Prey Director Reveals Surprising New Addition to Predator

By Spencer Perry

The upcoming Prey will mark a big shift for the Predator franchise largely because of its setting. Rather than taking place in the present day, or even not-too-distant future, Prey dials it back three hundred years to the 1710s. There's another thing that Prey does differently from every other movie in the franchise and it's in something they did with the actual Predator costume on the set of the film. Speaking in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com at San Diego Comic-Con, Prey director Dan Trachtenberg opened up about making a practical Predator costume for the film and what they did differently.

"It was a couple of people driving (the mechanisms in the mask)," Trachtenberg said. "There are two versions of the face, There was a stunt version that didn't have any motion, that was a little bit, just a hair safer for Dane (DiLiegro, The Predator) to function. And there was another version that was just heavier on Dane because it had all the animatronics in it. And one of the things we added in this movie that strangely wasn't, I don't think was in the other Ptedator films, was goop. We brought in some alien goop, the stuff that we've seen the Alien movies. So the mandibles and the face and all that stuff just felt that much more violent and gross."

DiLiegro sounded off on wearing the costume as well, noting that when you wear it all it does is add to your performance when you're on set. "It's interesting, you know, you're not just a guy in a monkey suit. (They) did a tremendous job building this suit, but you slide in and you're not human anymore, you're invincible and you're this trophy hunter from another planet and you kind of transform into that and it's all the history and, Kevin Peter Hall (late actor from first two Predator movies) and following in his footsteps was an incredible experience for me. Like I said before, still sinking in, I still can't believe it."

Prey will debut on Hulu on August 5. The film features a cast comprised almost entirely of Native and First Nation's talent, including Amber Midthunder ("The Ice Road," "Roswell, New Mexico"), newcomer Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp ("Sooyii"), Michelle Thrush ("The Journey Home"), Julian Black Antelope ("Tribal").        

Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, Prey is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.    

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