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Predator: Badlands is "a kind of buddy-comedy" with a Predator who's intentionally not Luke Skywalker, says director

No, Prey director Dan Trachtenberg never intended Predator: Badlands characters Dek and Thia to be kissing siblings. Unless...?

Predator: Badlands is unlike any other Predator movie we've ever seen, in the first place because the titular Yautja is objectively its hero. Prey director Dan Trachtenberg has gone on record talking about the relationship between Predator Dek and android Thia before (you'll recall Popverse reporting on the Chewbacca/C-3PO-style relationship he said was in the movie), but the Prey director isn't done talking about the heroic hunter.

And apparently, he's not done making Star Wars references to explain him. 

Trachtenberg recently sat down with Empire Magazine in an interview published September 22. During the discussion, The Boys pilot helmer talked about how the upcoming film will be a "a kind of buddy-comedy," whose lead needed to strike a balance between likeable and unlikeable.

"It’s like a Ray Harryhausen movie," Trachetenberg told his interviewer, "This crazy adventure against monsters and the elements — only this time it’s a badass Predator against those things. We wanted Dek to be relatable, but without turning him into Luke Skywalker. He’s still a Predator — we had to allow him to be a dick. But a dick you can root for."

To be fair, Dan, it's not like Luke Skywalker was 100% likeable throughout the long Star Wars saga. But we take your point. Just promise us there won't be a "green milk" scene and we're all good.

Predator: Badlands slashes into theaters November 7.


The two greatest sci-fi monsters of all time are crash-landing in the heart of pop culture once again, and Popverse is here to tell you how to survive. Explore the interconnected Alien and Predator universe with:

...and more. Keep your eyes peeled and remember, if anybody can hear you scream in space, it's us.

 

 

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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