“Prey” is the newest film in the “Predator” franchise and a prequel to the 1987 original film. It is currently available at Hulu.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the new film.
- Prey is a 2022 American science fiction horror action film
- It is based on the Predator franchise
- It is the fifth installment in the franchise
- Prey is a prequel to the first four films
- It is being set in the Northern Great Plains in North America in 1719
- The film is directed by Dan Trachtenberg
- It is written by Patrick Aison
- It stars Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, Bennett Taylor, and Dane DiLiegro
- The story revolves around Naru, a skilled Comanche warrior, protecting her tribe from a humanoid alien that hunts humans for sport, fighting against the wilderness and fur traders to keep her people safe
- Development of the film began during the production of The Predator (2018)
- Then producer John Davis was approached by Trachtenberg and Aison, with a concept that they had been developing since 2016
- In late-2020, the film’s title was revealed to be the codename for the fifth installment in the franchise
- Filming took place around Calgary during summer 2021
- With the entire film shot in English and some sequences show in Comanche as well
- The remaining sequences were dubbed into Comanche by the cast, reprising their roles
- Prey premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 21, 2022
- It was released by 20th Century Studios as a Hulu original film in the United States and on Disney+ Star internationally on August 5
- The film received positive reviews from critics
- With praise for the action sequences, Midthunder’s performance, Trachtenberg’s direction, and the indigenous casting
- Many critics calling it the best Predator installment since the first film
- Former 20th Century Studios Production president Emma Watts fast-tracked the development of the film prior to her resignation in January 2020
- It was conceived as an R-rated film
- In December 2019, the film was initially under wraps, going by the name of Skulls
- The film reportedly was to “follow a Comanche woman who goes against gender norms and traditions to become a warrior”
- It was to be directed by Trachtenberg and written by Aison
- In November 2020, Skulls was revealed to be a codename for a fifth installment in the Predator franchise, with the same creative team working on the film
- It was not expected to correlate to the events of the prior installment
- Upon the announcement, Trachtenberg indicated that the original intention was to market the film with no reference to the Predators
- Something no longer possible with the confirmation of the film’s place in the franchise
- In May 2021, Amber Midthunder was announced to star
- On November 12, 2021, Disney+ Day, the film was given the title Prey, and announced for a mid-2022 release on Hulu and Disney+ internationally
- Trachtenberg explained his goal for the film was to get back to the roots of the franchise
- Bennett Taylor was also cast as Raphael Adolini
- Adolini is a translator and former pirate introduced in the 1996 Predator 2 prequel comic book Predator: 1718
- Cinematographer Jeff Cutter shot the film. Filming occurred in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in 2021
- Jhane Myers, a member of both the Comanche Nation and the Blackfeet Nation, served as a producer on the film
- The pipe ceremony was conducted outside Calgary by local Indigenous leaders and attended by Midthunder and her co-stars Beavers and Kipp, as well as Myers and Trachtenberg, among others
- In July 2021, Davis revealed that the film was officially three quarters of the way finished
- In September, filming wrapped and the castings of Dakota Beavers and Dane DiLiegro were confirmed
- Sarii, Naru’s dog companion, was played by a Carolina dog named Coco that was adopted and trained specifically for the film
- The idea of giving Naru a dog companion was inspired by Mad Max 2
- Initially, Coco was to be in fewer scenes but they found with her training and energy, they were able to include the dog in several more scenes including some of the action sequences
- Trachtenberg said they discussed whether they should start the film with characters speaking the Comanche language before switching to English for the benefit of the audience, similar to the Russian language in The Hunt for Red October (1990)
- They considered doing something similar at first but ultimately felt it did not work
- The film was shot in English and later dubbed in Comanche, with the entire cast performing an alternate all-Comanche dub of the film
- Both language versions are available on Hulu and Disney+
- Sarah Schachner composed the musical score
- The soundtrack album was released by Hollywood Records on August 5, 2022
- During the film’s production, Myers provided binders of reference materials to the production team
- Myers advised the production on creating a period-accurate toothbrush, which Midthunder can be seen using in the film
- An early draft of the script did not include mention of horses
- Myers insisted that horses be added
- Brad Curran of Screen Rant described the Comanche characters’ clothing, village setting, and hunting lifestyle depicted in the film as historically accurate
- Along with the depiction of the French settlers as hostile towards the Comanche
- Curran added that the film makes traditional Comanche gender roles “central to its story”, writing that, in Comanche culture, men took on more physical roles as hunters and warriors
- While women served as caregivers who oversaw homes and children
- According to 20th Century Studios, Prey was the most-watched premiere across all films and television series on Hulu in the United States
- As well as the most-watched film premiere on Star in international markets, and on Star+ in Latin America
- On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 92% rating
- Based on 218 critics’ reviews
- With an average rating of 7.6/10
- The website’s consensus reads, “The rare action thriller that spikes adrenaline without skimping on character development, Prey is a Predator sequel done right”
- Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 71 out of 100
- Based on 42 critics
- Indicating “generally favorable reviews”
- It is the highest-rated Predator film on both websites
- Prior to the film’s release, Trachtenberg stated in June that there are discussions for additional installments to be developed after the release of Prey
- Saying their intent was to “do things that have not been done before” in the franchise
- In August, Bennett Taylor expressed interest in reprising his role as Raphael Adolini
- Thus, serving as a loose adaptation of the 1996 comic book Predator: 1718 in which Adolini was introduced
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