'Predator: Badlands' first 15 minutes unveiled at Comic-Con

'Predator: Badlands' is an upcoming science fiction action film in the Predator franchise. It is the seventh film in the mainline series and the ninth in the overall franchise. The film is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, co-written by Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison, and stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.

Before the first 15 minutes of the Badlands panel, one of the Predator warriors appeared on stage and scanned the Hall H audience with his uber-multi-colour vision. Suddenly, he noticed the moderator, filmmaker Kevin Smith.

The director said, "I don't speak [Predator] Yautja, but I'm pretty sure he said something about the Jeffrey Epstein files!"

Smith also teased whether director Dan Trachtenberg will be the Alien vs. Predator guy, which drew great cheers from the crowd, reported Deadline.

Trachtenberg, Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, and VFX maestro Alec Gillis all appeared on stage. In Badlands, a young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his quest to find the ultimate adversary. This is the first time a Predator has been the franchise's protagonist.

"It has so much heart and emotion. Prey definitely had that, but what made [Badlands] unique is that there are no humans in this film. I play a synthetic android. Dimitrius is a predator," Fanning said of the script. "There's an unlikely friendship among these two characters. I will say, I do play two parts in the film. There are two characters that I play."

"We shot in New Zealand. There are practical effects. It's not like you're acting against a tennis ball," the actress added. She also told the crowd, to great cheers, that it was her first time in Hall H.

In the opening 15 minutes of the film, we see the older Predator brother, Kwei, and his younger brother, Dek, fight. Dek is seen by his brother and father as the tribe's weakest link. After the brothers argue, it is decided that the younger must choose his prey. However, when their father arrives on the harsh desert canyon world, he questions Kwei as to why he has not disposed of his younger brother, Dek, who is useless to them as the runt.

Dek is then trapped by his father in laser chains, but saved by his brother, who ultimately confronts their father in a fight in which Kwei is not the victor. Kwei had sealed his brother into a spaceship and launched him to the planet where he will attempt to kill an ultimate apex predator that even their father supposedly fears, according to Deadline.

"On the Death Planet, Kalisk, Dek meets Fanning's Thia, or half of her at least. A synthetic android who has seen better days, Thia's face is stitched up, and the lower half of her body is missing. Thus, Dek straps her to his back and carries her on his quest to bring back the unkillable creature as a trophy for his father," as per the outlet.

Predator: Badlands is scheduled for theatrical release on November 7, 2025, by 20th Century Studios.

The entire Predator franchise started in 1987 with the John McTiernan-directed, Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring original. The star has never returned to the franchise. In the 38-year run of Predator, there were also two crossover films with Ridley Scott's Alien franchise, reported Deadline.

According to Deadline, Predator: Badlands stars Elle Fanning as Thia, a human, and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as a young Predator who has been rejected by his clan. Set in the future on a remote planet, the film follows their dangerous journey as they search for a powerful enemy.

The movie is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who earlier made Prey -- a successful entry in the franchise that was released on Hulu in 2022. Prey was praised by both fans and critics, even receiving six Emmy nominations.

The new story promises a fresh take on the Predator universe, focusing on survival, trust, and unusual friendships in a dangerous world, according to Deadline. (ANI)