Elle Fanning Is Journeying To the Future To Fight Predator

By Andrew Sanford | Film | June 4, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | June 4, 2024 |

The Predator franchise has been chasing the first film for decades. It is a high-octane action flick with a fantastic cast, striking visuals, and meme-worthy moments out of the wazoo. It introduced the world to one of the greatest movie monsters, the titular Predator. There are several sequels, some of which inject fantastic elements into the Predator mythos. However, they mostly fail to live up to the excitement of the original. Then, Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey came along.

Released on Hulu in 2022, Prey tells the story of a young Comanche woman battling the alien hunter in 1719. It is a prequel to all of the other films and brings the story back to basics. Despite the stripped-down approach, the film felt fresh and new. It wasn’t bogged down with high-concept ideas that plagued a lot of the sequels. There was a refreshing simplicity to it that allowed the focus to be on character. A sequel was said to be in development, but the director (Trachtenberg) is moving on from 1719, but staying with the Predator.

Trachtenberg will be making a film titled Badlands. It will be another stand-alone Predator film. Details about the film are very scarce, but many outlets list it as taking place in the future. We’ve seen a somewhat futuristic Predator film with 2010’s Predators, but that film did not take place on Earth. Though, to be fair, we don’t know if Badlands will. What we do know is that it may have already locked down its star.

Deadline is reporting that Elle Fanning is in talks to star in the upcoming film. Fanning most recently starred in the Hulu show The Great. Allegedly, she is a big fan of the franchise. When Hulu learned this, they set up a meeting between the star and Trachtenberg. Now, it appears that the meeting will result in another Predator film with a (presumably) badass female lead.

This is one of those situations where the first film (Prey) was so good that I trust Trachtenberg implicitly. Adding a star like Fanning only solidifies that trust. If it were any other creative team, hearing that it takes place in the future might give me pause. With Trachtenberg leading the way, and bringing in more talent to help create his vision, I’ll be first in line (hopefully this one gets in theaters).