The Predator Franchise Has Set Up Two Major Crossover Films (And A Secret Third)

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The new streaming hit, Predator: Badlands, is drawing audiences back to director Dan Trachtenberg’s other Predator films: the prequel Prey (2022) and the animated Predator: Killer of Killers (2025). These films, along with Badlands, have generated a lot of discussion about the Predator franchise’s comeback and potential future, particularly after Badlands cleverly connected the story to the Alien universe.

Trachtenberg has plans for at least two big Predator movies, and they could start filming as soon as Disney and 20th Century Studios approve them. There’s also a third, currently unannounced film potentially in development – here’s a full rundown of what’s happening!

Predator: The Ultimate Hunt

The movies Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers introduced a group of rogue Predators, called the Desert Clan, who are capturing humans who have previously defeated other Predators in hunts. This includes characters like Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Lt. Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover), and Naru (Amber Midthunder), as well as Ursa, Kenji, and Torres from Killer of Killers. At a 2025 Comic-Con, it was announced that Schwarzenegger and Glover will return for another Predator film, hinting at a major event to come.

We’re calling it “The Ultimate Hunt” for now, but the idea is that Killer of Killers featured a Yautja tournament where three warriors were awakened from cryo-sleep to fight the leader of a Super Predator clan. Director Trachtenberg could build on this by creating a larger-scale tournament involving many past human champions, essentially a Battle Royale or Hunger Gamesstyle hunt – a concept briefly seen in the movie Predators*.

Ursa, Kenji, and Torres teamed up and foiled the Desert Clan’s plans, with Ursa helping her friends escape. Given Kenji’s ninja skills and Torres’s mechanical expertise, many believe they’ll return to rescue Ursa, who was recaptured and put back into cryo-sleep, and orchestrate a large-scale prison break. Some fans are even hoping for a crossover with the Alien franchise, suggesting that Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley is also being held prisoner by the Yautja, having earned their respect as a skilled hunter of the xenomorphs.

Dan Trachtenberg is working on a big new Predator project that could bring together characters and storylines from all the previous films. There’s even potential for crossovers with the Alien universe! The movie could include fan favorites from Predators and The Predator, like Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, and Boyd Holbrook. This would be a groundbreaking animated crossover event – something the Predator franchise, or really any franchise, hasn’t attempted before. Just having the original actors return would be a significant achievement.

Reboot Alien vs. Predator (& Do It Twice)

The crossover franchise Alien vs. Predator began in the 1990s and has appeared in many different forms, including comics, novels, video games, and movies. However, the AvP films released in the 2000s weren’t popular with longtime fans. The first film, Alien vs. Predator (2004), earned $177 million despite costing only $60-70 million to make. But its PG-13 rating alienated dedicated fans, who felt it was a cynical attempt by 20th Century Fox to revive the Alien and Predator franchises after they had lost momentum in the late 90s. The sequel, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), performed even worse, earning $130 million on a $40 million budget but receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews from both fans and critics, and is now considered one of the worst horror movies ever made.

Fans are eager for a new Alien vs. Predator installment, and director Dan Trachtenberg has been increasingly linking the franchise to the broader Alien universe, including key characters and villains. While Trachtenberg hasn’t confirmed anything yet, he’s admitted that AvP is a possibility. The big challenge is how to successfully revive the series, and a popular idea among fans is to tell the story in two separate movies.

The plan is to let each franchise create its own crossover movie, tailored to its style. For the Predator series, director Trachtenberg envisions a Predator vs. Alien film focusing on the Yautja as the main characters, struggling to survive a Xenomorph outbreak. The exciting part would be seeing Yautja and Xenomorphs clash on an alien world, allowing for unique and terrifying new Xenomorph designs. With Trachtenberg directing, it’s likely we’d get a much more intense and thrilling hunter-versus-prey experience, and better action, than what was delivered in the previous AvP films.

As a huge fan, I’ve always imagined an Alien vs. Predator movie leaning much more into the terrifying, claustrophobic style of the original Alien. I picture some unfortunate crew – probably from the Weyland-Yutani corporation, naturally – stumbling into a dangerous part of space and becoming hosts to Xenomorphs. But here’s the twist: a Yautja, or a group of Predator hunters, shows up on the scene, infiltrating the planet, a space station, or – and this is my dream – a spaceship! The original Alien was such a brilliantly scary, tight-space horror, and throwing Alien, Predator, and humans all together in one ship would be absolutely insane. I think Fede Álvarez, who’s directing Alien: Romulus, is a fantastic choice for this. He’s actually talked about this crossover before, even saying he wouldn’t even hint at it in the movie’s title – now that’s a director who gets it!

Ideally, I’d want a crossover event to unfold naturally, almost as a surprise. It’s tough to maintain secrecy with online audiences, and the most effective approach would be to reveal the crossover only when the opposing force appears. Think of it like being dropped into an Alien movie – suddenly, a strange creature appears, you hear its distinctive sound, see its camouflage, and realize, ‘Is that a Predator?’ And then it is! That’s how I’d want it to happen. Announcing it in the title beforehand would ruin the surprise.

Look, Álvarez isn’t the only filmmaker who could tackle this. Honestly, seeing Ridley Scott direct something bridging both franchises would be huge – a real event. But then there’s Neil Blomkamp. If he got the chance, especially after his Alien 5 project was shelved, it’d be amazing for those of us who were really excited about what he was planning. It’d be a total comeback story, and I’d be first in line to see it.

Trachtenberg’s Top-Secret 4th Predator Film

Now that two AvP movies are out, the Predator series essentially has three big installments to build on. But there’s more! Director Dan Trachtenberg has hinted at another Predator project – one he’s particularly excited about – and it promises to be another unique take on the franchise, just like his previous work.

“After Prey came out, and I started thinking about sequel stuff, there were three ideas that I had,” Trachtenberg told SFX Magazine last June. “Killers is one, Badlands is two, and the third one is something else. The reason why I felt possessed to make them and sort of why I rushed – I did two at once because… I could multitask with animation – it was because I was so eager to get to the third thing.”

We don’t yet know what Trachtenberg has planned for his next move with Predator, but considering his previous work has revitalized the franchise, it’s likely to be another game-changer. Plus, with Predator: Badlands proving so popular on streaming, a sequel seems increasingly likely.

All of the Alien and Predator movies are now available to stream on Disney+. Share your thoughts and predictions about the future of these franchises with other fans on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-25 05:11