A new Predator movie is in the works at 20th Century Studios and Disney, with 10 Cloverfield Lane's Dan Trachtenberg hired to direct Predator 5. Fox launched the Predator franchise in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers in the lead roles and John McTiernan directing. Three sequels/reboots/spinoffs have been made since, as well as two crossovers with Alien. The most recent attempt came in 2018 with Iron Man 3's Shane Black at the helm.
The Predator was not the hit Fox expected when it was released a few years ago. After extensive reshoots on the third act, The Predator received largely negative reviews and only earned $160 million worldwide. This disappointment stunted any developments of a direct sequel, even though the movie ended with clear teases of where the franchise would go next with the reveal of "the Predator Killer" armor. Information on where the Predator franchise was heading has been silent ever since the Disney acquisition of Fox's film studio, but that has now changed.
According to Deadline, 20th Century and Disney have hired Dan Trachtenberg to direct Predator 5. Trachtenberg is best known for his work on 10 Cloverfield Lane, with his most recent credit being the director of The Boys pilot episode for Amazon Prime Video. The new movie is based on a script by Patrick Aison (Jack Ryan). Predator 5 will reportedly take the franchise in a new direction and not build off the ending of The Predator.
Trachtenberg is no stranger to franchises thanks to 10 Cloverfield Lane, but he has also at one time or another been attached to several other major pieces of IP. He was hired in 2013 to direct a Y: The Last Man movie for New Line, but that project never got off the ground and is instead becoming a TV show. Trachtenberg also expressed interest in a 10 Cloverfield Lane sequel that never happened. More recently, Trachtenberg was one of many directors to temporarily become attached to the Uncharted movie. With him now joining Predator 5, hopefully it sticks.
Beyond Trachtenberg's hiring, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Disney is already rebooting Predator. Disney is well known for its interest in IP and the studio is finally starting to get around to utilizing some of the bigger franchises obtained in the Fox deal. The Predator franchise has an iconic creature at its core and none of the sequels have yet to bring back Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dutch, although he was offered a cameo in The Predator. But, Trachtenberg and Disney can help return the franchise to its roots and possibly connect Predator 5 to past entries.
Source: Deadline