Fans of the Alien and Predator franchises are in for a thrilling 2025 with exciting new releases. From the creative mind behind Prey, Dan Trachtenberg, we'll see two Predator films: the live-action Predator: Badlands and the animated Hulu series Predator: Killer of Killers. Meanwhile, Noah Hawley, known for Fargo and Legion, is bringing us another major addition to the Alien universe with the FX show Alien: Earth. While these projects aren't officially linked, the long history of Alien and Predator sharing a universe, through films, comics, and video games, has fans buzzing about potential connections.
Delving into the promotional materials for Predator: Badlands and Alien: Earth suggests that Disney might be setting the stage for a new Alien vs. Predator crossover. Let's explore these developments and why a new AVP might hit the big screen sooner than expected.
Evil Easter Eggs ----------------The initial teaser trailer for Predator: Badlands sparked speculation among fans about a possible Alien vs. Predator revival. The trailer introduced Elle Fanning as a Weyland-Yutani synthetic connected to a new Predator named Dek, confirmed by Trachtenberg as the film's protagonist. While this doesn't necessarily signal a direct Alien crossover, the reveal gains significance with the new promotional videos for Alien: Earth.
In the Gestation Complete teaser, numerous Easter eggs tie into Alien lore. We see the black liquid mutagen from Prometheus, which the Engineers used to seed life on Earth, leading to an egg sac similar to one in Alien: Romulus. The creature emerging from it, while resembling a facehugger, appears to be a mutated variant. This specimen is aboard a ship reminiscent of the Nostromo from the original Alien film, though named the Maginot. The creature is labeled "Species 37" and marked with unknown DNA by the ship’s computer, MU-TH-UR. Set two years before the events of Alien, this indicates that Species 37 may have been the initial clue leading Weyland-Yutani to the Xenomorphs.
A related teaser, Crate, showcases specimen containers, with a narrator mentioning that the ship collected five unique life forms from the universe's darkest corners. Alongside a classic Xenomorph, the inclusion of five species hints at a broader expansion of alien creatures within this universe. Could one of these be linked to the Predators? This aligns with Predator: Badlands being set on an alien world where Dek hunts extraterrestrial monstrosities. Perhaps Elle Fanning's android was searching for these specimens, or one of these creatures could mutate into something we see in Badlands or Killer of Killers. While we'll have to wait for the premiere to confirm, the possibility of Predator DNA in Alien: Earth is intriguing.Alien and Predator’s Long, Intertwined History
Alien and Predator have shared a universe for decades. Their first official clash was in the 1989 Dark Horse comic series Aliens vs. Predator, followed by an iconic Easter egg in Predator 2 (1990) featuring a Xenomorph skull on the Predator's trophy wall. Numerous AVP comics and video games followed throughout the '90s, solidifying their shared universe long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe popularized the concept.
Despite early successes, the AVP films released in the 2000s—Paul W. S. Anderson's Alien vs. Predator (2004) and The Brothers Strause's Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)—failed to capture audiences' hearts due to mixed critical reception, despite their box office earnings. During the rise of serialized superhero and sci-fi blockbusters, AVP was treated as a B-tier property by 20th Century Fox, despite the iconic status of films like Ridley Scott's original Alien, James Cameron's Aliens, and John McTiernan's Predator.
The 2010s brought further challenges with Ridley Scott's Prometheus series faltering after Alien: Covenant's commercial disappointment and Shane Black's The Predator failing to revitalize the franchise. However, the success of Prey in 2022 and Alien: Romulus in 2024 has revitalized both franchises, making the prospect of a new AVP more enticing than ever.
AnswerSee ResultsConverging for Carnage ----------------------A sequel to Alien: Romulus is currently in development, with director Fede Álvarez not only returning but also expressing interest in directing an Alien vs. Predator film. Romulus was a critical and commercial success for Disney, reigniting the franchise while preserving elements from the Prometheus series. The sequel will likely follow Cailee Spaeny’s Rain Carradine and David Jonsson’s Andy as they continue their journey to Yvaga III. With Predator: Badlands also set in space, there could be potential cameos or Easter eggs hinting at a connection to Romulus.
Álvarez suggested that the best way to approach an Alien vs. Predator movie would be to surprise audiences:
“The best AVP will be the one that you don’t know is AVP until the other guy shows up,” Álvarez told Collider. “You think you’re watching a Predator movie, and then they land in some place and there are creatures, and fucking hell, it’s a Xenomorph. That would get me. … Or vice versa, you’re in an Alien movie, and then suddenly a mysterious creature is there, and you can hear that sound, and you see the cloak, and you go, ‘Is that a fucking Predator?’”
The Alien Movies' Long History of Recycling Rejected Ideas
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Álvarez's enthusiasm for an AVP project offers hope that a fresh take could surpass the previous attempts. The earlier films, set on contemporary Earth, had limited scope and struggled with one-dimensional characters, leading to fan rejection. A new AVP could disregard these films' continuity and start anew. With Predator: Badlands introducing a Predator as the lead, Dek could become the protagonist of a new AVP. Additionally, a new crossover could explore the Predalien concept introduced in earlier films, perhaps even incorporating Engineer mutagen to create a hybrid of Alien, Predator, and Engineer.
With both franchises in a stronger position now than in recent years, the idea of an Alien vs. Predator crossover seems increasingly plausible. Given the popularity of cinematic universes and cross-medium storytelling, a new AVP feels more like a matter of "when" rather than "if." With talented filmmakers like Álvarez and Trachtenberg involved, these iconic monsters might finally get the epic showdown they deserve on the big screen.
