How Dan Trachtenberg Helped Shape Marvel's Predator: Badlands Prequel

Predator: Badlands conscionable deed theaters, and already the movie is simply a hit, enjoying the biggest opening play successful the franchise's history. Who knew determination was truthful overmuch imaginable successful making a Yautja the leader of the communicative for a change?

If Badlands leaves you wanting much of Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi's quality Dek, Marvel has you covered. Last week, we brought you an exclusive preview of Predator: Badlands #1, a one-shot prequel to the movie focused squarely connected Dek. Now we tin travel up that preview with an interrogation with writer Ethan Sacks (Star Wars: Bounty Hunters). Read connected to larn much astir however manager Dan Trachtenberg helped usher the comic and however moving successful the Predator beingness compares to Star Wars.

With Badlands being Trachtenberg's 3rd Predator movie truthful acold (and the 2nd 1 released successful 2025), it goes without saying that he's a engaged guy. But that doesn't mean the manager took a hands-off attack to this comic publication tie-in. Sacks reveals that Trachtenberg was intimately progressive successful consulting connected the communicative and helping guarantee that the comic and the movie weave unneurotic effectively.

I really met Dan astir a decennary ago, earlier I was successful comics, erstwhile I interviewed him astir 10 Cloverfield Lane for the New York Daily News. Even backmost then, I could archer that I was seeing an exceptional endowment that could blend sci-fi, horror, and intimate melodramatic moments," Sacks tells IGN. "What I didn't cognize is that Dan is simply a immense comic fan, and a Marvel instrumentality successful particular. He and the producers carved retired clip from their engaged accumulation schedules connected Predator: Badlands to clasp video meetings with maine to explicate the characters and their plans for the Yautja. The level of practice and collaboration made each the quality successful the world. His passionateness and level of item is infectious, and I similar to deliberation we channeled it successful this comic."

Sacks continues, "Our communicative straight ties into Dek's travel successful the film, and I approached it successful a akin mode to however I approached Old Man Hawkeye, the prequel to Old Man Logan. I wanted the communicative to consciousness similar a unsocial and absorbing puzzle portion that could descent close successful and link seamlessly with the beloved original."

As for the crippled of Predator: Badlands #1, the comic takes spot soon earlier the events of the movie and adds penetration into Dek's household dynamic. The communicative represented an absorbing situation for Sacks. What does a Predator comic look similar erstwhile the Predator himself is the main protagonist?

"Without spoiling thing from the astonishing film, having a Yautja protagonist that an assemblage tin attraction astir is the nonstop effect of what Dan and screenwriter Patrick Aison achieved with Predator: Badlands," Sacks says. "Our extremity with the prequel was to acceptable up Dek’s backstory and his narration with his family/clan that pays disconnected truthful good connected screen. It's the adjacent measurement successful the improvement of our knowing of this species, their culture, and their motivations. We besides got to amusement however tenacious and resourceful Dek tin be. There's a caller alien taxon successful this prequel arsenic well, on with an absorbing antagonist, and arsenic with Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, I get a spot of a cruel glee successful trying to interruption readers' hearts portion ratcheting up their adrenaline."

Art by Elvin Ching. (Image Credit: Marvel/20th Century Studios)

Trachtenberg whitethorn beryllium a verfied Predator super-fan, but Sacks is nary slouch, either. He tells IGN that penning this prequel is fundamentally a imagination travel existent for idiosyncratic who inactive vividly remembers watching the archetypal movie successful theaters.

I've been a immense instrumentality of this franchise since I watched my archetypal Yautja uncloak connected a movie surface successful the summertime of 1987," Sacks says. "In those days earlier CGI domination, the archetypal Predator deed connected a slayer operation of cleanable Arnold enactment vehicle, precocious concept, and inventive peculiar effects for the Predator's heat-detecting vision. I was 14 years aged backmost then, and successful immoderate ways I volition ever consciousness similar a wide-eyed teen erstwhile a caller Predator installment comes out."

Sacks has been a large dependable connected Marvel's Star Wars comic enactment successful caller years. We were funny however the 2 franchises compare. Is penning a Predator comic truthful antithetic from penning Star Wars?

"Those 2 astonishing sci-fi franchises are lightyears isolated (pun-intended) successful presumption of code and themes, but the commonality betwixt them is that the franchises are tally by radical that legitimately are arsenic geeky arsenic I americium and arsenic passionate arsenic the fans," Sacks says. "Both besides stock the aforesaid worth of comic storytelling that fits straight into the larger narrative. The comics supply the accidental for maine to lend to the mythos that I person loved since childhood."

Finally, Sacks had plentifulness of priase for creator Elvin Ching and the remainder of the book's creation team, saying "Elvin Ching is simply a aboriginal superstar successful the making. I get akin vibes moving with him arsenic I did with Marco Checchetto backmost connected Old Man Hawkeye. We had a batch of assistance from Dan and the filmmakers and 20th Century Studios for notation and conception creation truthful that Elvin could marque our communicative consciousness visually connected to the film. Along with inker Oren Junior, colorist Juancho Velez, and letterer Clayton Cowles, the creation squad truly shined connected this one. It rings and zings cinematic successful the champion of ways. Hopefully, readers volition spell spot the movie and past prime up their transcript to get adjacent much story."

Predator: Badlands #1 is successful stores now. You tin prime up a transcript astatine your section comic shop.

Clint gage gave the movie an 8 successful IGN's Predator: Badlands review, writing, "Dan Trachtenberg is heading successful an absorbing absorption with this franchise and helium gets bonus points for that. The Predator arsenic a mysterious execution monster is getting immoderate of his backstory filled in, and that’s not needfully a atrocious thing. Badlands, successful shifting the position to a Yautja main character, really highlights what’s been large astir this franchise successful its amended moments. Dek and Thia are an unexpectedly amusive pairing that bring a caller vigor to the franchise and an altogether antithetic benignant of hunt. It mightiness not beryllium pulling the skull and spine retired of america and screaming successful bloody victory, but it gets close."

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.