. While Badlands is a standalone movie, without a confirmed connection to the secret Predator movie, the two movies could have been filmed at the same time and in the same location.
Predator: Badlands will be the next entry in the long-running sci-fi saga, and the reason it was chosen over Prey 2 makes it very exciting indeed.
Even sharing a location does not mean that the two Predator movies would be connected. Badlands was filmed in New Zealand, which has a very varied landscape; two live-action movies could be filmed there and look completely different. While the rumors seem to best support an animated installment in the Predator franchise, these are still unconfirmed. The one thing that is certain is that Trachtenberg doesn't want to do anything expected when it comes to the Predator franchise.
Predator is an action sci-fi franchise created by Jim and John Thomas, beginning with the original film released in 1987. The franchise follows a warrior alien race known as the Yautja who travel the far reaches of space looking for worthy prey to hunt, constantly bringing them to Earth due to the sheer amount of conflict harbored on it. The series has spun off into comic books and animated features and has even enjoyed several crossover events via film and video games with the Aliens franchise.
Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore
Custom Image by Grant Hermanns 
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