Since Predator: Badlands infused elements of the Alien franchise, will Alien: Earth do the same with Predator characters?
Both the Alien and Predator franchises took unique turns this year, first with the August release of Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth on FX/Hulu, a prequel series starring Sydney Chandler and Timothy Olyphant that is set before the events of Ridley Scott’s 1979 landmark sci-fi horror movie classic Alien.
Then, in November, Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers director Dan Trachtenberg continued his reboot of the Predator franchise with Predator: Badlands, starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. In the film, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi plays Dek, an ostracized member of the Yautja clan who befriends Thia (Elle Fanning) while hunting for an apex predator on the unforgiving planet of Genna.
Predator: Badlands is unique in that for the film time since 2007 — when the sequel to Alien vs. Predator (2005), Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, was released — there is crossover between the Alien and Predator franchises. True, there are no Xenomorphs to be found in Predator: Badlands, but Thia, as it turns out, is a heavily damaged synthetic from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
The Earth conglomerate, of course, has had a pivotal presence throughout the Alien movies, including Prometheus, and Alien: Earth TV series.
Naturally, with the first crossover narrative between the Alien and Predator franchises in nearly 20 years with Predator: Badlands, it opens up the possibility for Predator characters to find their way back to the Alien universe, which, of course, includes Hawley’s series.
‘Alien: Earth’ Is Returning For A Second Season, But Don’t Expect To See Any Predators, Creator Says
Alien: Earth concluded its first season with its eighth episode on Sept. 23 and seven weeks later, on Nov. 11, FX announced that the Noah Hawley series would return for a second season, according to Variety.
During a recent appearance on Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett’s SmartLess podcast, the show relayed a fan question to Hawley about whether he was considering folding the “world of Predator” into his world of Alien: Earth since the worlds were combined for Predator: Badlands.
“No, not onto the show, I don’t think. I think Dan Trachtenberg, who made Prey and has made the Badlands movie — you know, I loved Prey,” Hawley told SmartLess. “I think he’s doing a great job with that franchise. He clearly has a plan there. I’ve met Dan once; we’re not kind of coordinating any of that stuff. So, it’s not really my plan to do it.”
According to Variety, production on Alien: Earth will begin in London in 2026 after shooting the series in Thailand for Season 1. Predator: Badlands, meanwhile, is still playing in theaters and the film’s digital streaming premiere date is still pending.
