Prey Director Reveals Original Plans to Keep Predator Plot a Secret
Recent Hulu original hit Prey, the latest chapter in the Predator franchise, had a long road to getting in front of audiences. Director Dan Trachtenberg was actually developing the project well before the release of the last entry in the series (2018's The Predator), but also long before The Walt Disney Company purchased 20th Century Fox. Speaking in a new interview, Trachtenberg opened up about what his original line of thought was going to be for marketing the movie, revealing that keeping the secret of it being a Predator movie was something they hoped to hold onto long into the marketing of the film. In fact he wanted to put out a Cloverfield like teaser that didn't even show the intergalactic trophy hunter.
"I never thought it would really get all the way to the movie, but what I wanted was the trailer to be (secretive)," Trachtenberg revealed on The Filmcast. "Initially I was hoping that the movie could be underway the last Predator movie came out. So you'd see a trailer for this movie that's just the first part, this girl going out to prove herself and then sees a fire in the sky, and you'd be like 'oh what the f-ck is that crazy movie?' and already feel sci-fi, but that's all you'd get, there'd be no title. Then when the 2018 Predator movie came out would be the full trailer for this movie which then reveals, and of course using the bear sequence, so in the blood you reveal the shape and you go 'Oh my god, that movie we've already been interested in, that was a Predator movie!.'"
Released earlier this month Prey quickly had the biggest premiere of anything on Hulu...ever. After the 2018 Predator movie left a bad taste in many people's mouths, the series is getting a reevaluation from some and also love from newcomers.
"It's so funny because Predator has come back in my life for the past five years," Trachtenberg added. "I've been so steeped in looking at that creature and the lore and the other movies and all those things, reminding myself about what i like about those movies and what I would do different. I definitely see the reaction and love the way it makes people remember their fondness for the original movies and seeing people who have never seen one just fully embrace this movie."
Prey is now streaming on Hulu.