The Predator Universe is Expanding Its Hunting Ground - And That's a Good Thing



In most Predator films and comics, the titular alien's conflicts have been primarily with humans. However, it is implied that the universe is like a game safari for them, and their attacks are not limited to just the species on Earth. But aside from some rare exceptions, we have not seen how they interact with other alien races. There are endless storyline possibilities that could be explored by examining how these deadly hunters quarrel with other intergalactic prey.

There is a hint of these tantalizing possibilities in the first issue of Predator #1 (by Ed Brisson, Kev Walker, Frank D'armata, and VC's Clayton Cowle), which takes place in the year 2056. Theta is a human hunter traveling through space looking for the Predator that killed her parents when she was young. With the help of advanced technology, she has slayed many Predators but none of them matched the description of the one who killed her family.


Theta traverses six planets searching for him and in the process encounters another alien race that a Predator had earlier attacked. Although they're friendly at first, their trauma is triggered by Theta, who is wearing a helmet she took from a dead Predator. They shoot their weapons at her and chase her back to her ship. Through this brief encounter, she observes the profound effect the Predators have had on all the species they have attacked.


It has been mentioned many times that the Predators use the galaxy as their personal hunting ground. Aside from having exotic skulls in their trophy rooms aboard their spacecraft, their history with other extraterrestrials has been mostly neglected until now. Filmmakers and comic writers prefer to focus on their Earthly presence and use that to explore how human ingenuity can overcome these advanced aliens. This makes sense because audiences can better relate to human protagonists, and it's interesting to see how the Predators interact with familiar settings, such as swampy jungles or decaying urban landscapes.


All that said, there is one other confirmed extraterrestrial race that the Predators have battled -- the Xenomorphs. They're a savage species made famous in the Alien films. Beginning in the 1990s, Dark Horse (who held the rights to Predator before Marvel) published the series Aliens vs Predator, and the two deadly species would eventually lock mandibles on the big screen in the 2004 Aliens vs Predator film and its 2007 follow-up, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. While critical reception of the comics has been fairly positive, the films have been lambasted as cynical cash cows that diminished both franchises.


Now, 15 years later, the Predator franchise may finally be redeemed. As the current Marvel series stars an adventurer who travels from planet to planet, there will hopefully be further opportunities for Theta to encounter other extraterrestrial races. Through her interactions with them, the reader can also observe what impact the Predators have had on them. This will "humanize" this universe and in turn, make it more relatable. At least more relatable than the films' silly concepts. The possibilities are endless. With several more issues left in the miniseries, there is no doubt that they’re still terrorizing the cosmos.

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Noah Hawley's 'Alien' Series Scripts Have Been Written



With this year's Television Critics Association summer press tour now underway, FX CEO John Landgraf has revealed that writer Noah Hawley has delivered his scripts for the upcoming untitled Alien series.

According to a tweet from Alex Zalben, Landgraf also revealed that production for the show will begin some time next year. While the announcement didn't offer any specific plot details for the series, it was previously reported that the untitled Alien show will take place on Earth and will be set in the not-too-distant future. With a new location set before the events of previous films, the series may bring new life to the franchise and offer plenty of scares along the way.

The untitled Alien series was initially announced at Disney's Investor Day presentation in 2020 with the show expected to debut on Hulu at a future date. Hawley previously wrote and directed several episodes for shows such as Fargo and Legion, both of which were widely praised by critics. Casting and filming dates remain unknown, but as production for the Alien series begins to gear up for next year, more announcements are likely to roll in.


The Alien franchise remains one of the most popular science fiction horror properties, with several films such as the original series with Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, which premiered in 1979 and starred Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley. The series would continue with the release of Aliens from James Cameron and David Fincher's Alien 3, before concluding with Alien: Resurrection, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

The franchise eventually crossed over with the Predator series with two Alien vs. Predator films before Scott returned to the series with two prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which received a divisive response from fans. However, the prequels now remain in a state of limbo as a sequel with Fede Álvarez attached to direct is currently in development with Scott producing. As fans of the franchise wait patiently for a new film, they can still get a taste of space terror as the television series debuts on Hulu some time in the near future.

Due to the show's early development status, no release date or cast for the untitled Alien series has been set yet.

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