“Predator: Badlands” director Dan Trachtenberg has a long history with Hall H. For eight years in a row, he lined up and waited overnight to witness some of San Diego Comic-Con’s most epic moments, from the first footage of Iron Man to the moment the Avengers assembled. “I was here for the infamous pencil stabbing,” Trachtenberg told the sold-out crowd. “I was a material witness.” (“The Avengers didn’t do shit,” joked Kevin Smith, who moderated the panel.)
But on Friday, it was time for Trachtenberg to make a little Hall H history of his own — as the “Predator” guru debuted new footage from not one, but two of his entries in the “Predator” franchise.
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First, Trachtenberg addressed “Predator: Killer of Killers,” which is currently streaming on Hulu. “Unfortunately, some bits of ‘Killer of Killers’ were left on the cutting room floor, but recently we were able to sneak it back in,” Trachtenberg said, cueing up a clip which would only play for the fans in the room.
The new footage functions as a credits scene to the movie, which originally ended on with a cameo of Amber Midthunder’s Naru from “Prey,” as one of the human warriors captured and frozen by the Predators. Now, the camera continues to pan right, first revealing Danny Glover’s Lt. Mike Harrigan and then Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch, who originated the franchise.
“Recently I had a little breakfast with Arnold — and super self-conscious about what I ordered,” Trachtenberg explained. “We talked a lot about the things we could make together and he was very kind to approve his cameo in this. And we can now continue to cook up things that may be in store for that guy.” The director then announced that the new footage will debut Friday night at 7 p.m. PT on Hulu.
The conversation then turned to “Predator: Badlands,” as stars Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, and effects designer Alec Gillis detailed the ins and outs of making the movie. “Badlands’ is set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator, Dek (Schuster-Koloamatan), outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in a synthetic android, Thia (Fanning), and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
When Trachtenberg started developing the “Badlands” story, he was intrigued by a few ideas. “I realized something that has never happened is the Predator never wins, and they’re supposed to be the greatest hunter in the galaxy,” he said. He was also intrigued by the fact that in sci-fi films, “we all love the side characters. We fall in love with creatures and robots, and they’re often relegated to being the sidekick of the villain, never the protagonist.”
So, Trachtenberg settled on this odd couple — a Predator with a robot strapped on its back. His primary inspiration for that image came from another famous sci-fi franchise: “Star Wars’” Chewbaccca and C-3PO. “But it’s cool because it’s not Chewbacca,” the director said. “It’s not a friendly creature that you’re following: it’s the Predator. He is ferocious and badass and very much an anti-hero.”
Pulling off that visual proved to be more challenging, with Schuster-Koloamatangi actually carrying Fanning around on his back like a backpack, which was also the production’s working title.
“We really were in the trenches, like blood, sweat and tears, every day,” Fanning said, giddy about the production’s practical aspects, including Schuster-Koloamatangi wearing a real Predator suit on set. “And he was carrying, basically, my whole weight on his back. They distributed it, but it wasn’t easy.
“How’s your back Dimitrius?” Smith asked as the actor jokingly rubbed his shoulders. “Oh, yeah, it’s fantastic,” Schuster-Koloamatangi joked.
In fact, after spending most of the production with Fanning rigged to Schuster-Koloamatangi’s back, she came up with an idea to make things a bit easier. “Elle was like, ‘Why don’t I just trick everyone and lift my body in a weird way to make it look like [he’s carrying me] and we’ll just walk backwards,’” Tractenberg revealed. “It was awesome, and the new just did that for rest [of the shoot] after all those wires and everything [had been rigged]. The coolest bits of the movie, the most natural feeling is Elle just walking backwards with Dimitrius.” (Schuster-Koloamatangi quipped: “Elle came up with that idea a week before we finished shooting.”)
Trachtenberg also teased “Predator: Badlands’” connection to the “Alien” franchise, as the film features nods to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. The filmmaker was intently focused on telling a story about a Predator and a robot, without humans in the story. “Then I thought, ‘I know someone who makes robots,’” he teased. “And that, of course, leads to even more cool ideas.” But Trachtenberg was wary of the pitfalls that sometimes come when dabbling in cinematic universes — “there’s a seduction to grab all the action figures and smush them together.” Instead, he wanted to do something “more elegant.”
“But is this the shape of things to come?” Smith pressed. “You are the ‘Predator’ guy. And if you’re throwing in Weyland-Yutani, does that mean one day you’re going to be the ‘Alien v. Predator’ guy as well?’”
“That would be cool,” Trachtenberg admitted.
While the movie doesn’t open in movie theaters until Nov. 7, Comic-Con fans got a sneak peek at an unfinished cut of the film’s first 15 minutes. The footage was preceded by a disclaimer video that warned of rough VFX (including some animation and pre-viz) as well as a temporary score and asked audiences to “use your imagination.” But once the clip kicked in, all was immediately forgiven. The action-packed sequence sets up the dynamics between Dek, a young Predator, who’s the film’s protagonist, as his brother Kwei works to prepare him for the quest that will determine his future in his Yautja clan. The footage features a brutal battle (in more ways than one) that informs the coming-of-age sci-fi story to come in what is sure to be an epic new entry in the franchise.
Following the clip, the “Predator: Badlands” crew and Smith returned to the stage for a giant selfie with the 6,500 strong crowd who’d all been given Yautja masks to wear for the moment.
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