New female-fronted Predator prequel will be an origin story

A new Predator movie is on the way from 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg. It's positioned as an origin story for the franchise's iconic alien so won't follow on from the previous sequel. 

Trachtenberg was attached to helm back in December 2020, and at the time, the only story information available made it clear this would not be a sequel to Shane Black's 2018 The Predator. In the intervening months, things have moved at a steady pace with production "probably three quarters" of the way done, according to producers John Davis and John Fox.

During a Collider interview for the upcoming Jungle Cruise, the Disney duo went on to reveal the movie will revolve around the creature's first journey to Earth.  And while Davis refers to the movie as being called Skull, Slash Film believes the producer misspoke. Aside from that, the concept of the predator's first trip to our planet certainly has potential.

"It actually has more akin to The Revenant than it does any film in the Predator canon. You'll know what I mean once you see it," said Fox. Davis quickly followed up, refusing to get specific, with: "You can use your imagination. It is... early."

In addition to the "early" time period, the movie has a female lead and will likely share thematic DNA with the first flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. "It goes back to what made the original Predator movie work. It's the ingenuity of a human being who won't give up, who's able to observe and interpret, basically being able to beat a stronger, more powerful, well-armed force," he revealed.

So, potentially an Ellen Ripley/Sarah Connor-modelled heroine, who kicks Predator butt. We're in. 

As for the visuals and tone, Davis dubs Trachtenberg's direction "brilliant" before praising his aesthetic style: "Watching dailies, you just understand how his vision is completely unique. He's got his own language and it's fresh and it's cool, and it's interesting." 

While Shane Black's 2018 take on the property assuaged the cravings of some fans, it missed the mark for many. Perhaps Trachtenberg, who cut his teeth on Black Mirror episodes and the Cloverfield sequel, could inject the genre prequel with an added jolt of visual verve. In any case, both producers believe the film – which is still shooting, btw – could be "as good" if not "equal to the first." Lofty talk, indeed, but we're still excited about it, anyway.

Ahead of the movie's release, which the outlet suggests is 2022, check out our picks of the best action movies on Netflix, and plan some cinema trips with our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies of 2021 and beyond.