Predator: Badlands Director Dives Deep Into Developing the Creature’s Language

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In the “Predator” movie franchise, the alien hunter has long been a source of awe and fear for viewers, as it pursues its targets across diverse landscapes and eras. However, with the upcoming film “Predator: Badlands,” directed by Dan Trachtenberg (from “Prey”), audiences are in for an exciting twist, since the monster will shift from being an adversary to a protagonist. This change allows viewers to empathize with the creature and even cheer for it. To make this transformation convincing, Trachtenberg has delved into extensive research to create a new form of communication for the species, moving beyond the usual clicks and growls that were used in past films. “Predator: Badlands” is set to hit theaters on November 7th.

One interesting aspect of the movie is that it provides a deeper exploration of Yautja Prime, a place rarely seen beyond fleeting glimpses in other films, primarily based on extended universe material. In fact, this film delves more into the extended universe than what is strictly part of the movie’s narrative, as director Trachtenberg explained at a press event that ComicBook attended. Notably, the language used in the movie was given special attention, with an effort to handle it authentically. We collaborated with the creator of the Na’vi language from Avatar, who was busy at the time, and his apprentice instead. Similar to how Elvish was developed for The Lord of the Rings or Dothraki for Game of Thrones, we approached this task. However, unlike those examples, there is less precedent for our project as there’s limited existing material.

He went on to say, “Upon investigation, since he’s a language expert, everything you’ve seen in other Predator movies can be considered utter nonsense. There’s no coherence to it. People online have attempted to decipher it, but nothing was created with purpose.

With limited resources from the Predator series available for inspiration, Trachtenberg enjoyed substantial creative liberty, a privilege that also carried a significant weight of responsibility towards the dedicated fanbase.

In crafting this film, I was determined to establish a distinct and well-structured language for the Yautja characters, ensuring their dialogue followed logical rules, both spoken and written. Early on, we delved into explorations of what the Yautja could become, being cautious not to veer into a story dominated by lore over plot. Instead, I aimed to provide just a glimpse of their culture while maintaining a genre-specific feel, avoiding the expectation that the movie would delve deeply into the intricacies of their society. Essentially, we flipped the traditional Predator premise on its head, placing the creature as the hunted rather than the hunter, employing his cunning to navigate an alien world. As we wrote and designed, we meticulously built the world around it.

Predator: Badlands” features Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi in a future story set on a distant planet. In this tale, a young Predator (Schuster-Koloamatangi), shunned by his clan, encounters an unusual companion in Thia (Fanning). Together, they venture on a perilous quest to locate their greatest foe. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg and produced by John Davis, Dan Trachtenberg, Marc Toberoff, Ben Rosenblatt, and Brent O’Connor.

Predator: Badlands hits theaters on November 7th.

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2025-04-23 19:42