The two “Alien vs. Predator” movies were widely panned — but it looks like Disney could be setting up a rematch between the iconic monsters.
The studio, which has owned both the “Alien” and “Predator” franchises since it bought 20th Century Studios in 2019, hasn’t announced a new crossover but has seemingly set the stage for the Xenomorphs and the Yautja to battle once again.
Audiences still have plenty of love for both characters: 2024’s “Alien: Romulus” earned $350 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, and the “Predator: Badlands” trailer was watched 15 million times on YouTube in the three days following its release on July 22.
Here are three clues that fans think suggest Disney is planning a new cosmic beatdown.
One of the main characters in ‘Predator: Badlands’ is a Weyland-Yutani android
The biggest clue comes from the trailer of the upcoming “Predator: Badlands” movie, which shows that an android called Thia (Elle Fanning) has the logo of Weyland-Yutani, the nefarious corporation in the “Alien” franchise, printed on the back of her eyes.
The film is set in the future on a distant planet, where a young Yautja hunter named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), an outcast from his clan, has to kill something bigger than himself to reclaim his honor.
Weyland-Yutani will be a key player in the “Alien: Earth” TV series, which will stream weekly on Hulu and Disney+ from August 12.
20th Century Studios is contemplating what a new ‘Alien vs. Predator’ could look like
Obviously, it’s one thing to include a fun Easter egg to the wider universe, but it’s another to explore those connections in a crossover movie. (Representatives from 20th Century Studios did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.)
However, in October 2024, the 20th Century Studios executive Steve Asbell revealed that the company has discussed an “Alien vs. Predator” project.
“It wouldn’t be in the way you think. That’s the thing. Not in the way that it will just be called ‘Alien vs. Predator’ or anything like the original movies,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
“If we do this, they’ll be organically created out of these two franchises that we’ve continued with characters that we fall in love with, and those characters will combine…perhaps. But we haven’t gotten to that point. And we’re not just going to bang it out.”
The ‘Alien: Romulus’ director Fede Alvarez has a unique idea for a new ‘Alien vs. Predator’ movie
The plot of a potential crossover is unknown, but the “Alien: Romulus” director Fede Alvarez explained how he would approach such a film when speaking to Deadline.
“Maybe it’s something I have to co-direct with my buddy Dan,” he said in August 2024, referring to the “Predator: Badlands” director. “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.”
The concept of having two directors helm each half of a film sounds like a recipe for disaster. But considering both Alvarez and Trachtenberg appear too have a good handle on depicting their respective monsters, it could make for an interesting experiment.
For now, fans will have to wait and see whether there are any more crossovers between the two when “Alien: Earth” starts streaming on August 12 and “Predator: Badlands” releases on November 7.
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