How Predator: Badlands Was Inspired by James Bond and World of Warcraft | IGN Fan Fest 2025

Predator: Badlands takes the iconic sci-fi action series the furthest into the future it’s ever gone, and for the first time ever, the Predator is the good guy. Director Dan Trachtenberg, who also gave us 2022’s Prey and the animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers, stopped by to explain his approach to expanding this beloved universe without losing sight of why it’s so beloved. He reveals the pop-culture inspirations for some of the gadgets wielded by Dek, the hero of Badlands, and how the film’s star Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi adapted to speaking the newly written Yautja language. Dan also reveals how long he’s been wanting a Predator video game, his first exposure to this franchise, and who he’d like to see the Predator fight - aside from Wolverine, Archie, Batman, Judge Dredd and the rest of the comic book characters he’s already thrown down with. Plus, Elle Fanning plays a Weyland-Yutani replicant (or half of one, anyway) so where does this fit in the Alien timeline alongside Alien Earth and Alien Romulus? Presented by Blue Protocol: Star Resonance. A brand new anime-style MMO. Available Now on PC and Mobile!