Predator: Badlands Success: Lessons for Disney’s Star Wars Strategy

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Following the success of the streaming films Prey (2022) and the animated Predator: Killer of Killers this June, Disney is returning the Predator series to theaters with Predator: Badlands. Dan Trachtenberg directed all three installments and also contributed to the story.

Dane Trachtenberg contributed to the stories of Prey and Predator: Badlands alongside Patrick Aison, and worked with Micho Robert Rutare on Killer of Killers. He also produced both Killer of Killers and Badlands. Trachtenberg has done more than just refresh the Predator franchise; his three critically praised films have effectively resurrected it.

The director isn’t finished with the Predator series and has even sketched out a concept for a third movie, inspired by the success of Prey on Hulu. Before this, he’d only directed one film, 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), but Disney took a risk on him, and it looks like that risk is about to be rewarded.

Predator: Badlands earned a promising $4.8 million from early screenings on Wednesday and Thursday and is expected to be the #1 movie in theaters this weekend. Although the Predator series isn’t as popular as Star Wars, the way director Trachtenberg made his film offers some valuable ideas that could be useful for future Star Wars projects.

Everything Doesn’t Need To Be Ultra-Connected To Everything Else

The Marvel Cinematic Universe remains incredibly impressive for achieving so much on such a large scale, but it’s also created an expectation that all franchises should have intricate connections to a larger world. What I appreciate about Trachtenberg’s films is that they don’t necessarily rely on that same approach.

Although both take place within the same fictional world, Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers don’t have any story connections. Prey is set in 1719 on the Great Plains, while Predator: Killer of Killers is a collection of stories happening in different time periods and places: 841 Scandinavia, 1609 Japan, and 1942 North Africa.

The story of Predator: Badlands takes place far in the future, and while it shares the iconic Predators (also known as Yautja) with other films, it doesn’t connect to them through family ties. Unlike what you might expect in other franchises, the main Predator in Badlands, Dek (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), isn’t related to any of the Predators we’ve seen before.

Maybe the appeal of the Yautja is that they seem to have always existed – since the beginning of time, almost. Because of this, there doesn’t need to be a complicated connection between every story; their history is already woven into everything. It’s actually been really enjoyable to watch these standalone stories that aren’t tied to a larger narrative.

New Stories Should Be Centered Around New Characters

As a huge Star Wars fan, I was excited for the sequel trilogy, but I have to admit, some of the new characters didn’t quite land for me. Rey’s reveal as Palpatine’s granddaughter felt… forced, and poor Finn really deserved a better storyline. While it was great to see fresh faces and stories, the movies felt like they were trying too hard to tie everything back to the original Skywalker saga, and it just didn’t always work.

While Star Wars focuses heavily on maximizing the return on Disney’s large investment in Lucasfilm by tying everything together, Trachtenberg is building out the Predator universe in a clever and engaging way, without forcing connections to the original film. However, it appears Star Wars might be starting to shift its approach.

The Mandalorian successfully expanded the Star Wars universe with fresh stories and characters while still respecting its history. The new Star Wars: Starfighter movie seems to be completely separate from the Skywalker family saga, though we’ll know for sure when it’s released on May 28, 2027. Hopefully, Star Wars can continue to thrive by telling new stories that don’t always rely on the past.

There Needs To Be One Voice With a Vision And a Plan

The most successful movie franchises of all time share a key ingredient: a leader with a strong, long-term vision. This could be someone like Kevin Feige at Marvel, who started as a producer and now runs the studio. It could also be a director deeply involved in the story, like James Cameron with Avatar. Or it could be producers, such as Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who carefully guide a franchise like James Bond.

The Star Wars sequels didn’t feel as connected as the original and prequel trilogies, largely because there wasn’t a clear, overall plan for the three movies. While George Lucas didn’t direct every film, his overarching vision helped create a cohesive story in those earlier trilogies – something the sequels lacked.

Dan Trachtenberg may not be building a connected cinematic universe, but he has a knack for finding fresh angles within established franchises, and his approach has been successful. His three films have earned widespread praise from both audiences and critics, and Disney is clearly confident in his abilities, as evidenced by the $105 million budget they’ve given him for Predator: Badlands – the largest budget ever for a film in that series.

While $105 million is about half the typical budget for a Star Wars film, Disney needs to invest in a creative leader – a producer or director – with fresh, original ideas if they want to revitalize the franchise. They should focus on expanding the Star Wars universe with new stories, rather than simply retelling old ones.

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2025-11-08 01:22