Predator: Killer of Killersrecently landed on Hulu, giving fans of thePredatorfranchise an incredible animated anthology film to tide them over whilewaiting forPredator: Badlandsto be released in theaters at the end of this year. Dan Trachtenberg has cemented himself as the filmmaker who will redefine the sci-fi horror franchise, after first delivering an exciting new angle on the alien game hunters in his 2022 filmPrey, which starredAmber Midthunder as a young Comanche woman named Naruwho goes up against a Predator in the 1700s. Now, Trachtenberg, along with his co-director Joshua Wassung, has delivered an animated film that showcases three warriors from three different periods in time facing off against unique Predators of their own, culminating in an explosive third act.
The entirety of the third act ofKiller of Killerstakes place on what seems to be the home planet of the Predators, known as Yautja. There, they assemble the three main characters, who were each frozen in cryo and abducted after defeating their respective Predators. What follows is an explosive battle and attempt to escape the planet, with only Kenji the samurai and John, the World War II pilot, escaping in one of the Predator’s ships.The ending to the film is open-ended, leaving the door open to a potential legacy sequel to an often-overlooked and underrated filmin the franchise: the 2010 filmPredators.
Predator: Killer of Killers
‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ Features a Very Familiar Premise in Its Third Act
Predatorswas directed by Nimród Antal and written by Alex Litvak and Michael Finch, focusing on a group of individuals with unique skill sets that make them deadly, and are abducted from Earth and placed on a game reserve planet used by two warring factions of Yautja. If that sounds familiar, that’s because the ending ofPredator: Killer of Killerssets up the same premise with its third act. The idea of assembling a team of humans who are skilled in combat in one way or another on a remote planet is one that was only used once in thePredatorfilm series. Moreover, it was also the onlyPredatorfilm (up until the two movies being released this year) that didn’t take place on Earth. Now,Trachtenberg has a chance to create another film in the same vein as Antal’s.
Alien vs. Predator: Which Monster Has the Better Sci-Fi Franchise?
With the ‘Alien’ and ‘Predator’ series having rebounded in recent years, which sci-fi horror series is the winner?
Seeing the characters Ursa, Kenji, and John all work together to escape the gladiatorial arena feels like only the beginning of their story, and could also serve as the connective tissue to create a legacy sequel toPredators. The 2010 film featured an impressive ensemble cast, including Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Laurence Fishburne, and Danny Trejo. AlthoughPredatorsdidn’t feature characters from varying time periods, it did keep things interesting by providing various cultural backgrounds and levels of moral ambiguity among the group in the film. From hardened soldiers, gangsters, criminals, and even serial killers,Predatorskeeps its audience in the dark about its human protagonists while still making some of them worth rooting for.
Predator: Killer of Killersmakes it clear how its motley crew of three different warriors ended up on the Predator planet, but therein lies the strength of the movie. Structured into three distinct sections (The Shield, The Sword, and The Bullet),Killer of Killersgoes into great detail about eachunique Predator encounter, exploring the characters' traumas, how the alien hunter disrupts their personal lives, while also allowing them to rise to the occasion and ultimately outsmart and vanquish it in unconventional ways.A follow-up installment could marry the best qualities ofPredatorsandKiller of Killersto make a legacy sequel that is unlike anything the franchise has done before.
A ‘Predators’ Legacy Sequel Could Connect the Entire Franchise in an Exciting Way
Dan Trachtenberg has already laid out clever Easter eggs in his twoPredatorfilms and will undoubtedly have plenty more in the upcomingPredator: Badlands. Now, the writer/director has seemingly found a way to connect the entire franchise without being too convoluted or having to take place in a specific time. Not only can Ursa, Kenji, and John all make a return in the next installment afterBadlands, but the characters who survived inPredatorscan as well. Adrien Brody’s character, Royce, is one of the few surviving characters of the 2010 film, with the movie ending in the same predicament that Kenji and John find themselves in: stuck on an alien planet trying to get home, with Predators on their tails.
Whether animated or live-action, a sequel toKiller of Killerswould serve as the perfect bridge betweenPredatorfilms old and new, and could be one of the most ambitious films to date. Trachtenberg has already demonstrated a knack for worldbuilding with subtle inclusions, such as Elle Fanning’s character inBadlandsbeing a Weyland-Yutani droid, implying that Xenomorphs and technology in the Alien franchise are canon toPredatorfilms.Predatorsis often the overlooked film in the original four-film series beforePrey’s release, with discourse online mostly surrounding the first two films, led by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover, respectively. The fourth film in the series, Shane Black’sThe Predator, is often criticized for all the wrong reasons, particularly for its unusual narrative choices surrounding the Predator’s motivation for targeting a young child.
Did That ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ Ending Just Retcon the Franchise’s Entire Mythology?
The ending of every ‘Predator’ film might have been retconned, as the creatures are recontextualized from noble warriors to vengeful game hunters.
Predator: Killer of Killersworks so well as a film, in large part, due to how it pays off the three separate setups, each of which feels like it could have been expanded into its own full-length feature film. Instead, these stories are shortened to deliver an explosive finale that hints at the potential for a sequel to tie everything together in a way that doesn’t feel contrived. Moreover,a futurePredatorinstallment would also have the opportunity to provide closure on a film released 15 years ago, expanding on the lore of the game reserve planet that Brody and co. found themselves stranded on, whether it be the same planet featured inKiller of Killersor not.
The ‘Predator’ Franchise, More Than Ever Before, Is Ripe With Potential
The Franchise Is on a Hot Streak
Overall, it’s incredible to see how much thePredatorfranchise has transformed in just a few years. What seemed like a sci-fi horror film series that was on its last legs has now turned into one that is ripe for potential. Surprisingly, it has taken 15 years (since the release ofPredatorsin 2010) to create another entry in the franchise that is set on an extraterrestrial planet, but now it feels like the galaxy is the limit forPredatorfilms. Whether it’s anotherattempt at anAlien vs Predatorfilmor a legacy sequel toPredators, the next feature-length project in the franchise has rich lore to pull from thanks toKiller of Killers’clever use of cryo-freezing.
In a way,Predator: Killer of Killersfeels a lot like a spiritual sequel toPredators. This means any future installment that picks up on the open-ended conclusion of the animated film should reference the 2010 film in one way or another. WithPredator: Badlandsset to be released in theaters in November, it will be interesting to see if any further connections are made to the stories seen inKiller of Killers, or even to older films in the series. Whatever ends up happening, it feels like the perfect time to be aPredatorfan.Predator: Killer of Killersis streaming onHulu.
