Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg teases ‘big, crazy swing' with sci-fi movie
'Predator: Badlands' director Dan Trachtenberg has teased he's taken a "big, crazy swing" with the upcoming movie.
The sci-fi flick will put the titular alien hunter at the forefront of the story as its hero, and the 43-year-old filmmaker has now promised 'Predator: Badlands' will be a unique take on the beloved action franchise.
In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Trachtenberg said: "It's a big, crazy swing, and I think that's what drives butts into seats.
"If you want the same old Predator experience, you can hit play on 'Predator' or 'Prey' or any other, whichever one is your fit."
'Predator: Badlands' follows the young Predator Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) after he has been outcast from his clan and sent to a remote planet where he forms an unlikely alliance with Thia (Elle Fanning) as the pair search for the ultimate adversary.
While the director didn't reveal any specific details about the character Fanning will be portraying, Trachtenberg explained he had used story concepts from video games like 'Shadow of the Colossus' to craft Thia and the dynamic she has with the Predator.
He said: "As inspired as I am by movies, I've been very inspired by video games [like] 'Shadow of the Colossus', where you have a protagonist paired with someone else who provides color and connection.
"There's a thing with a horse in 'Shadow of the Colossus' that's devastating when you play the game. And so ['Predator: Badlands'] was a little bit inspired by that in terms of wanting to see the Predator with someone else, this character who's the opposite of him.
"He's very laconic, [Thia] is not. She's capable in ways that he is not. Physically, she's got a real thing that I'm so excited for you guys to see. But I want to let eventually some of that speak for itself."
Trachtenberg added 'Predator: Badlands' would be more character-driven than previous 'Predator' movies, and would centre on the titular alien hunter.
He explained: "I never thought [the Predator] was Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger.
"They had a code [like] hitmen or crime underworld 'Goodfellas'. I felt like there was something cool to explore within that culture that's different than just adding a bunch of stuff on top of it.
"It felt like we're mining [concepts] as opposed to just throwing [more] at the franchise."
As for what inspired 'Predator: Badlands', Trachtenberg revealed he had pulled ideas from a variety of different films for his movie - which is slated for release in November.
He said: "There's a Frank Frazetta, 'Conan the Barbarian', Spartan thing … but also you think of 'The Book of Eli' or 'Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior' … 'Shane', [very] western, very Clint Eastwood-y."
The director concluded he wanted 'Predator: Badlands' to "feel genre" and "feel very specific" with its tone and story.
He said: "I wanted to make it feel genre, feel very specific, and an inversion of the [main] premise - now the Predator is on [another] planet, and he's going to be hunted by things and has to use his guile to [survive]."
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