Iconic Predator & Alien Characters Cut From Badlands Revealed

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As a huge fan of both the Predator and Alien universes, I was really surprised to learn that Predator: Badlands originally had some major characters from those franchises pop up! Director Dan Trachtenberg recently talked about it, explaining what those cameos would have been and why they ultimately didn’t make the final cut of the movie. It’s fascinating to hear about all the ideas they had!

Badlands was first shown in cinemas on November 7, 2025, and became available to rent or buy online on January 6, 2026. Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi star as the main characters, with Reuben de Jong, Mike Homik, and Cameron Brown appearing in supporting roles.

Dan Trachtenberg reveals Predator: Badlands’ deleted characters

Director Dan Trachtenberg recently shared that Amber Midthunder’s character, Naru from Prey, wasn’t the only familiar face considered for a brief appearance in the film. After the interviewer mentioned Naru’s easter egg, Trachtenberg explained that early versions of Prey also included Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch from the original 1987 Predator movie, the Xenomorph from Alien, and a creature from the animated series Predator: Killer of Killers – all as temporary visual effects in the initial cut of the film.

He explained that a scene featuring those characters and a lot of dialogue was cut down so much that they were “hardly visible” to viewers. Despite the cuts, Trachtenberg said he and the team still tried to include references to beloved characters the Predators have faced in the past, wanting to give fans a nod to those iconic battles.

He described how they expanded on the ‘Pick Your Planet’ concept with a more detailed discussion. This meant adding more holographic elements to the background. The current version uses a softer focus in the foreground, creating a subtle visual effect.

Trachtenberg also talked about the possibility of Naru appearing directly in Predator: Badlands. While he admitted a team-up between Badlands’ Dek and Naru was considered, he clarified that wasn’t the story they hadn’t explored. He explained that he held back on including Naru directly to preserve ideas he had for her future, not wanting to spoil her eventual return in a different film.

Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on ComingSoon.

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2026-02-16 18:26