Predator: Badlands 2 Has to Happen After That Ending

Predator: Badlands is out in theaters now, and fans are quickly clamoring for more. With the way Dan Trachtenberg’s latest film ends, fans are saying that a sequel to the film almost has to happen.

Why does Predator: Badlands 2 have to happen?

The latest entry in the Predator franchise takes a fairly big departure from how previous Predator movies have operated. Instead of the movie painting the Yautja (the race of the titular Predators) as terrifying hunters tracking down humans, Badlands instead shifts the focus onto the Yautja themselves.

The movie follows the story of Dek, a runt Predator that travels to a planet known as Genna to hunt down an unkillable predator known as the Kalisk to prove his worth to his clan after his father, Njohrr, ordered his brother Kwei to kill him, but Kwei refused, resulting in Njohrr killing Kwei. Upon landing in Genna, Dek meets Thia (played by Elle Fanning), a Weyland-Yutani synthetic that becomes his tool as he moves to find the Kalisk and prove his worth as a Predator.

At the end of the movie, Dek, Thia, and a child Kalisk that is affectionately nicknamed ‘Bud’ help free the Kalisk from Tessa, another Weyland-Yutani synthetic (also played by Fanning) who is hellbent on completing the company’s objectives on the planet, including capturing a Kalisk and Dek. The trio aid the Kalisk in killing Tessa, but the Kalisk is also killed in the battle.

Sometime later, Dek returns to Yautja Prime and demands the invisibility cloak that is a signifier of his worth from his father. His father denies it, and the two fight, with Dek eventually killing his father with the aid of Bud. As Dek, Thia, and Bud all reflect on the battle, the movie seems to end with a black screen. However, the scene comes back in, and a large Yautja ship begins descending.

Thia asks if they’re other members of Dek’s clan, but he says that it’s his mother and draws his sword to seemingly prepare for battle. The shocking ending not only leaves the film on a high note, but also sets up perfectly for what the next movie could be about. With Dek now essentially clanless and having found his own family with Thia and Bud, the trio will still have to find their way off Yautja Prime, a planet known primarily for its strict code of honor amongst its warrior population.

While Trachtenberg hasn’t spoken about a second film, he has said that he originally had three Predator films he wanted to make. One of those films was a third entry that he hoped to make if Badlands was a success, although it’s unclear if the film is a sequel. Given how successful and acclaimed Badlands has been, though, it wouldn’t be shocking to see 20th Century Studios follow the story of Dek, and fans will be more than happy for that.

Source: Comingsoon.net