When it was done by director Dan Trachtenberg and it was released An edible deerit was truly a game changer. Here, finally, it was cool, fresh The solution A movie that has made us forget the people who came before. One that was as exciting and genuine as the Arnold Schwarzenegger film that launched the franchise. It opened all kinds of doors, too. If the attackers are hunting people all the way past, what else can I say?
The answer to that question comes in five parts. Four of them take place inside Predator: Killer of Killersan excellent anthology film with predatory animals hunting prey all the time, and the fifth is in theaters this weekend, Predator: Badlands. Trachtenberg directed all three movies, though The badlands he is the first to come to the theater. And rightfully so. An action-packed sci-fi adventure sends i The solution Franchise off almost one that was inexplicable. Now, the deer is a hero.
IO9 recently sat down with trachtennerg to chat The badlandsincluding the question of how to make the attacker a hero may or may not change other movies. We discussed his decision not to use the famous Alan Silvestri The solution The theme in this round, and the contributions of James Cameron, the Weyland-yutani connection, and why, even after three The solution Movies, you wake up to find out more.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Germain Lussier, iO9: I saw that you thanked James Cameron in the credits The badlands. It is true, he was in New Zealand and where he shot, he made his own small movie, which was run by Disney. But what prompted you to thank him beyond that?
Dan Trachtenerg: I consider myself very lucky that we make movies in the same company. We work with the same managers, and he saw An edible deer and he loved it. So when we headed down to New Zealand to shoot, he invited me to Wellington to join him [the Avatar 3] set again at HITY HIVE. And I broke down all my worries about making this movie and the way we were doing it, which was going to be very new for the franchise and certainly new for me. After that we got dinner again, and went our separate ways. As he sat down, he said, “I’ve been thinking about what you’re doing over here, and I think it’s going to work.” And that was crazy. He put a lot of wind in my sails to bring back to Auckland and tell all the crew.
Then, a few months ago, we had a cut of a movie that was almost done, not quite, and I wanted to get some input before we put the finishing touches on it. And he wrote a letter saying, “I have to be honest, when I first heard about what you’re doing, I didn’t think it would work, but Holy Crap, it really did.” I don’t know if he didn’t remember the first thing or if he just knows exactly what someone in my shoes needs to hear. So it was just amazing.
IO9: Yes, I think the reaction that most people will have. They will love the movie, they will love the direction you took. But because we’re going to love you from afar, and now we know more about yautja, do you think that will change what we think about yautja in previous movies or in future movies?
Trachenberg: I mean, Dek is not the only yautja character you meet in the movie, and what you learn in this movie, and again Killers are killersIs there too much variety in culture and species. And I think Dek comes from a brutal family, but I don’t know if they’ve all had to deal with it. And can you decide from your fan imagination whether the attackers from the previous movies feel the way the dates feel about things, or do they feel the way Kwei or the father feels about things?
IO9: You talk about fandom. I am The solution fan, but also For another country fan, so I love seeing Weyland-Yutani there. Weyland-what is worse in their work, right?
Trachenberg: [Laughs]
IO9: Because we know that they have creatures that exist Alien: Earth, But they rejected them. They are still watching For another countrythey still look Aliensthey still look Alien 3. Here it is The badlandswhenever this happens, they are still looking for creatures. So is that something you guys are looking at conscientiously? Is that like the line in these Weyland-yutan franchises that have to fail all the time?
Trachenberg: I mean, it’s almost unimaginable to think of a mega corporation that consistently disappoints in what its goals might be. I think we can all connect to that. I certainly didn’t consciously think, “I need to continue the Weyland-Yutani story I’m a bunch of fortune tellers,” but rather the opposite. We tried to show the different types of welding that they would do, and I think [they were] It’s a little bit this time around, when they explore the planet, to send changes first before sending or sending any people there. I hope so The badlands It says that perhaps Weyland-Yutani is a little smarter than previous iterations.
IO9: I love the music in this movie, but didn’t hear any Alan Silvestri Theme [from the original Predator]. Talk about a decision of sorts to end that.
Trachenberg: Well, I like it too [music]and I was very excited to work with Sara Schachner and Ben Wallfisch on this, joining forces to write, that I have worked with before. And two things. The last one we did was a riff on silvestric time in An edible deerand then inside Killer of Killersin all four cases, we did crazy riffs, and I just felt like we were designed to the end [riffing].
IO9: [Laughs]
Trachenberg: And I really wanted to find something special for the sound of the Yautja culture and I feel that this movie needed its identity and its received themes, and I’m sure that after a while we bring it back when we bring it back. So that kind of sparked that decision.
IO9: Looking back at your last movie, naru [from Prey] shows at the end of the Killer of Killersand others The solution characters. When was that decision made? Because I think you’re done An edible deeryou didn’t like, “Oh, let’s bring him back at the end of the motion picture I’m working on.” How was this decision, “this is the next stage of his story”?
Trachenberg: It actually came out of the exit what we could do next, too [having] these ideas of The badlands once Killer of Killers even a third movie. And part of the fun of thinking about the end of killer of killers, And the thing that opened up, was Act four, and I just thought about it after that, “oh my, we could have revealed naru there in the snow.”
IO9: Going to do that, what kind of idea do you have when the characters that are there that may live or at the end of this film may appear, do you think you get a chance to come back?
Trachenberg: I have a good sense of where things could go, but at the same time they were trying hard to make decisions based on that. Because honestly, as you know, you have to make one good movie at a time. So I’m actually trying really hard to just make sure I’m not hurting this movie by thinking about where things could go next, and [making] This is definitely a great movie, and whatever else we have to do, I’ll think about it the same way.
IO9: I know you understand how insanely awesome this is The solution movies, right? But now you’ve done three in a row, and I want to see another one, and so do the fans. But do you have it in you to do another? Do you want to take a break? What do you think about the future?
Trachenberg: I didn’t think I had it in me to do two more behind An edible deer. And the only reason I really followed through was because we had these ideas that were cool movie ideas, as opposed to being a The solution movie. There was something about them that were the kinds of movies I wanted to make. Four of them inside Killer of Killersdo you know So that’s why I’ve stuck around and continue to stick around, because that’s given me the opportunity to tell very new and original stories. And it’s the hunt for a suitable prey that just happens to be a great fulcrum for emotional storytelling that also has a bunch of kick-ass action.
Predator: Badlands now it’s in the theater. An edible deer and Predator: Killer of Killers both in HLU.
Looking for more IO9 news? Check out when you can expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe in film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
