Elle Fanning in talks to star in new standalone Predator film Badlands

After announcing that the studio would be expanding on its Predator universe earlier this year, 20th Century and Dan Trachtenberg’s next standalone film Badlands is close to adding Elle Fanning to its cast.

As per Variety, Trachtenberg has come on board to helm the movie for 20th Century Studios from a script he co-wrote with Patrick Aison.

Badlands comes following the success of Trachtenberg’s Prey -- the Predator prequel which was a critical hit and broke records with its release on Hulu. The 2022 film was nominated for five Primetime Emmys, winning one for sound editing; Prey 2 is in early development, with its star Amber Midthunder potentially returning.

While it was announced in February, the plot of Badlands as well as the release date have not been revealed yet.

Predator originated with the 1987 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was followed by the Danny Glover starrer Predator 2, the 2010 ensemble The Predator and 2018’s Predators. There have also been multiple crossover movies pitting the Predator against the antagonists of the Alien franchise.

Fanning is best known for her work in The Great which ran for three seasons. She earned an Emmy nomination and three Golden Globe nominations. She is known for starring in a pair of Maleficent features for Disney, as well as J.J. Abrams 2011 movie Super 8. Next up she can be seen in the Bob Dylan pic A Complete Unknown, where she will play Sylvie Russo opposite Timothee Chalamet who play Dylan.