Predator Comeback: Dan Trachtenberg Teases Return of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch
The hunt could be back on: Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg has spoken with Arnold Schwarzenegger about reprising Dutch, hinting the original Predator hero may finally return to the franchise.
File this under things I did not expect to be typing: Arnold Schwarzenegger might suit up as Dutch again in a live-action Predator project. Director Dan Trachtenberg, who jump-started the series with Prey, has met with Arnold, and the vibes sound very pro-Dutch.
So, why is Dutch suddenly back in the conversation?
He never really left. The original Predator is one of those movies that stays glued to the culture for a reason. On top of that, Dutch has been popping up elsewhere:
- He makes a cameo in the extended ending of Predator: Killer of Killers (yes, that title is as wild as it sounds).
- He was a playable character in the 2020 game Predator: Hunting Grounds.
- And no, there are no recast rumors here. If Dutch returns, the plan is Arnold or bust.
Trachtenberg met Arnold, and yes, they talked Predator
Trachtenberg told Collider he sat down with Schwarzenegger, and the chat went well. Arnold joked that people yell 'Get to the chopper!' at him even more than 'I’ll be back,' which tells you exactly how sticky Predator still is. More importantly, Trachtenberg says Arnold is genuinely interested in rejoining the franchise, especially after Prey reminded everyone the series can still hit hard.
The brainstorm: Dutch, Naru, and some big swings
Trachtenberg also teased that there’s a lot of story left to mine. He tossed out a couple of specific what-ifs: exploring how Dutch and Prey’s Naru end up captured (yep, that pairing got my eyebrow up too), or what happens when they 'de-ice.' He didn’t unpack that phrasing, but it sure sounds like cryo or some freeze-thaw setup in the mix. The point is, they’re spitballing—not announcing—but the ideas are on the table.
What’s actually next: Predator: Badlands
Before any Dutch comeback, Trachtenberg’s next movie in the universe is Predator: Badlands. This one jumps into the future and off Earth: a remote planet, a young Yautja named Dek (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), and a human ally, Thia (Elle Fanning). Dek is an outcast from his clan on a mission to find the ultimate opponent, and Thia ends up his unexpected partner on a very dangerous road trip.
Trachtenberg says he’s chasing the kind of idea that could only work in this movie, and he’s calling Badlands 'kind of a buddy-comedy.' Prey was a lone-wolf survival story; this one is built around a relationship. The curveball here is who you’re meant to root for.
'What if you were with the creature on this crazy mission to prove itself, seeing everything through its eyes?'
That’s the pitch. Not just for Predator, but for sci-fi in general: the creature isn’t the background threat or the quippy sidekick — it’s the point-of-view character.
Bottom line
Arnold as Dutch isn’t confirmed, but it feels genuinely possible. Trachtenberg’s met with him, Arnold’s into it, and there’s zero appetite to recast. In the meantime, Badlands is aiming to flip the table by making you care about a young Predator trying to prove himself. If Dutch does stomp back into frame after that, I will not complain about one more round of mud, traps, and creatively unpleasant alien problem-solving.