Director of 2025’s Best Sci-Fi Reboot Secures Major Deal With Paramount

5 days ago 12

Published Feb 6, 2026, 3:05 PM EST

Lade Omotade is a News and Feature Author at Collider with a passion for exploring the ever-evolving world of the Film & TV industry. Her work centers on covering the latest news, from casting announcements and franchise scoops to streaming updates and behind-the-scenes shifts that shape the way stories are told.

Omotade approaches storytelling with both professional insight and unapologetic fandom; digging into what makes a franchise successful, spotlighting rising voices in Hollywood, and asking the questions fans are already buzzing about. Her writing reflects that mix: part industry analysis, part fan excitement, and always grounded in a love for the craft of storytelling.

2025 was a major year for sci-fi movies with a range of blockbusters and unforgettable releases dominating the streaming charts and the box office. Some of the notable sci-fi titles released last year include James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is also the third-highest grossing film of 2025, the Jared Leto-starring Tron: Ares, the Stephen King adaptation, The Running Man, superhero entries Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as the most impressive sci-fi reboot of the year, Predator: Badlands.

Predator: Badlands, the seventh installment in the Predator franchise, was released in the U.S. on November 7, 2025, to critical acclaim and stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi in leading roles. The film was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who most recently scored a major deal with Paramount, entering into a three-year first-look agreement with the studio. Under the deal, Trachtenberg will direct, produce, and develop projects for Paramount Pictures alongside his longtime colleague, Ben Rosenblatt, who was a co-producer on Predator: Badlands.

The brilliant filmmaker didn’t hesitate to share his delight and anticipation of collaborating with Paramount, calling it “a dream come true.”

"As a kid I remember seeing the Paramount logo and dreaming of the epic adventure that would follow. Now to have the opportunity to bring new huge and emotional stories to giant screens is a literally a dream come true. Ben and I cannot wait to join Dana [Goldberg], Josh [Greenstein], Don, and the entire Paramount team in pursuing our shared vision of making Paramount once again the apex of cinema."

As Dan Trachtenberg Comes in, Paramount Is Losing Another Brilliant Storyteller

The exciting deal won’t mark Trachtenberg's first time partnering with Paramount. In 2016, the Predator: Badlands director launched his career with the 91% hit sci-fi thriller, 10 Cloverfield Lane, which was distributed by the company. Meanwhile, the recent update comes shortly after it was confirmed that Western icon Taylor Sheridan, best known for Yellowstone, is set to leave Paramount for NBCUniversal under a massive long-term film and television deal. The departure won’t happen until his contract ends in 2028, and reports suggest it comes down to creative control and strained relationships with new Paramount leadership, with NBCUniversal offering Sheridan more freedom.

Predator: Badlands is available to stream on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. Follow Collider for more streaming updates.