There was a time when everyone thought the Predator franchise was dead. But thanks to director Dan Trachtenberg, the franchise is more alive than ever before. After the success of Prey in 2022, the filmmaker is already kicking around ideas for where the story could go next. And yes, that likely means Prey 2.
Dan Trachtenberg Is Already Thinking About The Next Predator Story
Trachtenberg describes his approach to the next chapter as “multipronged,” which means he’s juggling several ideas at once. He told ScreenRant, “It’s like all three of [my movies] — Prey, Killers of Killers, and Badlands — are entry points of the franchise.” In other words, you could jump in anywhere and still enjoy the hunt.
The director wants fresh characters and new corners of the universe. “We now have this cool story, we now have these other characters that would be cool to make more with,” he explained.
And he’s right. Amber Midthunder’s Naru became one of the strongest leads the franchise has had since Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch in Predator (1987).
Trachtenberg isn’t officially locked into a sequel yet. Still, he has hinted at digging deeper into the Badlands storyline, including Dek’s relationship with his mother and the possible return of Schwarzenegger’s Dutch.
And to think, it all started with a lot of controversy.
The Predator Franchise Was In Trouble Before Prey
Before Prey, it wasn’t always easy being a Predator fan. For every new film (with the exception of 2010’s Predators), there was a downgrade compared to the original movie. This was never more obvious than in 2018’s The Predator. For fans, the good news was that, when a movie as terrible as The Predator comes out for any franchise, the only way forward was up. The idea behind Prey seemed like a breath of fresh air for a film franchise that was clearly running out of ideas. But it began with a very rocky start. Some fans believed the creators of Prey stole the idea from a fan film called Warrior: Predator.
How Prey Changed The Predator Timeline
Prey shook things up for the whole Predator timeline. While Predator 2 showed us that, yes, the Predators were hunting on Earth long before the events of the first film, this was the first time we saw the aliens coming to our planet to face someone who doesn’t even understand what guns are.
Unfortunately, Dan Trachtenberg wasn’t the first person to execute this idea.
The Predator Fan Film That Came First
Released on December 24th, 2019, Warrior: Predator is a fan film created by filmmaker Chris R. Notarile. Notarile published the fan film on his YouTube channel, Blinky500, to overwhelmingly positive fan reviews. It follows a female Native American warrior as she evades a duo of Predator sisters. Set in the 16th Century, the short film bears a striking resemblance to the fifth film in the Predator franchise – even the lead character’s war paint looks eerily similar to Naru’s in Prey.
Fans Noticed The Similarities Between Warrior: Predator And Prey
At the time, Notarile was quick to point out the similarities between his lovingly crafted fan project and Prey on his social media. Some fans even asked Notarile if he ever received compensation from either Disney or 20th Century Studios, something that the filmmaker vehemently denied.
Considering that the Warrior: Predator short film, well, “predates” Prey by at least three years, it seems fairly obvious that the people behind the latest entry in the action/sci-fi franchise had to know about the fan film, right? Well, maybe and… maybe not. But it all becomes all the more suspicious when we take a look at the development of Prey. The earliest accounts we have of the film having a Native American main character come from December of 2019 – the exact same month when Warrior: Predator was released on YouTube. But maybe that’s co-incidence too?
The most notable difference comes in the films’ main antagonists. While Warrior: Predator has the more unique sister Predators, Prey goes for the tried-and-true warrior Yautja we’ve seen in every other Predator film. This could also have been made in an effort to avoid any further comparisons from fans. Whether this was a case of a simultaneous invention or something much shadier is going on at 20th Century Studios will always be up for debate.
Will Prey 2 Continue The Predator Franchise Revival?
What we do know is that Prey reset the Predator franchise to its former glory. Predator: Killer of Killers confirmed it wasn’t a fluke. And now Predator: Badlands that there are still plenty of fans out there who want more.
Prey 2 could be one of the most important films of the franchise. We saw Naru briefly at the end of Killer of Killers. Now everyone is waiting to see where she ends up next.
Watch the fan film and let us know what you think? Did Prey steal this Predator fan film’s idea?
