The Predator: Badlands Trailer May Have Just Teased An Alien Crossover

It was already confirmed that "Predator: Badlands" was set to take the franchise in a wild step we hadn't seen before by putting the audience on the Predator's side for once. Well, now, after close inspection of the all-new kaiju-crammed trailer that's arrived online, there's something else that's caught our eye, and it might spark the interest of fans of another iconic, famously fanged space creature that the Predators have battled with in the past.

In between shots of the young Yautja on the run, we hear a voice-over from Elle Fanning's character, hinting at what the Predator is up against, before seeing a brief shot of her entangled in what looks to be some kind of wooden structure. Before she disappears, though, we see her eyes roll all the way back, turning fully white to reveal none other than the company logo for Weyland Yutani, the creators of androids from the "Alien" franchise. It's an interesting detail that we only saw last year, courtesy of David Jonsson's android, Andy from "Alien: Romulus," when he's reset during the facehugger attack. With this subtle wink (or lack thereof) to this other franchise from across the stars, might we finally be on the road to getting a rematch between the Alien and the Predator? Well, given how things have gone for both creatures just lately, it wouldn't be that wild of an idea.

It's easy to assume that following the massive success of "Prey," director Dan Trachtenberg has been given free rein for whatever his next hunt with the new dreadlocked race of death-dealers entails, and that includes crossing flight paths with the "Alien" universe as well. He isn't the first to do it, of course. Ever since the 1990 film "Predator 2" introduced the Xenomorph skull (which the trailer feels like its giving a nod to as well), the two species have been at odds with each other across comics, video games, and some of the franchise's most critically panned movies, which still rank among the lowest-rated. However, with the reveal of Fanning's character being an artificial human from Weyland Yutani, Trachtenberg might actually be rebuilding broken bridges and teeing up a third theatrical round for the two monsters – and he wouldn't be the only director against the idea.

Following the massive success of "Alien: Romulus," director Fede Álvarez revealed that he actually had an idea for another "Alien vs. Predator" that he'd get on board with, but only under one condition. "Maybe it's something I have to co-direct with my buddy Dan," he told Deadline. "Maybe we should do like Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez did with 'Dusk Till Dawn.' I'll direct a half, and he'll direct another half." With this and "Alien: Earth" also on the way, what might've been said in jest could sincerely be happening further down the line.

 We'll just have to see how the hunt ends when "Predator: Badlands" arrives in theaters on November 7, 2025.