Dan Trachtenberg Signals Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Predator Return Is Closer Than Ever

Predator: Badlands just came out swinging. It landed an opening Friday around $15.6 million — a record opening Friday for this series — and is pacing for about $37 million for the weekend. Exhibitors can unclench a little. More importantly, a start like this could change what happens next for the franchise, including the question everyone keeps circling: is Arnold coming back as Dutch?

The road ahead (and it is not small)

Director Dan Trachtenberg is not thinking in straight lines. He told Collider he sees multiple lanes for where to take this thing — not just more live-action, but animation too. He also talked about jumping to different time periods, different corners of the universe, and tackling kinds of journeys that big sci-fi franchises usually avoid. Translation: character comebacks are on the table, but so are brand-new angles the series has never tried.

"Obviously, the holy grail of Predator movies would be getting Arnold back in there."

So... how real is an Arnold return?

Producer Ben Rosenblatt says this is not just fan wish-casting. He told Deadline they have always kept the idea of bringing Arnold back in the mix. Here is the behind-the-scenes detail that matters: Arnold and Trachtenberg have already met a couple of times, and Schwarzenegger is reportedly into what they are doing. The plan now is to see how Badlands lands, then have more conversations. If these numbers hold, do not be surprised if those chats get serious. Money talks, nostalgia helps, and this is the rare combo of both.

What Badlands actually is

• Setting/premise: In the future on a remote planet, a young Predator who has been cast out of his clan teams up with Thia (Elle Fanning) for a dangerous trek to find the ultimate opponent.
• The Predator: Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi plays the lead Predator.
• Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg.
• Producers: John Davis, Dan Trachtenberg, Marc Toberoff, Ben Rosenblatt, and Brent O'Connor.
• Box office so far: About $15.6 million on Friday; a projected $37 million opening weekend — genuinely good news for theaters and the franchise.

The takeaway

Badlands is doing the one thing that unlocks everything else: it is performing. Trachtenberg wants to expand the sandbox — new eras, new formats, unexpected journeys — and the team is openly eyeing a Dutch reunion. No deal yet, but the door feels more open than it has in years.