Elle Fanning is in talks to star in the next Predator film Badlands, according to Deadline.
Dan Trachtenberg will direct the upcoming instalment, having previously directed Prey (2022). He has co-written the script with Patrick Aison, with production tipped to begin later this year.
No plot details for Badlands have been released, although it is rumoured to be a standalone feature set in the future. It is unclear whether Badlands will be given a theatrical release or go straight to streaming.
Elle Fanning is in talks to star in ‘BADLANDS', a new standalone ‘PREDATOR' movie from ‘PREY' director Dan Trachtenberg.
(https://t.co/qkIvKYDDJA) pic.twitter.com/XIsowcvtth
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) June 3, 2024
Prey serves as a prequel to the original Predator (1987), set in the Northern Great Plains in 1719. Amber Midthunder played Naru, a Native American woman, who fights to protect her community from the extraterrestrial Yautja, who hunts ‘worthy' humans for sport.
Prey broke Hulu streaming records and was nominated for Outstanding Television Movie at the 2023 Emmy Awards. Deadline has also confirmed that a sequel to Prey is in development, with Midthunder tipped to return to her role. This would mark the first time in the franchise's history that an actor has reprised their role from a previous entry.
The first film, Predator (1987), was directed by John McTiernan and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was followed by Predator 2 (1990) and Predators (2010). Badlands will be the sixth main feature in the series, excluding the crossover films Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007).
Fanning played Catherine the Great in the historical series The Great (2020-2023) alongside Nicholas Hoult. The black comedy received seven Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Her next project is A Complete Unknown, a Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet. She will play the musician's girlfriend, Sylvie Russo. Fanning is also an executive producer on the upcoming three-episode true crime docu-series Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer.
