The Alien Franchise Needs to Catch Up With Predator to Really Make a New AVP Work

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Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands is a huge hit, breaking franchise records with its opening weekend. The film earned an impressive $40 million domestically and $80 million worldwide, proving it’s resonating with audiences. Critics and fans alike are loving it, giving it the highest CinemaScore of any Predator movie and overwhelmingly positive reviews. This new installment shifts the focus from straight horror to a science fiction adventure, exploring Yautja culture in more detail. This creative change shows the Predator series can tell a variety of stories and has successfully breathed new life into the nearly forty-year-old franchise.

The success of Badlands isn’t a fluke; it’s the result of a planned effort to breathe new life into the franchise. Producer Trachtenberg previously guided two other successful projects that paved the way for this current high point. Prey was a critical hit, celebrated for its compelling characters and inventive take on the original film’s survival theme. Following that, the animated film Predator: Killer of Killers expanded the Predator universe by introducing a diverse range of Yautja warriors, each with distinct weapons and fighting techniques, suggesting a much richer and more complex culture.

The franchise is now stronger than ever thanks to three recent, well-received installments, even after years of uneven quality. The latest film, Badlands, directly includes the Weyland-Yutani corporation from the Alien movies, strongly suggesting that another Alien vs. Predator crossover is being planned. But to make that crossover really successful, the Alien series itself needs to evolve in a similar way.

The Alien Franchise Is Stuck in the Past

The Alien series has faced challenges lately. Ridley Scott’s earlier films, Prometheus and Covenant, received mixed reactions from audiences and critics. While Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus was better received, it was largely seen as a return to the franchise’s roots without offering much that was new. Reviewers felt Romulus paid respect to the original films but didn’t really forge its own path, relying too much on familiar ideas. The recent TV show, Alien: Earth, also earned praise for its look and direction, but critics found the story’s pacing uneven and felt its status as a prequel held it back from significantly moving the overall story forward.

This is a big shift from what the Predator series has been doing lately. Director Trachtenberg has been taking bold creative chances, telling standalone stories that aren’t just relying on familiar themes. Prey was set in the past, Killer of Killers was an animated collection of stories, and Badlands is a sci-fi adventure starring a Predator. Each project feels fresh and expands the universe in interesting ways. For a crossover between Alien and Predator to work, the Alien series needs to be equally innovative and offer something new. If it doesn’t, the Xenomorphs could end up feeling like just another prey for the Predators, making the story all about the Predator culture – something the Predator series already does well. A successful crossover needs both franchises to be at their best, and currently, Alien isn’t quite keeping pace.

Following the mixed reception to earlier Alien films, Alien: Romulus took a cautious approach, sticking to a proven formula that audiences enjoyed. This strategy worked, as the film earned over $350 million worldwide. This financial win is important because it gives the next film more freedom to try new things – something Romulus didn’t have. Because of this success, a sequel is now in the works. Although director Fede Álvarez won’t be returning to direct, he did write the script and will produce alongside Ridley Scott. Álvarez explained that he wrote the sequel to ensure the story of the new characters, Rain (Cailee Spaeny) and Andy (David Jonsson), continues. Currently, producers are searching for a new director, and a release date hasn’t been announced.

Predator: Badlands is currently in theaters.

What direction should the Alien movies take as they gear up for another crossover with Predator? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-11-11 00:13