Prey director Dan Trachtenberg has revealed how the original Predator film inspired the upcoming prequel in an unexpected way.
Like the Alien franchise, the Predator series hasn’t had the best time over in the 21st century. Despite riding high in the 80s with the first installment, followups have consistently paled in comparison to the original 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since the second film was released, Fox has made three separate attempts to reboot the franchise depending on how you count. The latest installment, Prey, is now doing something entirely different and taking the action to a completely different time period.
The Director Reveals The Inspiration
Directed by 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg, Prey appears to be taking the franchise back to its horror roots. However, according to the director, the inspiration for the entire film came from a scene that wasn’t even in the movie. While speaking to Empire via AvP Galaxy, Trachtenberg revealed that it came from older kids who had seen the film describing a Native American character fighting the Predator on bridge one on one:
“I was dying to see it, but I was not allowed. 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. I vividly remember them saying there was this character, Billy [Sonny Landham], a Native American scout who fights the Predator on the bridge over a waterfall.”
The scene in question featured the character Billy, played by Sonny Landham. The team’s attempts to kill the Predator have all failed with some of the members forced to flee while other members break off to try and fight it. Eventually, after hearing the death cries of Carl Weather’s Dillon, Billy opts to stay behind and hold the monster off on a fallen tree that bridges a ravine. Unfortunately we never actually see the fight and only hear Billy cry out in agony from a distance. The last we see of the character, the antagonist is ripping out his spine and skull to prepare them for his trophy collection.
Here is the synopsis for Prey:
Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, “Prey” is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg from a script written by Patrick Aison, Prey stars Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush, and Julian Black Antelope.
Prey will stream exclusively on Hulu on August 5, 2022. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the upcoming film and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: Empire via AVP Galaxy
