Predator: Badlands stalked its prey at CinemaCon, where 20th Century brought the first look at the latest installment in the sci-fi franchise.
Elle Fanning took the stage to tease the new film. “Something unprecedented happens in this movie, and my character is not the one being chased,” the actress shared. “My character actually teams up with the Predator, and you get to see him in a whole new light.”
The footage looked bold and sweeping at times, as plenty of peril was at hand. Fanning says in the trailer, “You’re hunting something that can’t be killed.”
Fanning stars in Badlands, which hails from Dan Trachtenberg and hits theaters Nov. 7. Trachtenberg has become the key creative force in the franchise after helming the breakout prequel movie Prey, which took place in the 1700s and centered on a young Comanche woman’s (Amber Midthunder) battle against a Predator. The movie became a critical hit for Hulu, with 20th Century wanting to keep Trachtenberg in the fold for more movies.
Badlands is one of two Predator movies due out this year, as 20th Century boss Steve Asbell revealed to The Hollywood Reporter late last year. One of them still remains shrouded in mystery and was made in secret.
“After Prey became a success, Dan [Trachtenberg] came back and said he didn’t want to do Prey 2,” Asbell said at the time. “And we’re like, ‘What do you want to do?’ And he rattled off a bunch of ideas that were really crazy but really cool. We’ve actually done two of them.”
The Predator franchise dates back to 1987’s The Predator, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and introduced the species of alien hunter that travels the galaxy, looking for the most formidable prey to hunt. The movie spawned a direct sequel and several reboots, as well as crossover movies with the Alien franchise.