20th Century Studios have announced a new film within the Predator franchise – called Prey – set in the world of the Comanche nation 300 years ago. It is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who directed 10 Cloverfield Lane, as well as episodes of Netflix’s Black Mirror and Amazon’s The Boys. The film will be available only on Hulu in 2022.
The working title of the film was Skulls and it wrapped filming in September of this year.
The first Predator film, starring Arnold Swarzenegger, was released in 1987. A series of confusingly-titled sequels followed – with Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010) and The Predator (2018). And – lest we forget – Alien vs Predator (2004).
The first film takes place in the Central American jungle, where a special forces unit encounter an alien creature, who can track humans with thermal imaging.
An image released with the Prey announcement depicts a misty, white forest. In the foreground is what looks to be a Comanche woman hunting with a bow and arrow. A large, almost indistinguishable shape is in the background behind her with the Predator’s signature of three red dots in a triangle on it.
The announcement tweet can be seen here;
An all-new entry in the @Predator franchise, “Prey” is set in the world of the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. See the original film directed by Dan Trachtenberg (“The Boys,” “10 Cloverfield Lane”) only on @Hulu in 2022. pic.twitter.com/3A3KSiWoqn
— 20th Century Studios (@20thcentury) November 12, 2021
The logo is made up of grey rock-like letters with scratches on them.
Trachtenberg’s 10 Cloverfield Lane was a 2016 sequel to the 2008 hit film Cloverfield, which made over $170 million on a $25 million budget. It is part of the ‘found-footage’ genre. The sequel was a psychological thriller set in a bunker and its connection to Cloverfield only really becomes clear at the end. It was almost a standalone film that worked as an indie drama, but its connection to Cloverfield helped it make $110 million.
It is unclear at this stage how closely related to the Predator franchise Prey will be. It could be like 10 Cloverfield Lane and work as a standalone property. We are looking forward to finding out!