It’s fair to say the debut Predator: Badlands trailer has sparked a discussion among fans of the long-running sci-fi movie franchise. Amid debate about the new-look Yautja that appears to be the protagonist this time around, there is also excited talk about various Easter eggs that very much look like they’re setting up an Alien tie-in.
First up, we see Elle Fanning’s character appear to ‘reboot.’ Her eyes do the Weyland Yutani reboot Andy’s do in Alien: Romulus, suggesting she may be a synthetic. We even see the Weyland Yutani logo on her eyes when this creepy change happens. Weyland Yutani is of course the evil megacorp at the heart of the events of the Alien franchise.
Later in the trailer, we see a snapshot of the Weyland Yutani logo on a damaged vehicle. Clearly, the corporation made famous by the Alien franchise is operating in this Predator movie. But why and to what extent we do not know.
It’s all very intriguing, and, for some, very exciting. Fans are now speculating that Predator: Badlands is now officially a part of the ongoing Alien franchise, and will set up Alien vs. Predator 3 in some way, perhaps with a post-credits scene or maybe even with a cameo from a Xenomorph.
So, could a new AvP be on the way? Last year, Alien: Romulus filmmaker Fede Alvarez said he’d be up for it, but would need help from Dan Tratchenberg — the director of Predator: Badlands and prequel Prey.
“Maybe it’s something I have to co-direct with my buddy Dan,” Alvarez told Deadline. “Maybe we should do like Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez did with Dusk Till Dawn. I’ll direct a half, and he’ll direct another half.”
Alvarez suggested that any new Alien vs. Predator would depend on how well Alien: Romulus did. Well, given it made $350 million at the global box office and 20th Century Studios is working on an idea for Alien: Romulus 2 that would continue the story of the first movie, with Alvarez potentially returning to direct, we’d say that box is ticked.
Also last year, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell teased an Alien vs. Predator movie, telling The Hollywood Reporter we’ll “probably” see another one.
“It wouldn’t be in the way you think,” Asbell clarified. “That’s the thing. Not in the way that it will just be called Alien vs. Predator or anything like the original movies. If we do this, they’ll be organically created out of these two franchises that we’ve continued with characters that we fall in love with and those characters will combine… perhaps. But we haven’t gotten to that point. And we’re not just going to bang it out.”
Then, speaking in February, Alvarez elaborated on how he’d like to do an Alien vs. Predator film, telling Collider: “The way I would do it, most likely, if it could be done this way… It’s harder to keep secrets online… The best AVP will be the one that you don’t know is AVP until the other guy shows up. You think you’re watching a Predator movie, and then they land in some place and there are creatures, and fucking hell, it’s a Xenomorph. That would get me. ‘Fuck yeah!’ You’d go crazy. Or vice versa, you’re in an Alien movie, and then suddenly a mysterious creature is there, and you can hear that sound, and you see the cloak, and you go, ‘Is that a fucking Predator?’ And then turns out it is. That would be the way to do it, don’t you think? Once you put it in the title, it’s like, ‘Spoiler alert.’ ”
So it sounds like AvP 3 wouldn’t actually be called AvP 3 or even Alien vs. Predator, but something else entirely so the face-off comes as a surprise to fans.
Meanwhile, eagle-eyed fans have noticed what appears to be an Independence Day reference in the Predator: Badlands trailer. At the start of the video, we see a skull trophy room in the Predator tradition, and in the middle is what looks like the skull of an alien from the famous sci-fi movie, which 20th Century also owns. It’s either that or one of the aliens from War of the Worlds, although that seems less likely.
Am I the only one that notice the skull in the middle?#PredatorBadlands pic.twitter.com/DeLzE5Mp6x
— Movies And Games Related (@HOUSEOFEL38) April 23, 2025
Are all these films now set in the same universe? Perhaps this skull room is just a bit of fun, but you never know. What we do know is there is plenty more Predator and Alien to come. FX TV show Alien: Earth hits Hulu soon, and an animated anthology called Predator: Killer of Killers is due out in June.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
