Predator: Badlandscould be laying the groundwork for a newAlien vs. Predatormovie, but I really hope Disney and 20th Century go a different direction with the next potential crossover of the two franchises. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg,the sci-fi heavyPredator: Badlandsleaves Earth behind to tell the story of Dek, a young member of the Yautja species who seeks to prove himself. The movie leans into the sci-fi elements of the franchise, seemingly telling a story with no fully human main characters.
Although the trailer for the film does introduceElle Fanning as Thia, she’s actually a robot replica instead of a flesh-and-blood human. In fact, Thia has been confirmed to be a synthetic, one of the robots that appear in theAlienfranchise. This is the latest confirmation thatAlienandPredatorseem to share a universe. This could easily justify another crossover between the two, which has occurred multiple times over the years. However, rather than an overt drag-out fight between them, I hope Disney goes with anAliendirector’s idea for a sneakierAlien/Predatorcrossover.
Predator Badlands Could Be Setting Up A New AVP
Predator: Badlandsovertly connects theAlienseries and thePredatorfranchise, which could lay the seeds for a new crossover between the iconic franchises.Predator: Badlandsfocuses on a young Predator going out on his own hunt for the first time. ThePredator: Badlandstrailer reveals that along the way, he meetsa Weyland-Yutani synthetic named Thia.
Weyland-Yutani is one of the primary mega-corporations that controls the future landscape of theAlienuniverse, so this connection solidifies the bond between the franchises. While this doesn’t necessarily meanPredator: Badlandswill feature a Xenomorph,it’s another fun thread to see connected(especially afterPredator: Killer of Killersalso teased a Xenomorph/Predator fight).
Because of these connections, it seems inevitable that audiences will get another round ofAlien vs. Predator. 2004’sAlien vs. Predator, which was followed by 2007’sAliens vs. Predator: Requiem.Predator: Badlandsmay not pit the aliens against one another, butthe presence of a Weyland-Yutani character seems to imply that a more overt crossover film could happen.
I Hope A New AVP Is More Surprising
If we do get anotherAvPmovie,I really hope it comes as a surprise. Part of the appeal of both franchises is seeing the alien in action as a horrifying, unstoppable force. Removing the mystery of their confrontation can get dull very quickly, as evidenced by the lacklusterAlien vs. Predatormovies that have already been produced.
Instead, I hope the reveal is a big twist, which could take audiences by surprise and completely change their expectations of a movie halfway through it. I’m not the only one hoping for this kind of turn, either. During an interview withCollider,Alien: Earthdirector Fede Alvarez describedhis dreamAlienandPredatorcrossover as one audiences don’t expect.
Alvarez described his dream scenario for “The best AVP will be the one that you don’t know is AVP until the other guy shows up. You think you’re watching a Predator movie, and then they land in some place and there are creatures, and fucking hell, it’s a Xenomorph." Alvarez also suggests the reverse, withanAlienmovie unexpectedly revealing a Predator in the mix.
I think part of the appeal of seeing Predator fight Alien is the sudden intensity of it, and being an audience member who doesn’t see that coming would be a great experience. As a fan of both properties who genuinely loves the idea of the characters sharing a universe,I want to see them come to blows once morebut in a way that reflects their best qualities.
However, I think leaning into the horrifying shocks of both franchises would work well for a potential crossover. That stealthy element in making a newAlien vs. Predatorwould be a very exciting development. I hope we get anotherAlien vs. Predatormovie afterPredator: Badlands, but I want Disney not to spoil the surprise.
