Predator: Badlands Creators Tease Alien Crossover and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Comeback
Predator: Badlands hits US theaters this weekend, with director Dan Trachtenberg and the creative team teasing a collision with the Alien franchise and stoking hopes that Arnold Schwarzenegger could return as Dutch, as Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Elle Fanning lead the hunt.
Predator: Badlands is not Alien vs. Predator, but it is quietly shaking hands with the Alien universe. And yes, the team is openly daydreaming about the ultimate get: Arnold back as Dutch.
How Badlands connects to Alien (without Xenomorphs)
Director Dan Trachtenberg says the movie crosses streams in a low-key way: no Xenomorphs, but a big dose of Weyland-Yutani. Elle Fanning plays Thia, a damaged Weyland-Yutani synthetic, and that corporate presence is baked into the story rather than treated like a cameo.
"I thought it was really cool to just take an element from one franchise and fuse it with this one," Trachtenberg said in a chat with Deadline, adding that he wanted to avoid the vibe of smashing action figures together.
Producer Ben Rosenblatt framed Thia as the bridge between the two franchises, calling it a more atmospheric link than a literal crossover. The origin of that choice is a fun little peek behind the curtain: Trachtenberg wanted non-human humanoids, which pointed them straight to androids.
"I would love to have humanoid characters without having humans... I think we need robots," Rosenblatt recalled, and the follow-up was basically, "I know who makes robots: Weyland-Yutani."
So yes, the Alien DNA is there, but it is about lore and infrastructure, not creatures. If you are hoping for chestbursters, not this time.
About that Arnold comeback
Rosenblatt did not hedge: getting Schwarzenegger back would be the dream scenario. Nothing is signed, but the conversations are happening, and the vibes sound positive.
"Obviously, the holy grail of Predator movies would be getting Arnold back in there," Rosenblatt said. "Arnold and Dan have met a couple of times now... After Predator: Badlands comes out, we will see and have more conversations."
Translation: if Badlands hits, expect the Dutch talk to heat up. For now, Arnold has shown interest and, per Rosenblatt, is a fan of what they have done so far.
The basics
- Predator: Badlands hits US theaters this weekend from 20th Century Studios.
- Director: Dan Trachtenberg.
- Cast: Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek; Elle Fanning as Thia, a damaged Weyland-Yutani synthetic.
- Crossover angle: no Xenomorphs on screen, but Weyland-Yutani is a major part of the story, giving it a strong Alien-universe link.
- Future tease: the team wants Arnold Schwarzenegger back as Dutch; he has met with Trachtenberg and is interested, with more talks planned after release.