'Predator: Badlands' reveals major link to Alien franchise ahead of November release

'Predator: Badlands' is confirmed to share a significant connection with the Alien universe, director reveals

A new connection between the Predator and Alien franchises has been confirmed in Predator: Badlands, with the film prominently featuring the Weyland-Yutani corporation, a central element of the Alien universe.

Since the 1989 Alien vs Predator comic series, the two sci-fi properties have shared occasional crossovers, but Badlands may establish the most substantial link yet.

The film’s trailers and stills show the Weyland-Yutani name and logo on spacecraft, uniforms, and computer systems, suggesting the corporation plays a major role in the story.

Writer-director Dan Trachtenberg explained the connection in a featurette titled “Weyland-Yutani Returns.” “Following Prey, I wanted to make, truly, an adventure movie about a monster and a robot,” he said. “Then it was like ‘oh, I know some people that make robots’ – the Weyland-Yutani corporation, from the Alien franchise.”

Robots, or “synthetics,” are a familiar presence in Alien films, and Predator: Badlands expands on that idea. Elle Fanning’s character, Thia, is revealed to be a Weyland-Yutani synth who provides key knowledge of the planet Genna. “Thia is a Weyland-Yutani synth,” Fanning said. “Her model knows Genna very, very well.”

Trachtenberg noted that the film introduces “different kinds of synthetic units,” including a battalion of drone hunters designed for combat. Another Easter egg is the use of “MU/TH/UR,” the artificial intelligence system from Alien, appearing on ship displays in Badlands.

Predator: Badlands releases in cinemas on November 7 2025, and further Alien connections are expected to be revealed once the film premieres.