‘Predator: Badlands’ Producer Hints at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Future Return to the Franchise After 38 Years

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Arnold Schwarzenegger may be returning to the Predator movies. He famously played Alan ‘Dutch’ Schaefer in the original 1987 film, one of the soldiers who battled the alien Predator. While the Predator series has continued for almost 40 years with different heroes, it’s always been strongly associated with Schwarzenegger, even though he only appeared in the first movie. Producers have been trying to get him back for sequels for years, and the recent film Predator: Killer of Killers suggested a possible return.

At the premiere of Predator: Badlands, producer Ben Rosenblatt discussed the possibility of Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as Dutch in a future Predator movie. He told Deadline that getting Schwarzenegger back would be a dream come true, as both the actor and the character have become iconic through the franchise. Rosenblatt also shared that Schwarzenegger enjoys the newer Predator films and has been in conversations with director Dan Trachtenberg, suggesting a potential return could happen.

He’s been fantastic to work with. Arnold and Dan have met a few times, and he’s shown a lot of interest in our project, even saying he’s a fan of what we’ve created so far. We’re really enthusiastic about the possibilities. Once Predator: Badlands is released, we’ll discuss things further and hopefully find a way to collaborate with Arnold – that would be amazing!

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20th Century Fox

For nearly four decades, the Predator franchise has been trying to get Arnold Schwarzenegger back as Dutch. It’s been a long, winding road! He famously turned down Predator 2 over money, and there were plans as early as 1995 – when Robert Rodriguez was writing the script for Predators – to bring him and Donald Glover back. Unfortunately, Schwarzenegger’s time as governor kept him from rejoining the hunt in 2010. There was even a planned return for him in the 2018 film, The Predator, that ultimately didn’t happen. But finally, after 38 years, fans got a glimpse of Dutch – frozen in a pod, no less – in a bonus scene for Predator: Killer of Killers. It wasn’t a full return, but it was a satisfying nod to the original and a moment fans had been waiting for!

As a big fan, I think the ending of Predator: Killer of Killers really hints at how Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch could come back! I’m hoping it’s in another animated movie, and it would be amazing if it brought together Dutch with Danny Glover’s Harrigan from Predator 2 and Naru from Prey. Animation would be perfect because it would let the original actors voice their characters as they sounded years ago – maybe even Dutch back in the 90s! Of course, Arnold could always return in a live-action role too, playing an older, wiser fighter.

Another way Arnold Schwarzenegger could return to the Predator franchise is through a possible Alien vs. Predator movie. The recent film Predator: Badlands included the Weyland-Yutani corporation – the same company from the Alien films – suggesting that the filmmakers are planning to bring back the Alien vs. Predator series. Interestingly, a robotic version of Dutch, Schwarzenegger’s character from the original Predator, appeared in the 1994 Alien vs. Predator arcade game. Having Schwarzenegger in a new Alien vs. Predator film would make it feel like a major event, and it would also put him in an exclusive group of actors – including Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, and Michael Biehn – who have all appeared in films from both the Terminator, Alien, and Predator universes.

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2025-11-05 01:17