The Best Predator Movie Since Arnold Schwarzenegger's Original Still Doesn't Have A Future

Arnold Schwarzenegger launched an iconic action sci-fi franchise in 1987 with Predator. The movie became an instant classic for its explosive 80s action sequences, Schwarzenegger's one-liners, an abundance of testosterone and muscle, and an incredibly great alien design for the Yautja hunter.

1987's Predator went on to make $98.2 million worldwide, $59.7 million of which came domestically; the stateside gross would be $172.7 million adjusted for inflation. As a result, the Predator movie franchise was born. Danny Glover took over the lead role for Predator 2 three years later. After crossing over with Alien for two movies, the series returned with Predators in 2010, followed by The Predator in 2018, Prey in 2022, and both Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands in 2025.

20th Century (and now Disney) has continued to return to the Predator franchise well, but the results have varied. Some movies haven't been well-received, while others are critically acclaimed. Only a small number of them have been successful at the box office, with two skipping theaters altogether to debut on streaming instead. And in practically every case, future installments took the series in different directions instead of making true sequels.

This includes the straight-to-Hulu release, Prey, which debuted four years ago to the day, on August 5, 2022. The movie was a welcome rebirth for the sci-fi franchise and promised more adventures to come with Amber Midthunder's Naru. Yet, all these years later, not only has Prey 2 not happened yet, but its status remains up in the air.

Why Prey Is Still The Best Predator Movie Since The Original

There have been several good Predator movies since Schwarzenegger's original (2010's Predators remains a personal favorite, and Predator: Badlands was a great perspective switch), but Prey is definitively the best to come over the last 36 years.

Its greatness starts with Dan Trachtenberg's approach. He scaled the movie down to really focus on the human journey, so much so that Prey could have been edited in a way to preserve any knowledge that a Yautja was around for a large chunk of the early runtime. This allowed the movie plenty of time to develop Naru as a character and make her coming-of-age journey one viewers could get behind. Yet, this doesn't sacrifice Predator's action franchise roots, delivering a few spectacularly thrilling set pieces.

By putting Prey in the 1700s, there is also a distinctly different feeling to it. Naru and her Comanche tribe have to combat the Yautja's hi-tech weaponry with bows and arrows and other rudimentary weapons. Prey forces Naru to outsmart the alien hunter and prove her capabilities as a hunter that everyone else has doubted. Her arc, paired with Midthunder's performance, arguably makes Naru an even better Predator protagonist than Dutch.

What's Happening With Prey 2?

The critical praise Prey received, paired with its record-breaking viewership for a Hulu premiere, made a sequel feel inevitable. But Trachtenberg then became preoccupied with making Killer of Killers and Badlands as fresh expansions of the Predator universe rather than directly continuing Naru's story.

Prey 2 entered development officially in 2024, with reports surfacing that it was in the early stages at 20th Century Studios. Trachtenberg was attached to write and direct the sequel, with Midthunder also set to reprise her role. In the two years since then, the movie has not made any traction publicly and still does not have a release date or a planned day to start filming.

The chances of Prey 2 happening were called into question after Badlands due to Trachtenberg signing a first-look deal with Paramount. However, Trachtenberg confirmed to ScreenRant that this deal does not prevent him from developing and making additional entries in the Predator franchise. What, if any, ideas he is actively working on are not known, but Prey 2 would figure to be the priority.

For her part, the original movie's star is in the dark on Prey 2's status but remains hopeful that it happens. Midthunder said in a 2025 interview that she is hopeful that the sequel happens and that she's heard some exciting ideas for what could be next for Naru:

I don't know. I don't know what's happening. [Laughs] I genuinely don't. I also want to do another one. I would be happy to do another one. I love Dan Trachtenberg with my whole heart. I love that world, I love that character, and I think that there's some fun ideas out there that I've heard that are very cool. I'm really excited.

What Prey 2's Story Could Look Like (& What Killer Of Killers Revealed)

Should it ever come to fruition, Prey 2's story has the potential to completely reinvent the franchise again. The 2022 movie set up Naru and the Comanche tribe fighting off a wave of Yautja as the basis for the sequel. Prey's end credits featured art of three Yautja ships arriving on Earth ready to face off and get revenge.

However, the results of this story have already been spoiled by the franchise. Predator: Killer of Killers showed Naru frozen in a cryopod as part of the Yautja's collection of warriors who fought and defeated their kind previously, with Danny Glover's Mike Harrigan and Schwarzenegger's Dutch also shown.

There is still room for Prey 2 to be a prequel and give Naru her rematch with the Yautja in her usual setting. We know that she would get captured by the alien species at some point, but that doesn't necessarily mean it happens with this battle. It may still ultimately be worth telling the story that leads to Naru getting captured, even if the franchise has already revealed this fate.

The other option is that Prey 2 isn't much of a sequel at all. If it's set after Killer of Killers, Naru could return to team up with Harrigan and Dutch to fight Yautjas together. That would make Prey 2 the ultimate franchise crossover, one that could even bring back other survivors. If that became too difficult to do, the sequel could keep a Naru focus by having her alone get out of the cryopod or compete in the alien's gladiator-style combat and fight for her freedom.

What Else We Know About Predator's Future

20th Century and Disney have yet to confirm specifics about the Predator franchise's future, but it is fair to say that more movies will come. Badlands was warmly received and became the franchise's highest-grossing movie, even if its $184 million final gross is under where the studios likely hoped it would finish.

Between Prey, Killer of Killers, and Badlands, there is momentum on the franchise's side to really increase its popularity. It just needs the right project to come along that can do that. Based on what Trachtenberg has in mind for the future, there are several avenues beyond a proper Prey sequel.

Predator: Badlands' ending sets up a sequel that follows Dek and Thia as Dek's mother enters the picture. The sequel is not officially in development at this stage, though. Whether this storyline specifically continues will come down to how Disney and 20th Century ultimately view Badlands.

Trachtenberg has confirmed that he has ideas for a fourth Predator movie. Details on it are not yet known, but it's an idea that excites him greatly based on an interview with GamesRadar, where he said, "I sort of rushed two [movies] at once because I was so eager to get to the third thing."

The only other tease for Predator's future that we've received from Trachtenberg is confirmation that he's talked to Schwarzenegger about playing Dutch again in a future film. It's unknown if this would be as an older Dutch in live-action, a younger version made possible with de-aging tech, or a voice-only requirement for an animated project.

Between Prey 2, a Badlands sequel, Trachtenberg's mystery fourth movie, and a film with Dutch, there are potentially four different Predator movies that could still happen. Some of these ideas and setups may also be for the same movie. Hopefully, the future of the franchise, including Prey 2's status, gains clarity before too long.