As we get closer to the release of yet another Predator installment this year, director Dan Trachtenberg has revealed his influences for the highly anticipated film. Predator: Badlands is set to be released theatrically on November 7, 2025, offering another take on the franchise that has been active since the late 1980s.
While talking to Games Radar for the new edition of SFX magazine, Trachtenberg discussed the major influence a classic film has had on the Predator: Badlands production. While some might think that the answer would be another horror sci-fi pick, the director actually said that Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic, Jaws, had the biggest impact on the film:
“Jaws is one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s not my favorite horror movie. I don’t consider Jaws a horror movie. But when it’s scary, it’s f-ing terrifying. When it’s funny, it’s hilarious. When there’s drama, it’s incredibly sincere and authentic.”
Trachtenberg’s point is pretty valid, considering not many see Jaws as a pure horror film. It does have its moments, including one of cinema’s best jump scares, and it does get a bit gory when the shark eats a poor kid on the beach. But beyond these moments, the film also plays like a great adventure film, especially in its second half.
Trachtenberg also addresses the adventure element in Jaws, and how this inspired the dynamic between Thia (played by Elle Fanning) and a young Predator, aiming to balance the film’s genre mashup:
“And then when there’s adventure, it’s a high-seafaring adventure. It’s all things. It’s not one thing. It is excellent at all things. So this movie, in this tone, the Predator’s got to be badass and ferocious and there’s going to be this fun thing with Thia and that’s going to be funny, but also sincere and have a pulse of its own.”
Trachtenberg has been involved in the Predator franchise since Prey, the 2022 prequel released on Hulu, and one of the best entries in the entire universe. Recently, in June 2025, he released Predator: Killer or Killers on Hulu, the animated anthology feature that saw the classic villain navigate through several points in history. It was a secretive project that he directed while planning Predator: Badlands.
Dan Trachtenberg Also Talked About the Influence of This PS2 Video Game
During the interview, Trachtenberg also cited Shadow of the Colossus as an influence. The 2005 PS2 game follows a young man named Wander trying to revive a girl named Mono in a world where massive creatures also reside. The fantasy action game is considered one of the best ever made, having influenced the God of War series and Elden Ring. Trachtenberg explains that the main storyline in the game inspired him to come up with a story for Predator: Badlands:
“This was a little bit inspired by that in terms of wanting to see the Predator with someone else, this kind of character with the opposite of him. He’s very laconic. She is not. She’s capable in ways that he is not. But also, physically, she’s got a real thing that I’m so excited for you guys to see.”
