'Prey': What We Know About The 'Predator' Prequel

So what’s the deal with Prey? Is it some kind of religious movie?

No it’s actually spelled P-R-E-Y, and it’s the fifth movie in the Predator series – or seventh if you count the Alien vs. Predator movies … eighth if you count this YouTube video of the Predator randomly visiting a Japanese news agency as a movie.

What happened in the last Predator movie again?

2018’s The Predator was a wildly schlocky sequel/reboot directed by Shane Black, who made Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys. It was mostly forgettable, apart from the fact that the filmmakers bafflingly cast a real life predator in a small role. Also it pretty much contradicted every other Predator movie in a pedantic effort to make sense out of the “Predator” label. 

So what’s Prey about? Is it a sequel to The Predator?

Oh my no. As you can see in the recently-released trailer, it’s actually a prequel set 300 years in the past. And instead of battling Arnold Schwarzenegger and a squad of sweaty musclemen, like in the 1987 original, this time the titular alien hunter is “in the world of the Comanche Nation” taking on a “skilled female warrior” played by Amber Midthunder, who co-starred in TV’s Legion.

Who made it?

It was directed by Dan Trachtenberg (the guy who did 10 Cloverfield Lane) written by Patrick Aison and produced by Jhane Myers.

Sounds like it could be pretty good. When does it hit theaters?

Umm … it doesn’t.

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Yeah, despite the fact that this is a promising thriller from a talented team, and part of a long-running franchise with an established fanbase that would presumably play well on the big screen, Prey is going straight to Hulu on August 5th.

Why??

Unless it rhymes with “Shlavatar” it seems as though most of the 20th Century Studios (formerly Fox) movies, which Disney now owns, are being released on streaming platforms rather than theatrically. 

At least the new Alien movie will be released in theaters, right?

Umm, don’t be so sure about that … 

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Top Image: 20th Century Studios