There have been some darkish instances, however the Predator film franchise’s well being has been nearly totally restored in recent times with Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers. Now, we’re eagerly awaiting Predator: Badlands‘ arrival later this 12 months. Dan Trachtenberg’s third entry within the long-running sci-fi collection is taking us to a faraway future — with trailers already revealing that it shares parts with the Alien motion pictures — however we have additionally seen various similarities to the outdated (and forgotten) online game, Predator: Concrete Jungle.
Whereas ‘solo’ Predator and Alien flicks have been having some downtime within the 2000s, each franchises have been saved alive with comedian books, video video games, and the 2 divisive Alien vs. Predator motion pictures. The prolonged universe that surrounded the collection grew a lot bigger, and we bought wonderful video games like Rebel and Monolith’s Aliens vs. Predator first-person shooters. Scorching on the heels of these two and the primary AvP film, developer Eurocom bought the prospect to make a standalone Predator title concentrating on the ‘final alien hunter’ energy fantasy.
Although it by no means escaped PS2 and Xbox following bad reviews, Predator: Concrete Jungle gained a cult following, as no different Predator recreation had supplied that gory action-adventure single-player expertise that followers craved. It advised an formidable — and infrequently foolish — story filled with twists and turns that made even Darkish Horse’s loopiest comics appear predictable.
With Badlands simply across the nook, we revisited this neglected 2005 recreation launch and located a couple of or two widespread factors that counsel Trachtenberg has been digging deep into the franchise’s historical past for his grand concepts.
Yautja outcasts
The obvious connection is present in Badlands’ Yautja protagonist, Dek. He is described as a younger hunter who’s an outcast after he fails his clan in a roundabout way. Now he is on a quest to regain his honor by looking “the last word adversary” on a distant and ruthless planet. We have but to be taught extra concerning the precise plot as soon as the journey will get going, however the setup alone immediately evokes Concrete Jungle’s.
In Eurocom’s recreation, a Predator nicknamed ‘Scarface’ is badly wounded by the mob within the 12 months 1930 in New Approach Metropolis. As a final resort, he units off the self-destruct gadget we first noticed within the authentic film. Whereas a lot of town and his ship are destroyed, he fails to kill himself and defend Predator expertise from reaching human arms, which results in his clan exiling him to a desolate planet the place insect-like creatures are on the prime of the meals chain.
There are some variations between the 2 tales, most notably within the time interval they’re set in. Concrete Jungle’s story picks Scarface again up 100 years after the prologue — round 2030 — whereas Badlands is ready a lot additional into the longer term (we do not know the precise 12 months, however humanity has area journey, synthetics, and terraforming courtesy of Alien’s Weyland-Yutani).
Finally, Concrete Jungle is a narrative of redemption and people messing with forces they do not perceive. It echoes Prometheus and the “secret hearth from the Gods” themes, beating the primary of Ridley Scott’s Alien prequels to the punch by over half a decade.
Predator: Badlands’ Yautja lead is extra of a rookie who may even have an sudden synth ally, however we may see related character arc and story beats all through the movie. Let’s simply hope the film’s ‘ultimate boss’ will likely be extra convincing than a human-Predator hybrid (sure, actually).
The Alien connections
We all know that the Weyland-Yutani company is current in Predator Badlands, marking step one in the direction of an inevitable Alien vs Predator crossover, however Concrete Jungle was on the market name-dropping the Weyland Corp 20 years in the past. At first look, the sport appears to be like like an homage to Predator 2 with a cyberpunk twist, however issues escalate rapidly with a shocking tie-in to the earlier 12 months’s Alien vs Predator film.
The Xenomorphs seem as late-game foes in Concrete Jungle with out a lot clarification as to their presence on Earth, however author Grant Morrison (sure, comedian guide legend Grant Morrison) slips in a fast reference to Charles Bishop Weyland and his disappearance that closely implies we’re in the identical universe because the film. Maybe Borgia Industries — the ruling company in Neonopolis following the 1930 catastrophe — picked up the Alien queen from the Antarctic waters?
The surprises hold coming within the closing moments, when a second Weyland seems and mentions the Yutani Company — we’re pre-merger at this level, one thing Alien: Earth may even contact upon.
However maybe the wildest reveal is that Isabella Borgia — a personality from the prologue — reveals up 100 years later, having apparently gained immortality after being coated in Predator blood. After Dex takes her down, Weyland recovers her mind and jams it right into a supercomputer. A supercomputer referred to as MOTHER.
Predator: Concrete Jungle ended up being a stealth Alien prequel in some ways. The film Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem would attempt an analogous transfer with its cliffhanger ending and recovered Predator tech roughly two years later, however neither is, at the very least proper now, thought-about canon. Regardless of that, Predator: Badlands is clearly establishing stable hyperlinks between the 2 franchises, and rumors are floating round {that a} Predator will present up within the Alien Romulus sequel.
No matter finally ends up occurring in Predator: Badlands, it is clear that the ‘powers that be’ over at twentieth Century Studios have been digging deep for inspiration, scouring the wealthy canvas painted by not solely the Predator motion pictures, but additionally comedian books and video video games through the years This is likely to be the (conceptual) key to success filmmakers had been trying to find, and we’re delighted to see Trachtenberg and his friends leaning on typically ignored works to boldly develop the collection’ cinematic potentialities.
Predator: Concrete Jungle is obtainable to play on PS2 and Xbox in case you’re fortunate sufficient to discover a copy second-hand. Predator: Badlands will launch in theaters on November 7, 2025. You’ll be able to watch the remainder of the franchise on Hulu (US) or Disney+ (UK).
