Why Predator: Badlands Director Passed on Stranger Things Season 5
Set to helm episode 3 of Stranger Things Season 5 until Predator: Badlands hijacked his schedule, director Dan Trachtenberg now reveals the Duffer brothers pop up for a cameo in his sci-fi sequel.
Here is a fun bit of behind-the-scenes cause-and-effect: Dan Trachtenberg didn’t end up directing Stranger Things Season 5 like Netflix said he would, but he still found a way to work with the Duffer brothers — by sneaking them into his new Predator movie.
How a Stranger Things job turned into a Predator cameo
Trachtenberg says he was lined up for the third episode of Stranger Things Season 5 and had already started work. Then his Predator sequel, Predator: Badlands, got the go-ahead at the same time, and the calendar did what the calendar does.
'I was actually supposed to do an episode of Stranger Things, the third episode, and had started work on it and then this movie got greenlit. But with the two things happening at the same time, I could not so I had to bow out,' Trachtenberg told ScreenTime/Dexerto.
Netflix had publicly announced his Season 5 involvement back in June 2023 — about a year after his Predator prequel Prey landed on Hulu to strong reception — so the switch understandably raised eyebrows. He explained the whole thing in a ScreenTime clip posted on October 31, 2025.
So what do the Duffers do in Predator: Badlands?
Trachtenberg invited the brothers to record a quick voice part. They were game, if a little nervous about, you know, acting. The solution: he put them on the Yautja vessel’s comms as processed voices, speaking in the franchise’s alien language. If you’re trying to picture it, think 'Predator ship computer,' but with the Duffers getting their Rosetta Stone on. It’s a small, nerd-pleasing crossover, and a clever way to still collaborate without blowing up either production’s schedule.
Quick timeline check
- 2022: Trachtenberg’s Prey premieres on Hulu and hits big.
- June 2023: Netflix says Trachtenberg will direct Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 3.
- Later: Predator: Badlands gets greenlit; dates clash; he exits Stranger Things after starting work.
- October 31, 2025: He explains the cameo plan in a ScreenTime/Dexerto clip.
- Coming up: Predator: Badlands continues Trachtenberg’s run with the iconic sci-fi franchise at 20th Century Studios.
Bottom line: he didn’t get to do Stranger Things, but the Duffers still show up — just not where you expected.