‘Predator: Badlands’ Almost featured Nazi’s and a World War II Setting

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This film is a standout entry in the series and another great success for the director. While it’s already a strong movie with plenty to offer, it could have been even more ambitious if an earlier concept – featuring the Predator battling Nazis – had been developed.

I recently learned from an interview with The Direct about a really interesting idea director Trachtenberg had while developing Predator: Badlands. He was brainstorming ways to make the Predator the hero of the story, and his initial thought process involved, well, Nazis. He figured everyone agrees Nazis are the bad guys, so it could work! He shared this during the interview, and I found it a fascinating peek into the film’s development.

The initial thought was, what if the Predator actually won? I didn’t want to make a typical slasher film where the villain succeeds. I wanted the audience to be on the Predator’s side. That led me to consider setting it during World War II, with the Predator fighting Nazis, but even that felt too familiar. Eventually, the idea evolved into making the Predator the hero of his own story, someone the audience could genuinely support and follow on his own unique adventure.

Many popular franchises, like Indiana Jones, have used Nazis as standard villains. But would that approach have been effective in the universes of Predators and Aliens? It’s a question we probably won’t ever have an answer to.

‘Predator: Badlands’ Brings a Very Different Predator Design to Cinemas


20th Century Studios

From the very beginning, watching Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey on Disney+, it was clear he wasn’t afraid to really shake up the Predator formula. Honestly, I think sticking to the same old ideas has held the series back for years, and prevented us from getting the amazing sequels it deserved. He took a risk, and I think it really paid off.

The Predator: Badlands story features a particularly unique Predator, and a lot of effort went into developing its design and characteristics, as director Trachtenberg explained.

You know, as a huge Predator fan, I’ve always been fascinated by the design process. When we started thinking about a new look for the Yautja, I kept asking everyone to really dissect what makes a Predator, you know? We explored a lot of ideas, and honestly, some of the designs went way too far – just weren’t Predator anymore. Even some of the costume concepts felt a little too sophisticated, a bit too… refined for that brutal hunter. It was a tricky balance!

Ngila Dickson, an Academy Award-winning costume designer known for her work on ‘Lord of the Rings,’ joined our team. Normally, our creature designers handle the Yautja costumes. This was the first time we had a dedicated costume department artist working on them. Some of her initial designs felt too heavily influenced by medieval Earth clothing, so we worked to create a look that was tougher and more minimalist, reflecting the Yautja’s fierce culture. We aimed for a style reminiscent of a nomadic, Conan the Barbarian-like people.

The new movie Predator: Badlands is expected to perform well in theaters this weekend, potentially revitalizing box office numbers after a slow October. Experts predict a global opening weekend of around $60 million, with $25 million of that coming from U.S. cinemas. If these predictions are accurate, Predator: Badlands could become the highest-grossing film in the Predator series – excluding the Alien vs. Predator crossover – surpassing the $24.7 million earned by the 2010 film Predators.

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2025-11-08 16:18