There are few better entertainers in Hollywood today than Elle Fanning, and the dynamic young leading lady is poised to demonstrate this once again in director Dan Trachtenberg’s upcoming Predator: Badlands. And it seems that she won’t even require her lower half to do so, given that something unfortunate and rather dramatic seems to have removed her legs clean from her body.
It’s no big deal, though: Fanning’s character Thia is an android in Predator: Badlands–specifically one of the same Weyland-Yutani robots such as Michael Fassbender’s “David,” seen throughout the Alien series. Since first crossing over in subtle fashion in Predator 2, the two universes of Predator and Alien have been canonically linked, with the presence of this Fanning character as only the latest example. Judging from the new trailer for Badlands that was released today, Fanning’s character takes on something of a cheerleader and guide role for the youthful predator known as Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who functions as our main protagonist, a first for the series. As the official synopsis puts it: “In the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator, outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.” Naturally, sharp-eyed genre fans are already on the lookout for more potential Alien ties.
Whether or not those exist, there’s plenty of reason to be excited for Predator: Badlands, which looks like a genuinely pulse-raising sci-fi action spectacle on a deadly world filled with countless hostile lifeforms. For 10 Cloverfield Lane director Trachtenberg it’s his follow-up to both 2022’s well-liked (but Earth-grounded) Prey, and this year’s animated Predator anthology Predator: Killer of Killers, which hit Hulu in June. It’s a prolific stretch of output for Trachtenberg, but one that seems to be working, with this franchise now resting in better hands than it has in decades. We can’t wait to check out the sci-fi buddy flick potential of Badlands as it smashes its way into theaters on Nov. 7, 2025. In the meantime, check out the new trailer below.
