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Dan Trachtenberg is quietly becoming a fan favorite among the hunters with his latest movie, Predator: Badlands, his third film in the franchise after Prey (2022) and Predator: Killer of Killers (2025). In this latest endeavor, Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi are leading the story. They recently appeared in an interview to discuss the film.
The latter tells On Demand Entertainment, when asked about what drew him to do the film, that,
"I think I found it quite interesting that it was, like, kind of a first of its kind in the franchise. You know, like it's the first time we see a Yautja as the protagonist. We're so just used to seeing Yautja, like, the evil bad guys that just appear for 10 minutes on screen. They're invisible for most of it and then come and just wreak havoc. But, yeah, I think it was cool, kind of giving them space to, yeah, understand them a little bit better, you know, and understand why they go on these hunts, where they're from, what their culture is like."
While explaining this, Elle Fanning kept watching him and nodding her head in agreement.
For her, it was what Dan had done with the franchise that drew her in, as she mentioned in the interview.
Who is Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi playing in Predator: Badlands?
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi will portray Dek, a young Predator who was cast out from his clan, in Predator: Badlands. He is joined by a damaged android, Thia, whom Elle Fanning portrays in the movie.
Unlike the other Predators who have appeared on screen, this one appears to be a kind one, as we can see from the latest clip of the movie that 20th Century Studios dropped recently on YouTube. He is up against a strange creature using trees for its movement and is likely hunting a small creature, which Dek might save while carrying the half body of Thia on his back.
The film's trailer was released on July 21, 2025, giving us a glimpse of this unlikely partnership between the android and the young Predator. What's more interesting is that this is also going to be a funny film because of Thia, who is witty in her own charming way.
First reactions to the film are already here, and they convey that it is going to be another hit in the franchise. Dan Trachtenberg's past two films in the franchise already have above 90% scores on Rotten Tomatoes, a feat that none of the movies in the series have achieved yet.
How was Dek created for Predator: Badlands?
The Predator: Badlands protagonist is a combination of a real-life suit and motion capture. Studio Ghillis designed a suit that's fitting for Dimitrius's body, and the face was created digitally.
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As the film also focuses more on the Yautja culture, a language was developed specifically to serve the film's purpose. The team reached out to the guy who worked on the Na’vi language featured in Steven Spielberg's Avatar series. However, he was busy then, probably working on future Avatar films. As a result, he recommended his mentee for Predator: Badlands, as Dan told ComicBook.
Keep reading Soap Central to read more stuff about Predator: Badlands.
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