San Diego Comic-Con 2025has come and gone, and while major sci-fi franchises like the MCU and the DCU were absent, one classic sci-fi franchise stole the show for me. While it isn’t one of the biggest sci-fi franchises, and it has had a rough past couple of decades, it has made a major comeback in recent years, and I’m confident that it is doing it right.
ThePredatorfranchise is one of the most beloved action horror sci-fi franchises of all time, with the1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film being a classic. While the original movie was great, it didn’t fare as well in the following years.Predator 2received mixed reception, and then the franchise went on hiatus until the critically pannedAlien vs. Predatormovies.
ThePredatorfranchise didn’t properly return until 2010, with the release ofPredators. While I love the film, it wasn’t as big of a hit as the other movies,with it becoming the black sheep of the franchise. Then,Predatorattempted to return again with the release of the 2018 reboot filmThe Predator, which was panned by critics and fans alike.
Predator Is Getting Its Franchise Revival Right
Director Dan Trachtenberg Knows To Pace Himself
After the repeated failures of the previousPredatormovies, the franchise knew that it had to do something wildly different in order to be reborn. Thus, it brought on director Dan Trachtenberg, who created the 2022 filmPrey.Preytook things back to the past, focusing on a Yautja who lands in the Great Plains and attempts to hunt down a Comanche tribe, only to be bested by a young warrior named Naru.
Despite it being released straight to Hulu,Preywas a massive hit, with it often being considered thebest movie in thePredatorfranchise. So, 20th Century Studios approached Dan Trachtenberg, asking him to make a sequel. While a traditionalPrey 2could have worked, Trachtenberg knew that this wasn’t good enough to save the franchise, as he explained in these San Diego Comic-Con 2025 comments:
“I realized oh no, I have to figure out if I’m making more of these. Sometimes when you make a sequel, it’s just the second part of the cool thing instead of its own cool thing.”
Instead,Trachtenberg took the prequel concept ofPreyand turned it into an animated anthology, leading toPredator: Killer of Killers. Like its predecessor,Predator: Killer of Killerswas a huge critical success, leading to more interest in thePredatorfranchise. However, the ending ofPredator: Killer of Killersfeatured the return of Naru, tying the two films together.
2025’sPredator: Badlandsis next, and it could close out the perfectPredatortrilogy. At SDCC, anew ending forKiller of Killerswas announced, revealing that the protagonists ofPredatorandPredator 2are on the Yautja planet alongside Naru. Thus,Predator: Badlandscould be the ultimatePredatorcrossover movie, withSan Diego Comic-Con 2025finally proving that the studio has finally figured out how to do the franchise right.
