Prey director Dan Trachtenberg is sharing some insight for how the Predator prequel movie is setting itself apart from the past. Trachtenberg, best known for helming 10 Cloverfield Lane, has been developing the new installment in the sci-fi action franchise for just over five years now, having approached producer John Davis with a writer about their concept. The film was developed and shot in secret under the codename Skulls before it was eventually confirmed to be a Predator prequel with the new title Prey.
Led by Legion star Amber Midthunder, Prey is set 300 years in the past in the Comanche Nation as highly skilled warrior Naru tries to break the gender norms of her tribe by becoming one of their best hunters. When her and her people come under attack from the technologically advanced Predator, Naru must rise up and put all of her skills to work to track down the dangerous extraterrestrial and put a stop to its hunt. Prey is gearing up to hit Hulu in August and those behind the film are offering insight on a key element of the film.
With a month remaining until the film's release, Dan Trachtenberg caught up with Time Out to discuss Prey. When asked about the difference in the Predator's design, the director explained he wanted to make the iconic alien "scarier than we've seen before" and how he made it look different. See what Trachtenberg explained below:
"I wanted it to be scarier than we've seen it before. It's intelligent and it has advanced technology, and that makes it even more difficult to take on. But because the movie is set 300 years in the past, those things need to feel a little bit older than we've seen before, but also still far more advanced than what we think our earthlings would be able to handle. I wanted to make sure the head was more proportional to the body. This predator is much slimmer and less armored than it's ever been. It’s more 'creature'. It's still hulking and ferocious."
With the Prey trailer and images, some audiences have taken notice of the difference in the Predator's design for the prequel movie. Though some took issue with the subtle change to the alien's look, many welcomed it as a return to the more menacing and practical appearance seen in the original Predator movies in comparison to the CGI-heavy aliens seen in Shane Black's the Predator, namely the larger variant hunting down the one that traveled to Earth to deliver the Predator Killer armor. Trachtenberg's explanation of wanting to return to the horror roots of the original Predator is sure to be welcome news for fans of the franchise who have been eager to see the series get back to what made the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led film work.
Trachtenberg has previously discussed changes made to the Predator's design for Prey, having revealed in June that its iconic plasma caster weapon wouldn't be used for the film as he felt it to be an "instant win button" and wanted to ensure the battle between it and Naru proved thrilling for audiences. The first trailer for the Predator prequel movie left many audiences excited about Trachtenberg's more grounded approach to the franchise formula, leaving many hopeful it can match or even surpass the original film. Only time will tell how audiences respond to the film when Prey hits Hulu on August 5.
Source: Time Out