Dan Trachtenberg’s Third ‘Predator’ Movie To Continue Naru’s Epic Journey

The Predator franchise is roaring back to life, and director Dan Trachtenberg is at the helm, steering it into bold new territory. After the critical and streaming success of 2022’s Prey, which introduced Amber Midthunder as the fierce Comanche warrior Naru, Trachtenberg isn’t ready to let her story end. In a recent interview with Fangoria, he confirmed that his third Predator project will pick up Naru’s journey, setting the stage for a thrilling continuation that could redefine the franchise.

Naru’s Return: A Game-Changer for Predator

Prey, set in 1719 on the Northern Great Plains, was a breath of fresh air for the Predator series. It followed Naru, a young Comanche healer aspiring to be a hunter, as she faced off against a Feral Predator (called “Mupitsi” in Comanche folklore) using her wits and resourcefulness. The film’s blend of historical drama and sci-fi horror, paired with Midthunder’s standout performance, earned rave reviews and massive viewership on Hulu and Disney+. Its animated end-credits sequence, showing Yautja ships descending on Naru’s tribe, hinted at more to come—a tease now coming into focus.

Trachtenberg told Fangoria, “I had a bunch of big ideas when I finished Prey, I would love to get to all of them. There’s definitely a plan in mind, but the movie has to do well. So, we’ll see.” He dropped a major bombshell, adding, “The third story, which I can’t speak to yet, is what would happen with Naru.” This marks a franchise first, as no surviving hero has ever returned for a Predator sequel. Naru’s comeback could shift the series from standalone stories to a more connected saga.

Killer of Killers: Naru’s Shocking Cameo

Naru’s story has already taken a wild turn in Predator: Killer of Killers, an animated anthology now streaming on Hulu and Disney+. The film spans Viking-era battles, 17th-century Japan, and World War II, with warriors facing Yautja hunters. In a jaw-dropping end-credits scene, Naru appears in a cryo pod on a Yautja planet, captured after defeating the Predator in Prey. Trachtenberg explained to ScreenRant, “They are not time traveling. That is the benefit of the cryo pod—they are plucked from their time period and then put into stasis and then unleashed when decided upon for that evening’s delightful entertainment.”

This twist recontextualizes Prey’s ending. The Yautja, seeking worthy opponents, abduct those who kill their kind, placing Naru among countless other warriors in stasis. Trachtenberg told Bloody Disgusting, “The fun is that now we have the end of Prey set up something, and then there’s this, and I love the slow play of it all.” This “slow play” suggests a grand, interconnected plan, with Naru’s fate tied to the franchise’s future, though not directly to the upcoming Predator: Badlands.

Predator: Badlands and the Road to Prey 2

Before Naru’s story continues, Trachtenberg is unleashing Predator: Badlands, hitting theaters on November 7, 2025. Set in the distant future, it stars Elle Fanning as Thia, a Weyland-Yutani android, and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek, a disgraced Yautja. Described as a “hardcore, brutal survival tale,” it’s a standalone story that flips the script by making a Predator a protagonist. While Badlands won’t feature Naru, its success is crucial, as Trachtenberg noted that his third film’s greenlight depends on how Badlands performs.

Fans are buzzing about what a Prey 2 could look like. With Naru in cryo stasis, the sequel could take her to the Yautja homeworld, an alien planet, or even a different era, given the franchise’s time-hopping potential. GameRant suggests it could feature an army of thawed-out warriors battling Predators, a first for the series. Midthunder, while vague on details, expressed enthusiasm for returning, telling ScreenRant, “I’ve heard some interesting ideas for the sequel.”

Trachtenberg’s Big Vision

Trachtenberg’s approach is deliberate and ambitious. He fast-tracked Killer of Killers and Badlands to build toward his third project, saying, “I was so eager to get to the third thing.” He multitasked on the animated Killer of Killers while filming Badlands in New Zealand, showing his commitment to expanding the Predator universe. His goal with Prey was to return to the franchise’s roots—pitting human ingenuity against a stronger, high-tech foe—and he’s carrying that ethos forward.

The Killer of Killers cameo also opens doors for other legacy characters, like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch from the 1987 Predator, to return via cryo pods, though Trachtenberg remained coy about such plans. Polygon reports he sees the cryo facility as a “Raiders of the Lost Ark-style warehouse” for champions across time and planets, hinting at a crossover-heavy future.

What’s Next for Naru?

While Badlands explores new ground, Naru’s story is the thread fans are most eager to follow. Her cryo pod appearance suggests she’s alive but in peril, setting up a high-stakes sequel where she could face Yautja on their turf or lead a rebellion of captured warriors. Trachtenberg’s “elegant” storytelling, as he described to Bloody Disgusting, avoids cramming everything into one film, promising a Prey 2 that’s fresh yet tied to the franchise’s core.

With Predator: Badlands hitting theaters November 7, 2025, and Predator: Killer of Killers streaming now on Hulu, the franchise is in a dynamic phase. If Badlands delivers, Naru’s next chapter could be greenlit soon. For now, Trachtenberg’s vision is clear: Naru’s story is far from over, and the hunt continues.