The first trailer for Predator: Badlands reveals a unique team up

20th Century Studios has just dropped the first-ever official trailer for Predator: Badlands. The film stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.

A part of the iconic Predator film franchise, the upcoming film marks the seventh film in the series. The film is helmed by Dan Trachtenberg, who has previously directed two films in the franchise, including Prey (2022) and Predator: Killer of Killers (2025).

Apart from this franchise, he has also directed 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), along with directing episodes of television series such as Black Mirror (2016) and The Boys (2019), to name a few.

Let us dive into more details about the trailer and more about Predator: Badlands.

Friendship, resistance and care: What we see in the first official trailer of Predator: Badlands

The first official trailer for Predator: Badlands has just been released by 20th Century Studios, the distributor of the film. Upon its release, the trailer garnered an incredible viewership, making its mark in its ranking, standing at #22 in the trending film trailers list.

The trailer looks promising and intriguing. The trailer opens with a shot of Elle Fanning in a completely different avatar as Thia, a humanoid robot. Along with her, actor and stuntman Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is essaying the role of Dek, an outcast belonging to the predator group. The actor is seen donning a prosthetic look for the role of Dek.

Throughout the trailer for Predator: Badlands, we witness a dismembered Thia who experiences an unexpected sense of allyship with Dek on their respective journeys.

Its synopsis, as per IMDb, goes as follows:

"A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary."

The trailer is filled with action scenes and incredible CGI work, where Dek is seen performing high-staking action scenes as he is combating several creatures coming his way. There are also slightly funny and heartwarming scenes, where Thia says to Dek whilst extending a hand towards him:

"You're after a creature that can't be killed. The definitive apex predator. I could help you"

Upon which, Dek picks her up with one hand, only to reveal the irony that Thia's body has been dismembered, but she still yearns to help him. Dek looks at her with a confused expression and drops her to the ground. Then, Thia says:

"Well, good luck with your journey"

This was a classic textbook example of a scene that foreshadows a beautiful and implausible friendship between two completely different individuals. In fact, towards the latter part of the trailer, we catch a glimpse of a moment when Dek is carrying Thia on his back.

As the trailer progresses, Thia strives to assure Dek by explaining:

"Here, you're not the predator. You're the prey".

That is when we hear Dek speak for the first time in the trailer. As per the official website of the film, it is revealed that a brand-new language for the Predator community has been created. It speaks volumes when Dek, in his language, utters a sentence filled with resistance, as a response to Thia's words. The sentence translates as: