00:09Even though Deck finally took down his dad and got that sweet cloaking device, his family
00:14drama is far from over. His mom literally shows up in the sky at the very end of Predator
00:19Badlands, so you know he's not getting a break anytime soon. It's kind of a bummer,
00:25right? He just went through this whole brutal adventure on that deadly planet Jenna, but
00:29barely survived, and now he has to deal with his mother flying in with what looks like
00:34some serious intent. But that's just how it goes for the runt of the Yautja clan, I guess.
00:39His dad, Njor, was always on his case, scrutinizing every move he made, and it almost cost him
00:45his life. His brother Quay had to step in and sacrifice himself just to give Deck a fighting
00:51chance, sending him off to that infamous death planet. So Deck has been through the ringer,
00:57and now, instead of a peaceful resolution, he's got another family member to contend
01:01with.
01:02Now, the director, Dan Trachtenberg, has been talking a bit about what's coming next, and
01:07he's got some interesting ideas for Deck's mom. He mentioned in an interview that they're
01:12still in the early stages, like they haven't even really gotten into the design process
01:17for her yet. They're more focused on figuring out who she is as a character first, which makes
01:22a lot of sense, because he can't just slap a cool design on someone without knowing their
01:26personality.
01:27But here's the thing that's really cool. He wants her introduction to be a little unexpected.
01:33He's trying to avoid all the typical tropes and cliches that you might expect from a movie
01:38like this. Instead of going with the obvious, he wants her appearance to be more intentional
01:43and really focused on showing off the cool aspects of Yautja culture. And he's even thinking
01:48about not pulling directly from how female Yautja have been portrayed in the comics, because
01:53they've been depicted there before, but he wants to do his own thing.
01:57So even though female Yautja have appeared in other media like comics and novels, and
02:02even in that game Predator Hunting Grounds, they've never actually been shown in a live
02:06action movie before. That's a pretty big deal, because it means Trachtenberg has a bunch
02:11of freedom to shape her however he wants.
02:13The lore around female Yautja is kind of all over the place anyway, so he's got a lot
02:19of leeway to create something fresh.
02:21But from the way the Badlands ending played out, it seems like she's not just showing
02:26up for a friendly chat. She grabbed Deck's sword and looked ready to throw down, so there's
02:31definitely some conflict brewing there. It's not going to be a happy family reunion, that's
02:36for sure.
02:37But, and this is a big but, it's still not entirely clear when or how this is all going
02:42to happen. Trachtenberg confirmed that he's working on the next Predator movie alongside
02:47some other projects under his deal with Paramount, but he's still just in the brainstorming phase.
02:53He's throwing around a bunch of ideas, like the long-awaited Prey 2, a follow-up to Badlands,
02:59or even picking up from the cliffhanger ending of Killer of Killers. So he's got a lot on
03:04his plate, and he's trying to figure out which direction to go first. It's kinda like he's
03:09juggling a bunch of different stories, and he needs to decide which one to focus on.
03:13Now, given how well Badlands did, it's actually the highest grossing movie in the entire franchise,
03:19it would make a lot of sense for 20th century studios to want to capitalize on that success.
03:25They'd be crazy not to, right? So it seems pretty likely that we'll see more Deck-focused
03:30stories in the future, which would naturally pave the way for his mom to make a full appearance.
03:35And there's the whole subplot, with Amber Mid-Thunder's character,
03:40Nauru from Prey, who is apparently being kept prisoner on Yautja Prime. So they could easily
03:45bring her into the mix too. Just imagine Deck teaming up with Nauru, and maybe some other
03:50characters to take on his mom and try to create a new future for their species. That would be pretty
03:56epic. The ending of Badlands really set up a great sequel, and if it happens, it would actually break a
04:02pretty notable trend in the franchise. Despite there being seven live-action Predator movies,
04:07not counting the Alien crossover films, no main protagonist has ever come back for a follow-up.
04:13Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch didn't return for Predator 2, and that movie introduced Danny Glover's
04:19Mike Harrigan as the new lead. Then they switched it up again with a whole new group of characters in
04:25Predators, and another crew in The Predator. Even Prey featured a brand new hero, Nauru,
04:32fighting a Predator in the 1700s, and Killer of Killers told the stories of three different
04:37protagonists. So if Deck gets to return in a sequel, he'd be the very first live-action
04:42protagonist to do that. That's a pretty cool milestone. But here's the thing. Even though Deck
04:48might be the first to return in live-action, other characters could potentially come back in a
04:53different format. The ending of Killer of Killers had this huge reveal where we see a bunch of
04:58containers with familiar characters inside, including Nauru, Dutch, and Mike Harrigan.
05:04That suggests they could bring these characters back, but maybe not in live-action. They could
05:10continue their stories in animation, which would be a lot easier, especially since actors like
05:15Schwarzenegger and Glover are in their late 70s. It's way simpler for them to just lend their voices
05:20rather than go through the physical demands of a live-action shoot. And it would be so exciting
05:26to see all these characters from different time periods and backgrounds unite. They all have
05:31such unique expertise in fighting the Yautja, so bringing them together would make for an incredible
05:36story. The Predator franchise has really had a resurgence lately. Prey was a fresh take with its
05:43historical setting and intense action, and Killer of Killers delivered a thrilling animated experience.
05:48Both were directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who also returned for Badlands, and he's clearly got a
05:55vision for where he wants to take the series. Badlands was another hit, performing well with
06:00critics and audiences, scoring an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing over $184.5 million worldwide.
06:09So the series is in a good place right now, and there are a bunch of intriguing directions it could
06:14go.
06:14Whether it's a sequel to Badlands, a follow-up to Prey, or continuing the story from Killer of Killers,
06:21there's a lot of potential. And with Deck's mom on the horizon, there's even more to look forward to.
06:28Trachtenberg wants her introduction to be unexpected and avoid the usual tropes,
06:32which is great because it means we're probably going to get something fresh and exciting. He's really
06:38focused on making her appearance meaningful and tied to the deeper aspects of Yautja culture,
06:44rather than just throwing in a female Predator for the sake of it. So, even though it's still early
06:50days and nothing is officially confirmed, it's clear that there are big plans for the franchise.
06:55And honestly, I'm all for it. The Predator universe has so much potential, and it's awesome to see it
07:01being explored in such creative ways. I just hope we don't have to wait too long to see what happens
07:06next with Deck and his mom. So, beyond just Deck's mom and all that family drama, the next movie could
07:13seriously blow our minds by introducing way more than just another Yautja. Because the Predator universe
07:19is huge, right? The films have only scratched the surface of what's out there. A sequel could show
07:25us entirely new alien species that exist in this galaxy, maybe even creatures that the Yautja themselves
07:31hunt or are scared of, which would flip the whole power dynamic. So, instead of just focusing on humans
07:38running from predators, we could see a broader cosmic ecosystem with different factions, rivalries,
07:46and alliances, revealing a much bigger and weirder universe than we ever imagined.
07:53And that's that for today's video, folks. Thank you so much for watching,
07:58and we will see you in the next one. And don't forget to like this video, share,
08:04and subscribe to the channel to stay in the loop. And if you want,
08:08you can share your thoughts about this video in the comments.
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