Predator Still Needs To Build on the Success of Its Best Movie Since the Original (Will It Happen in 2026?)

2025 was the best year in the history of the Predator franchise. Dan Trachtenberg was the exact voice this IP needed to continue healthily into the future. And that’s really saying something because, even more so than Alien, Predator has really struggled to be a franchise at all, much less a healthy one. At least Alien had one sequel that was universally loved. Before Trachtenberg the only installment of the Yautja universe that was flat-out beloved was the original film. Predator 2 was considered a disappointment at the time and has become a cult favorite, but that’s really the best thing that can be said of any pre-Trachtenberg Yautja movie.

But then Prey came along and showed this franchise was capable of producing a movie that was as good as the original. In fact, it may very well be slightly better (in terms of characterization it’s absolutely better). So why haven’t we gotten a Prey 2? Let’s unpack the holdup and whether it will ever come to fruition.

Where Is Prey 2 & What Would It Look Like?

At the end of Prey, Amber Midthunder’s Naru has bested the Feral Predator, cut off its head, and taken it back to her village. She has gained her people’s respect and is declared the village’s War Chief. Then, we see via ledger art paintings that three Yautja ships then descended upon the village, though we don’t see what becomes of Naru.

Three years later, that question was answered in Predator: Killer of Killers, half of the coin that made 2025 such a wonderful year for the franchise. In that animated anthology’s final moments we see Scandinavian Viking hunter Ursa placed in suspended animation. She too has emerged victorious over a Yautja and she’s being preserved for some purpose or another because of that. We have the purpose for her freezing confirmed for us when she’s lined up with other individuals who have bested a Predator: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer, Danny Glover’s LAPD Lt. Mike Harrigan, and none other than Naru.

So, was this just a fun tag scene or was it leading up to something more? Will the follow-up to Prey‘s narrative be animated just like Killer of Killers? It very well could be. Then there’s the other possibility, which is that Midthunder, Glover, and Schwarzenegger will be brought back for a live action movie that continues the narrative of Killer of Killers and, by extension, Prey, Predator 2, and Predator. The safe money is on all three of those actors (four including Ursa’s Lindsay LaVanchy) being brought back to voice their characters in another animated movie. After all, it would be expensive to de-age Schwarzenegger and Glover not to mention the fact they might not be in the place in their careers where they could be running, gunning, and punching Predators.

Whatever form it takes, in Trachtenberg we trust. He’s shown himself capable of flipping the script on Predator movies and delivering adventures that grab you from the beginning. Each of his three movies have stood apart from one another in tone and direction and all three of them have been successes.

We mean success in terms of reviews and audience reception. But they’ve also been successes in terms of viewership as well. In 2022, Prey became the most watched Hulu original product to date. That means movies or series. And, while one might think an animated film might turn off some fans of the franchise, Killer of Killers was also a success on Hulu (and Disney+).

Then we get to Predator: Badlands, Trachtenberg’s first theatrical Predator film. It wasn’t a full-on blockbuster, netting $184 million against $105 million, but it could have done way, way worse. It stands to reason that it, too, will do wonderfully on Hulu when it goes from its current status as a rental to being able to stream with a subscription. The difference between Badlands and The Predator (which also didn’t double its budget), is that the former netted fantastic reviews. Shane Black’s 2018 movie did not, and it was swiftly forgotten and dismissed.

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The point is, the interest is there for Trachtenberg to make more of these movies. And, considering he made a point of hinting at the return of Naru, Schaefer, and Harrigan, it stands to reason that teaming them up is his next move. Will that be live action on the big screen or animated on the small screen? Time will tell, but it really feels as though it’s coming. Had Predator: Badlands tanked that wouldn’t be the case.

Speaking of Badlands, that also ended on a cliffhanger, and it seems likely that will be expanded upon in a sequel. If you don’t account for inflation, Badlands was the highest-grossing Predator movie to date, and that includes his two fights with the Xenomorphs.

Both of these movies seem very likely to happen. However, hoping for a 2026 release seems to be a bit much. After all, Trachtenberg cranked out two winners in a single year. If he cranked out another film the very next year, it would be too much. It would be fair to expect a dip in quality. On our end, we want him to take his time. Furthermore, while Elle Fanning and Amber Midthunder are currently popular stars on the rise, they should still be able to make time for a return to space. But getting one of those two movies announced by the end of the year? That seems reasonable.

Which would you rather see, a Predator: Badlands 2 or a Prey 2? Let us know in the comments.