Overview

• Dan Trachtenberg tells Empire there is no Xenomorph in the film despite the Weyland‑Yutani tie, emphasizing an organic crossover rather than a monster mashup.
• The story positions young Yautja Dek as the lead in a buddy‑style dynamic with the android Thia, shifting the franchise toward a relationship focus.
• Trachtenberg says Dek was crafted to be relatable without softening the character, calling him “a dick you can root for.”
• Elle Fanning portrays Thia, a damaged Weyland‑Yutani synthetic confined to her upper torso after time on the alien world Genna.
• Predator: Badlands opens November 7, features Dek credited to Dimitrius Schuster‑Koloamatangi, and follows Trachtenberg’s animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers in a broader franchise expansion.