Fans of the Alien and Predator franchises have quite a bit to look ahead to in 2025. Not solely are we getting two new Predator movies from Prey director Dan Trachtenberg with the live-action Predator: Badlands and the animated Hulu providing Predator: Killer of Killers, however we’re additionally set to obtain one other main entry within the Alien universe from Fargo and Legion showrunner Noah Hawley with the FX present Alien: Earth. Although these tasks aren’t formally related but, followers know that Alien and Predator have a protracted historical past as a part of a shared universe, with the 2 iconic monsters crossing paths in quite a few movies, comedian books, and video video games.
Examining the most recent promotional supplies for Predator: Badlands and Alien: Earth could present clues that Disney is laying the groundwork for a brand new crossover between Alien and Predator. Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at the developments in these franchises and why we would see AVP return to the large display screen sooner somewhat than later.
Evil Easter Eggs
The first teaser trailer for Predator: Badlands already made some followers marvel if a brand new Alien vs. Predator was on its manner. The trailer revealed that Elle Fanning will probably be enjoying a Weyland-Yutani artificial who has a connection to a brand new Predator named Dek, who Trachtenberg confirmed would be the movie’s protagonist. Although a Weyland-Yutani android being an vital determine in a Predator movie doesn’t essentially imply the movie is establishing a serious Alien crossover–the 2 franchises have lengthy since cross-pollinated sufficient the place this reveal isn’t an enormous shift in the established order–it does tackle higher significance now that we’ve acquired new promotional movies for Alien: Earth.
In the Gestation Complete teaser, there are a number of Easter eggs referring to Alien lore. We see the black liquid mutagen from the opening of Prometheus that’s used to seed life on Earth by the Engineers. This ultimately results in an egg sac that appears remarkably much like one connected to a wall in Alien: Romulus. Although the creature that spills out of it resembles a facehugger in form, it seems to be mutated in new methods. This specimen is revealed to be contained on a ship resembling the Nostromo from the unique movie, though this vessel is named the Maginot. The creature is designated “Species 37” (a Mass Effect reference?!) and marked as having unknown DNA by the ship’s pc, MU-TH-UR. Since we all know the present takes place two years prior to Alien within the collection’ timeline, this means that Species 37 was what clued Weyland-Yutani into the Xenomorphs within the first place, for the reason that Nostromo’s MU-TH-UR and Ash knew what it was earlier than they landed on LV-426.
A associated teaser known as Crate options specimen containers, with a narrator stating that the ship “collected 5 completely different life varieties from the darkest corners of the universe,” and that every one is a novel species. Although a basic Xenomorph crawls over the central crate, the truth that we’re getting 5 completely different species means the present seems to be increasing the roster of alien creatures on this universe by a large margin. Could one in every of them be associated to the Predators? That will surely monitor with Badlands being set on an alien world the place the lead Predator Dek appears to be searching extraterrestrial monstrosities. Perhaps Elle Fanning’s android was trying to find a few of the specimens featured within the present? Or perhaps one in every of these monsters will mutate into one thing we’ll see in Badlands or Killer of Killers. We received’t know for certain till it premieres, however we wouldn’t be shocked if there’s Predator DNA someplace in Alien: Earth.
Alien and Predator’s Long, Intertwined History
Alien and Predator have been a part of the identical world for longer than you would possibly bear in mind. Although the primary AVP movie was launched in 2004, the 2 area monsters first clashed in a 1989 Dark Horse comedian collection known as Aliens vs. Predator. Predator 2, launched the following 12 months in 1990, famously featured an Easter egg referencing Alien by together with a Xenomorph cranium on the trophy wall of the Predator’s ship. Many different AVP comics and video video games have been launched all through the ‘90s, cementing the concept of those two creatures having a shared universe lengthy earlier than that concept was popularized within the mainstream by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, they could have gotten to the pattern too early. Although there have been two AVP movies launched within the 2000s, Paul W. S. Anderson’s Alien vs. Predator in 2004 and The Brothers Strause’s Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007, the collection did not catch on due to poor essential and viewers reception (regardless that they made money on the field workplace). Although serialized superhero and science-fiction blockbusters have been beginning to take over the world on the time largely due to a collection of developments set in place by the Star Wars prequel trilogy, not each franchise within the style area was given the love and care it wanted to final long run. AVP was handled as a B-tier property by twentieth Century Fox regardless that each Alien and Predator had wonderful movies to their names previously.
Ridley Scott’s unique Alien is likely one of the biggest horror movies ever made, James Cameron’s Aliens is among the many most iconic film sequels, and John McTiernan’s unique Predator is likely one of the greatest motion movies of the Nineteen Eighties. Now, we’re not saying AVP wanted to intention for an Oscar (or are we?), however few would argue that the 2 movies we acquired stood up with one of the best the person franchises needed to provide. The 2010s solely made the scenario worse with Ridley Scott’s Prometheus collection by no means getting a 3rd entry after the commercial disappointment of Alien: Covenant, and Shane Black’s try and rejuvenate the Predator franchise with The Predator falling flat on its face. But after the success of Prey in 2022 and Alien: Romulus in 2024, Alien and Predator have seen their fortunes flip round.
And now that we’ve seen teases of their upcoming tasks, the concept of a brand new AVP appears nearer than ever.
Converging for Carnage
We additionally should remember the fact that a sequel to Alien: Romulus is presently in improvement, and that director Fede Álvarez is not only attached to return for that movie, however has additionally outright said he could be interested in directing an Alien vs. Predator movie. Romulus was an enormous critical and commercial success for Disney, relaunching the franchise after the Prometheus collection fell aside whereas nonetheless holding that a part of the model alive with the Engineer-alike monster within the third act. Cailee Spaeny’s Rain Carradine and David Jonsson’s Andy are presently in stasis heading to Yvaga III, with a direct sequel presumably selecting up with these two and their continued voyage at nighttime reaches of area. But with Badlands additionally set within the stars, might we see some cameos or Easter eggs in that movie hinting at a Romulus connection?
In reality, Álvarez not too long ago mentioned that one of the simplest ways to do an Alien vs. Predator film could be to have it’s a shock to audiences:
“The greatest AVP would be the one that you just don’t know is AVP till the opposite man exhibits up,” the filmmaker not too long ago advised Collider. “You assume you’re watching a Predator film, after which they land in some place and there are creatures, and fucking hell, it’s a Xenomorph. That would get me. … Or vice versa, you’re in an Alien film, after which all of the sudden a mysterious creature is there, and you’ll hear that sound, and also you see the cloak, and also you go, ‘Is {that a} fucking Predator?’”
Álvarez coming throughout excited by the concept of AVP offers us hope {that a} new tackle the mash-up will succeed the place the earlier ones fell quick. Setting each of these movies on a up to date Earth restricted their scope significantly, and so they struggled to get the viewers invested in any of their two-dimensional characters. The movies have been so rejected by the fanbase that an AVP relaunch might throw these motion pictures out of continuity with none hassles and begin over with a clear slate. With Badlands switching up the Predator components by casting a Predator because the lead character, maybe Dek (supplied he survives Badlands) may very well be the principle hero of a brand new AVP. As properly, one other entry within the crossover collection might lastly broaden on the Predalien idea launched in these movies. Maybe some Engineer mutagen might create a being that’s half Alien, half Predator, and half Engineer? Now that could be terrifying.
Whatever occurs with all of those upcoming tasks, each Alien and Predator are in a a lot more healthy state now than they’ve been in years. Yet that additionally implies that the concept of creating a correct crossover movie between the 2 virtually definitely must be on Disney’s radar, particularly since an Alien vs. Predator match-up is simply concerning the largest “occasion” you may get inside this franchise. With cinematic universes and cross-medium integration extra common than ever, a brand new AVP feels extra like a query of when as a substitute of if. Especially with proficient filmmakers like Álvarez and Trachtenberg now related to the property, maybe these two iconic monsters will lastly get the large display screen battle they so rightly deserve.
Carlos Morales writes novels, articles and Mass Effect essays. You can observe his fixations on Twitter.
