New Predator Sequel Director Claims Film Was Supposed to Be a “Surprise”

Predator fans were taken by surprise last week when news emerged that 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg was developing a new film in the franchise, only for the director himself to take to Twitter to claim that he had hoped to keep the film a secret for longer, and that he had been working on it for years. While it’s unclear why the filmmaker hoped to keep the project under wraps, we can’t help but wonder what it would have been like for audiences to be given a teaser or trailer for the new film out of nowhere, much like our first glimpse at Trachtenberg’s Cloverfield film.

“This was meant to be a surprise. Been working on this for almost 4 years now,” Trachtenberg shared on Twitter. “I am very sad that what we had in store for how you could discover this movie will no longer happen. It’s a bummer. But also…YAY!”

Given the success of Cloverfield back in 2008 and its mysterious marketing campaign, the reveal of only one trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane shortly before its release allowed fans to watch the film without building up years of anticipation, while the tease of the narrative also ignited speculation about how it connected to the debut film. With no plot details having been released about the new Predator, we are currently left wondering how it will connect to the rest of the franchise, with it seeming as though Trachtenberg had once again hoped to take audiences by surprise and circumvent any expectations.

Another interesting piece of information is the claim that this project has been developing for four years. This would predate The Predator in 2018, with outlets already confirming that the upcoming film didn’t connect to the events of that sequel. The two films both being developed at the same time could likely mean that whatever this upcoming film is, it will be much different than the most recent installment in the series.

Stay tuned for details on the new Predator.

Do you wish the film had been kept a secret? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!