How One Image From Predator Inspired Dan Trachtenberg's Prey
It's one of the most feared alien creatures in film history, and yet somehow, "10 Cloverfield Lane" director Dan Trachtenberg has been brave enough to track it down and set it loose in a brand new hunting ground. "Prey" is the latest addition to the "Predator" franchise and details one of the extra-terrestrial trophy hunters' earliest trips to our unsuspecting planet in the timeline of terror. Its selected target on the venture is a Comanche warrior called Naru (Amber Midthunder), who dares to take on the beastie from beyond the stars to protect her tribe.
Met with a favorable reception by fans following the trailer's release, the fresh new idea on show in "Prey" is actually inspired by one old essential ingredient from the franchise. According to Trachtenberg, this idea of a Comanche warrior facing off against an intergalactic enemy spawned from our first close encounter with the race back in 1987. It didn't come from seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger covered in mud either, but was instead born from a lone warrior making his final stand against the Predator and not living to tell the tale about it.
Prey was inspired by tough-as-nails Billy from Predator
Speaking to Empire Magazine this month (via AVP Galaxy), Dan Trachtenberg revealed that his concept of another "Predator" story came from John McTiernan's original film and one of the film's expendable but equally immortalized soldiers — Sonny Landham's stone-faced tracker, Billy.
Casting his mind back to childhood, the director recalled how "in third grade, I was on the way to a karate tournament with these [older kids] who had seen [Predator], and over the entire trip they described the whole movie." Naturally, the kids may have embellished a little, still hopped up on the excitement of seeing the Austrian Oak stand-off against the specially equipped space invader, but one detail struck a chord for Trachtenberg regardless. "I vividly remember them saying there was this character, Billy, a Native American scout who fights the Predator on the bridge over a waterfall," he said.
Of course, die-hard fans of the franchise will remember that we never saw Billy's final fight, as he was killed off-screen. Nevertheless, it was enough for Trachtenberg to keep it in mind for the future and shine a spotlight on a character that, before now, may not have made it to the end credits alive. "In 'Predator,' Billy was just one of the men on the team," he continued. "In 'Prey,' we're watching someone lead this movie that has never led this type of movie before."
You can see how Naru handles herself when "Prey" arrives on Hulu on August 5, 2022.