Badlands, a new Predator movie from Prey director Dan Trachtenberg, means a sequel to a 17-year-old crossover film can finally happen. Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, both the Alien and Predator franchises were given a fresh start with new, standalone projects. Trachtenberg’s Prey brought the Predator movie series back with a prequel film set in the 18th century, whereas Alien is getting a new theatrical film in 2024 and a TV show. The future of both franchises sounds very exciting, especially now that two new Predator films have been confirmed.
In addition to Badlands, which is being described as a standalone film set in the near future featuring a female lead, a sequel to Prey is also in development. Both projects suggest that Disney has found the perfect formula for the Predator saga – an anthology approach in which each movie places the Predator creature in a completely different environment and period. Prey was so good that it deserved a sequel, but having a separate film now set in the future is also very exciting for more than just one reason.
Badlands and Prey 2 are two separate projects, with the former set to enter production later this year.
The New Predator Movie Being Set In The Future Could Be An AvP Setup
The Alien timeline works better in the future
Whether Disney has immediate plans to bring the Alien and Predator franchises together for a new crossover remains to be seen. Still, Badlands’ future setting means it is much easier for it to happen. Per the current Alien canon, which was retconned during Ridley Scott’s Alien prequels, the Xenomorph as depicted in the first movie was created in the 22nd century. In other words, from the perspective of Prometheus and Alien:Covenant, what Alien vs. Predator established about the Xenomorph being an ancient race that visited Earth millennia ago does not work.
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Any attempts to have a new Alien vs. Predator movie, even if it is a reboot, set in the past or the modern day would risk making the Alien canon even more confusing than it already is. Even when considering that the new Alien TV show will ignore Prometheus and Covenant to establish its own Xenomorph lore, having stories set before the first Alien movie featuring the titular monster could ruin the franchise’s new worldbuilding. This is why bringing the Predator into the future could open the door for AvP crossovers set in the 22nd century.
Why The Past 2 Alien vs. Predator Movies Didn’t Do That Well
Alien vs. Predator 3 never happened
Alien vs. Predator premiered in 2004, seven years after AlienResurrection and 14 years after Predator 2. As such, not only had both franchises been away from the big screen for several years, but their latest installments had been critical failures. Predator 2 failed to recapture the magic of the first film, whereas Alien Resurrection confirmed that Ripley’s story should have ended at least two movies earlier. An argument could be made that neither of the franchises needed to continue, which is why having a crossover film between them sounded quite unnecessary.
| Movie | Release Year | Rotten Tomatoes Score (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Alien | 1979 | 93 |
| Aliens | 1986 | 98 |
| Predator | 1987 | 80 |
| Predator 2 | 1990 | 30 |
| Alien³ | 1992 | 48 |
| Alien Resurrection | 1997 | 53 |
| Alien vs Predator | 2004 | 22 |
| Alien vs. Predator: Requiem | 2007 | 12 |
| Predators | 2010 | 65 |
| Prometheus | 2012 | 73 |
| Alien: Covenant | 2017 | 65 |
| The Predator | 2018 | 34 |
| Prey | 2022 | 94 |
Naturally, there was an exciting aspect to Alien vs. Predator. Between the comic books and the Xenomorph Easter egg from Predator 2’s trophy room, it was undoubtedly cool to imagine what an Alien vs. Predator movie would look like. The 2004 film was solid and delivered on those expectations, but it was followed by a much worse sequel. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem is the worst entry in both franchises and currently boasts a 12% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Alien vs. Predator 3 never happened, although there have been video games and comic books based on the Xenomorph vs. Yautja premise.
What A New Alien vs. Predator Movie Would Need To Be Successful
A new Alien vs. Predator needs to be a reboot
Any new Alien vs. Predator projects, whether for TV, streaming, or the big screen, should be a complete reboot of the property and ignore the previous two AvP films. Although Prey does not contradict any of the Predator films, it can be considered a reboot of the franchise since it allowed the saga to start a new story. Likewise, both the Alien TV show and the Alien:Romulus movie are set to be new beginnings within their franchise, ignoring the convoluted prequels and focusing more on the original films.
