Predator prequel Prey drops gnarly trailer with first look at iconic villain
20th Century StudiosPrey, the upcoming Predator prequel from 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg, has dropped its first full trailer.
The Predator franchise has always thrived when it keeps things simple. The 1987 original had this nailed: it took a group of buff, sweaty soldiers led by Arnold Schwarzenegger and made them the plaything of a cannon-equipped, spear-lobbing alien. It was lean, mean, and it took its villain seriously.
Unlike its Xeno counterpart, the series didn’t stick the sophomore landing with Predator 2, a movie that’s irresistible on paper but ultimately weak in execution. Predators was decent, but lacks the flair that made the first’s jungle horror so memorable.
2018’s The Predator remains one of the most puzzlingly naff sequels in recent memory, given it had Shane Black at the helm – and let’s not even discuss Alien vs. Predator. Later this year, the universe’s fiercest hunter is getting its own prequel with Prey.
Prey trailer shows Predator hunting Comanche Nation tribe
The first full trailer for Prey opens on Amber Midthunder’s Naru, a Comanche Warrior wishing to protect her tribe. “Why do you want to hunt?” she’s asked, to which she says: “Because you all think that I can’t.”
We then see her tracking and observing a grizzly bear, but things quickly go haywire. The bear, unfazed by having an arrow shot into its side, pursues Naru and tries to claw its way towards her. Suddenly, the creature falls limp and gets dragged away. It’s then raised into the air, followed by a familiar, blood-curdling roar.
20th Century StudiosThe rest of the trailer teases the tribe’s encounters with the Predator. In one moment, Naru and another woman try to attack the alien from a distance, only to be targeted by his shoulder cannon. “It knows how to hunt, I know how to survive… whoever did this, I can kill it,” Naru says.
While brief, we also get a look at the Predator itself, seemingly wearing a helmet that only covers half its face, leaving its grisly mandibles visible to anyone who dares to get in its way.
20th Century StudiosPrey will be available in the Comanche language
Producer Jhane Meyers – who is Comanche – has also revealed that the film will be available in the Comanche language.
Speaking to SlashFilm, Meyers said “That’s really important to me being Comanche and working with our Comanche language department, also with working with Comanche language speakers. But just the fact that people will have a choice, the world will have a choice to listen to the whole film in Comanche is amazing.”
Meyers continued: “This is the first time for a brand new film to come out and have that option to hear it all in the whole language. So that not only inspires the young language speakers of my nation, but that inspires a lot of other people and shows them, and like I said, shows the world what our language is about. Which is thrilling for me.”
Director Dan Trachtenberg elaborated as to how this will happen in the States: “On Hulu, there will be a Comanche dub of the movie, so you can watch the entire movie in Comanche with the original actors returning to perform their roles.”
What is Prey about, and when and where will it be released?
The official synopsis reads: “Prey is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people.”
Unlike past Predator entries, Prey will not be screening in cinemas. It’s due for release on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK on August 5.