Hulu has dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Predator prequel film, Prey.
The trailer teases the arrival of the Predator, hundreds of years in humanity's past, facing Native American warriors from the Comanche and Blackfeet tribes. As can be expected from director Dan Trachtenberg, the film also appears to feature a grittier style. The prequel film is set to premiere on Aug. 5.
Development on the prequel film began before 2018's The Predator even hit theaters. Filming began in early 2021 under the working title Skulls and wrapped in September. Prey follows Naru, a Comanche warrior played by Amber Midthunder, who fights to protect her tribe against the Predator's violent arrival.
Producer John Davis previously teased, "It goes back to what made the original Predator movie [from 1987] work. It's the ingenuity of a human being who won't give up, who's able to observe and interpret, basically being able to beat a stronger, more powerful, well-armed force." He then added that the film is "more akin to The Revenant than it does any film in the Predator canon."
2018's The Predator was directed by Shane Black and featured a star-studded cast including Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen and Sterling K. Brown. The film opened to generally negative reviews, mainly criticizing its focus on action and its tone. Some argued it failed to justify itself as a reboot of an iconic franchise.
The 2018 film was also embroiled in several controversies, one of which stemmed from its inclusion of a convicted sex offender, actor Steven Wilder Striegel. Munn pushed to have her scenes with him removed after discovering his background and she received support from co-star Sterling K. Brown. Black, who was Striegel's friend and cast him in a minor role on that basis, later issued a public apology and the scene was ultimately cut.
Another point of controversy was The Predator's depiction of autism, which was presented as the next step in human evolution and led to near super-intelligence, which many criticized for perpetuating a misunderstanding of autism as a condition.
The Predator also disappointed at the box office, earning $160 million worldwide on a budget of $88 million. However, it was still far from the worst performing film in the franchise. For comparison, its predecessor, the 2010 film Predators, grossed $127.2 million on a budget of $40 million.
Source: YouTube