‘The Predator’ Director Thanks ‘Prey’ and ‘Badlands’ Director for Saving the Franchise

Shane Black has brought a lot of entertainment to Hollywood over the years, sometimes as an actor (he played Hawkins in 1987’s Predator), but mostly as a filmmaker. He created the Lethal Weapon series, wrote The Monster Squad and The Long Kiss Good-Night, co-wrote and directed Iron Man 3, and more.

But 2018’s The Predator, which he co-wrote and directed, misfired both in front of and behind the camera. It was especially disappointing for fans given his long history with the franchise.

Black aims to bounce back from The Predator with his current release, a thriller called Play Dirty. But he acknowledges that Dan Trachtenberg, the director who took up Predator after The Predator—and is now steering the entire franchise, with animated film Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands releasing this year—deserves a lot of credit.

“Dan Trachtenberg saved that franchise,” Black told the Hollywood Reporter. “His work is impeccable. I saw Prey, and all I could do was say, ‘Sir, my hat’s off.’ That was a really great mythic take. I feel like an audience member now, and I’m just happy to see whatever he does. So, yeah, I’m happy that the franchise is still humming, as you say, and he’s the right shepherd for it, at least for now.”

Predator: Badlands arrives November 7.

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