Predator: Badlands is as much about misfits finding their chosen family as it is about blood-spilling butt-kicking, so it's no real surprise that director Dan Trachtenberg found inspiration in Guardians of the Galaxy. The Marvel movie didn't just inspire its themes and tones, though, it influenced the design of the sci-fi sequel's cutest character, Bud.
"The movie is very much about characters that appear to be one way, but then are actually quite different," Trachtenberg told Variety. "I thought about Rocket Raccoon or Groot – adorable, but also super badass. We're making a movie where the monster, predator, ugly mother****er is the protagonist. I did not think that should be the only crazy idea.
"I play a lot of World of Warcraft and the Murloc is a creature from [the game] that informed her design a little bit. Then it was bouncing back and forth between what a big Bud would be like and what a small Bud would be like to find the right stuff."
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Starring Dimitirus Schuster-Koloamatangi and Elle Fanning, Predator: Badlands follows Yautja "runt" Dek, who travels to Genna, otherwise known as 'the Death Planet', to take down the galaxy's most feared foe: the Kalisk. Many Yautja have died trying to make it their trophy but Dek is determined; not only to prove himself a worthy hunter but avenge his brother Kwei, who was executed by their ruthless, clan-leader father.
During his hunt, he crosses paths with Thia, a legless Weyland-Yutani synth, and Bud, a mute but fierce creature. At first, Thia's perky personality and Bud's slobbery affection rub Dek up the wrong way, but when he realizes how useful they are at helping him navigate Genna's flora and fauna, he lets them tag along as his "tools".
Other movies that convinced Trachtenberg to embrace the idea of an unlikely team-up, and not be afraid to inject "warmth and emotionality" into Predator: Badlands, were Terminator 2 and Mad Max. The latter of which also played a role in the development of previous franchise flick, Prey, which centers on warrior Naru and her dog, Sarii.
"There's always something really cool to me about the badass with the sidekick. It's something that makes us care in a very specific way. We care about creatures and animals very differently than we care about humans," added Trachtenberg. "I love the idea of him backpacking and something little beside him. I always have in my head one shot in The Monster Squad of all the kids with Frankenstein in the silhouette of the setting sun. Sometimes I think in that kind of iconography. So that informed it, too."
Predator: Badlands is in cinemas now. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond.
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