“You’re competing against all the iconic things”: Prey Almost Didn’t Feature the Predator, Confirms Director
Despite initial skepticism, 2022’s one of the best horror films, Prey not only received overwhelmingly positive reviews but also enjoys a 94% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was also described as the best summer blockbuster of the year, as it bought back life into the Predator franchise, which was almost on the brink of collapse. Prey is a Predator prequel done right, delivering what the franchise’s fans have been waiting years to see.
Dan Trachtenberg Reflects On His Intentions Of Making Prey A Predator Story
Prey, the film that became Hulu’s biggest premiere ever and is currently nominated for six Emmys, including Outstanding Television Movie was certainly not expected to be anything more than B-movie popcorn entertainment. But fast forward a few months into the future to the present day, director Dan Trachtenberg talking about his film shares that,
“It made the non-Predator aspects of our film even stronger, so it just felt like ‘We gotta hold out. This should be a Predator movie. This should be a Predator movie. It just makes too much sense.’”
The decision to turn Prey into a sequel not to the original film, but as an event set before the first predator ever set foot on Earth was a risky choice for the director. Trachtenberg said to IndieWire over Zoom that amidst Disney’s 21st Century Fox acquisition, the team asked if the film could be done with a new original creature, but the director was against the idea saying,
“When you have to make a brand new creature, you’re competing against all the iconic things. There’s something lovely about Predator where it’s like, ‘Oh, cool, that’s been sorted.”
Prey has been a great movie despite having no IP attachment to it.
Also, read-Prey: Actress Amber Midthunder “Proud & Excited” For Her New Predator Movie.
Did Prey Save The Predator Movie Franchise?
One of the best reboots of any franchise in 2022, Prey brought life to the Predator movie franchise. While all agree that there’s hardly been any good movie in the series since the first one, and after a failed attempt at reviving the Predator universe in 2018, all hope was long lost. But when Dan Trachtenberg revealed Prey, the old flame reignited. None expected that the movie would end up among the best horrors of 2022.
After going through rough patches for years, the franchise has finally got a revival as Prey reignites the flames of the original movie’s action sensibilities, elevating the franchise to its cult-like status as it once was. Whether or not Prey has effectively saved the franchise from being shelved for good it’s something that remains to be seen but it did manage to gain some goodwill with Predator fans besides reintroducing the legendary monster into mainstream pop culture once again.
Also, read- Predator: Producers Reveal New Movie Title “Skull”, To Boast New Female Hero.
Source: IndieWire
