Predator: Badlands Director Confirms a Major Aliens Connection (And It May Answer a Big Question From the Movie)

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The first trailer for Predator: Badlands, the latest installment in the Predator series, immediately signaled a connection to the Alien franchise. Sharp-eyed viewers spotted the Weyland-Yutani logo in Elle Fanning’s character’s eyes, confirming she’s a synthetic being and connected to that well-known organization. This discovery fueled fan requests for a quality Alien vs. Predator movie, which is still a possibility. However, Predator: Badlands features even more links to the Alien universe, referencing a classic film from that series.

In a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, director Dan Trachtenberg discussed his new movie, Predator: Badlands, revealing several details. He confirmed that the equipment seen during the film’s final scene was indeed a Power Loader, similar to the one from Aliens, or a more updated version of it. This confirmation has sparked a big question among fans: when exactly does Predator: Badlands take place?

Predator: Badlands Aliens Easter Egg May Reveal Its Place in the Timeline

As a huge fan, I was thrilled to hear from director Shane Trachtenberg that the massive mech in the final battle of Predator: Badlands wasn’t just any mech – it was a seriously upgraded Power Loader, directly inspired by the one from Aliens! He actually called it the ‘Super Power Loader,’ and said it was always meant as a nod to that classic film. The tricky part, he explained, was balancing the desire to see the Predator face off against something truly impressive and high-tech with the need to really lean into that awesome mech aesthetic.

The director explained that including the “Super Power Loader” fits his overall goal for every film: to explore unique possibilities within that specific movie’s context. He pointed out that the descendant of the power loader from Aliens only appears in Predator: Badlands because the film’s timeline is intentionally unclear. Given that this Power Loader is more advanced than the one seen in Aliens (which was set in 2179), Predator: Badlands must take place much further into the future.

Although the exact year isn’t confirmed, director Shane Trachtenbergh has revealed that Predator: Badlands is set further into the future than any previous film in either the Predator or Alien series. This was partly because the timelines for Alien: Romulus and Alien: Earth were still being developed during production. As a result, Badlands is set at least in the year 2381, the same year as Alien: Resurrection. While the precise timing remains unclear, the film’s ending suggests there’s more of the story to be told in the future.

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2025-11-10 21:13