Given my profession as an entertainment journalist/film critic, I don’t often get the luxury of going into any movie totally blind. Be it via CinemaBlend’s coverage, social media, trailers or word of mouth, I tend to keep abreast of new releases, and I thusly have a good idea of what I’m in for whenever the lights go down in a theater or I press play on a streaming service. Recently checking out director Patrick Hughes’ War Machine was a super rare exception, however, (all I knew going in was that it had a cast including Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, and Esai Morales) and I’m super happy about it, as the genre switch that’s executed in the second half of the action film delivered the experience I feel I was always robbed of while watching the original Predator.

Structurally, the two movies are very similar. Both open as relatively familiar military dramas – the 2026 film following its protagonist through Army Ranger School and the 1987 sci-fi classic tracking a paramilitary rescue team trying to save a stranded politician in a Central American jungle – but things take a sharp left turn when the soldiers find themselves in a fight with an extraterrestrial armed with advanced technology and a murder-centric determination.

In the latter, though, I never got to be surprised by the presence of the alien, and not just because the film opens with a spacecraft falling to Earth; it features one of the most iconic big screen monsters of all time, and I didn’t see Predator until long after it had already cemented itself in pop culture history.

War Machine, on the other hand, totally took me by surprise – and I was tricked in large part because of the predictability of the opening sequence. As soon as I saw Alan Ritchson’s beard in his first scene, I knew that there was surely a time jump on the way that would see him clean shaven; and purely because I had no idea Jai Courtney was part of the cast, I had an inkling that his character wouldn’t stick around for very long. Sure enough, a few minutes later, Courtney was a corpse and the story jumped two years forward.

I felt as though I totally had the movie’s number from that point: Ritchson’s protagonist, only identified as 81, was meant to be recognized as the titular “war machine” because of his stoicism and extreme dedication to honoring his brother by completing his Ranger training, and the story would see him process his trauma and learn how live with his grief by becoming a leader again. In my defense, War Machine ultimately does do all of that… but I’m also willing to admit that I wholly ignored all of the flags hinting sci-fi action was on the way (including the news broadcast about the “asteroid” passing by Earth, which I just excused as a minimal effort at character building). When the alien twist finally arrived, it successfully blew my mind, and sent my enjoyment of everything to a much higher level.

Come December 2026 and the opportunity to reflect on all of my cinematic experiences from the previous 12 months, I can say with absolute surety that War Machine is not going to be a title that finds its way on to my annual Top 15 ranking. At the same time, I doubt that I forget the wonderful surprise it delivers to unsuspecting viewers and the great value in blindly buying a ticket and taking the ride.

War Machine is now available to stream with a Netflix subscription.

Without a third season of Netflix’s FUBAR on the way, the biggest upcoming project on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plate seems to be the upcoming 2026 release The Man with the Bag opposite fellow action star Alan Ritchson. Which means he’s definitely got time to bleed for a return to the Predator franchise, right? (I know that was Jesse Ventura’s line, but work with me here.) The former Cali governor has offered up an extremely positive update about Dutch’s return, as well as unexpected news about two other long-desired sequels.

It wasn’t Christmas weekend that provided these gifts, but rather the annual Arnold Sports Festival held in Columbus, Ohio, where thousands of attendees and vendors highlight the cutting edge in sports equipment, apparel and nutrition alongside a variety of competitions and exhibitions. Thanks to TheArnoldFans, we now know that Schwarzenegger has confirmed a shared desire to return for a live-action Predator movie with director Dan Trachtenberg, after his likeness was used in the animated film Predator: Killer of Killers. In his words:

The actor shared that 20th Century Fox has also reached out to him regarding a new Predator project, saying they’re interested in his involvement. It makes complete sense across the board, of course. Trachtenberg has pulled off the incredibly rare feat of injecting new life into a struggling sci-fi property, with a trio of projects that have won over critics and audiences alike, while also being measurable successes across streaming and box office. Predator: Badlands didn’t even have humans and still captivated fans.

That might count as a spot of evidence speaking against Schwarzenegger’s return as Dutch, but I don’t think that Badlands’ success means there’s zero room for organic humanoids in this universe. It just has to be handled intelligently enough, which thankfully seems to be Dan Trachtenberg’s only mode of operation.

That's definitely not the only long-hoped-for return that Arnold Schwarzenegger could be making in the near future, however....

Commando 2 Is Apparently Back On

One of the most action-movie movies to ever action-movie, Mark L. Lester's Commando is an absolute classic that helped cement Arnold as an action star outside of the sci-fi and fantasy genres that first made him a household name. After its initial success in 1985, a sequel was written with the hopes of getting the lead actor back as John Matrix, but he'd declined the offer, presumably due to a zillion other offers also piling up.

Decades later, in 2010 or so, Suicide Squad director David Ayer was attached to helm a reboot that never surfaced, and only a few years ago, it was briefly reported that Schwarzenegger was attached to a sequel allegedly titled Commando: Retribution, but without any additional updates.

Now, John Matrix's return doesn't sound that hyperbolic, as the actor also shared this during the Arnold Sports Festival:

No word on who might have written that script, or whether or not it would officially go with the "2" in the title rather than some kind of vaguely worded subtitle. Or anything else, really. But it turns out we don't actually need any further information to be extremely jazzed by this update. If it came from anywhere else but the horse's mouth, I'd be more inclined to be wary, but if Schwarzenegger is talking about it, it vastly increases all chances of existing.

AND Another Conan The Barbarian Movie?

Another surprise reveal ties into the legendary character of Conan the Barbarian, with Arnold Schwarzenegger sharing that he could be making his long-awaited return to that universe as well. He was initially supposed to have starred as Conan for a third movie after Conan the Destroyer's release, per contractual obligations, but plans fell through. He was later courted to reprise the role following Jason Momoa's meh 2011 approach, for a project dubbed The Legend of Conan, but after years of stalled development, the project was dropped.

Schwarzenegger claims a huge Hollywood creative force was given the reins to create King Conan, presumably based in part on Robert E. Howard's short story collection centering on an older Conan. Here's what he had to say:

Though one might assume that Arnold's return for King Conan would be relegated only to wraparound flashback scenes focusing on his younger days, but it sounds like the actor still plans on taking part in the action in one way or another. I'm kind of in awe.

This combination of updates is almost too good to be true, so here's hoping he wasn't speaking out of school, and that all of his comments are 100% accurate.

After only appearing in 2025’s Running Man reboot via visual easter egg, Arnold Schwarzenegger is seemingly confirmed to NOT appear in the next Terminator movie being cooked up by James Cameron, so that’s one to put aside for now. I guess we’ll have to wait to hear if a Last-For-Real Action Hero is in the planning stages.

It's a great time to be a horror fan like me. The genre has been thriving for years, with recent titles like Sinners and Weapons even getting Oscar nominations. Some of the best horror movies have been releasing new sequels, including Predator. While I've never been a huge fan of that particular horror franchise, the release of both Prey and Badlands has totally changed my mind.

Prey and Predator: Badlands (which are streaming with a Hulu subscription) were both directed by Dan Trachtenberg and written by Patrick Aison. They're clearly a dynamic duo because, despite being vastly different movies, I've legit loved them both. Those filmmakers might have even made a Predator fan out of me. Let me explain why.

Daniel Trachtenberg's Predator Movies Are So Different But Very Good

When Prey was released on Hulu, it was immediately loved by fans and critics alike. Rather than having a contemporary or future setting, the franchise was turned on its head by telling a story set in 1719 and focusing on a young indigenous woman. The idea of her battling a high tech Predator was fascinating, and the way the story played out was both moving and thrilling. Fans have been waiting for a Prey sequel, but first Trachtenberg returned to the franchise with Predator: Badlands.

Instead of following up on Amber Midthunder's Naru, Badlands took us to Yautja Prime, the home of the titular killing machines. Through the movie we learned about how Predator tribes work, and even had a connection to the Alien franchise. Through it all, though, was a surprisingly human story about acceptance and the power of chosen family.

Predator: Badlands explicitly sets up a sequel, with Dek's mother arriving to presumably fight her son. As previously mentioned, moviegoers are eager for a follow-up to Prey, especially thanks to Amber Midthunder's acclaimed performance. I never expected to be so emotionally invested in not one but two Predator movies, so I've got to give credit to Trachtenberg and Aison for their work in these very different projects. I guess you can say I've been converted.

So ,what's next for the franchise? During a conversation with ScreenRant, Dan Trachtenberg teased more Predator projects, offering:

While he didn't give any concrete details about sequels to Badlands and Prey, it sounds like he's already cooking up ideas. Hopefully we get more information sooner rather than later.

Both Prey and Predator: Badlands are streaming now on Hulu. The service also has access to the original movie and a number of other sequels. But, fans like me are definitely looking forward to upcoming horror movies from the filmmakers in charge of the most recent titles.

For a long time, the Predator franchise lay dormant with the 1987 original being the height of its glory days like so many other movie series. However, in recent years, we’ve gone three for three for original, interesting Predator followups thanks to Dan Trachtenberg’s work on his Predator anthology consisting of Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands. For the moment, there’s no other Predator movies officially on the way, but there’s a lot of ways forward we’ve been left thinking about.

We’re currently three months removed from Predator: Badlands’ release and I’m starting to wonder what could be next. Badlands made $184.6 million worldwide in theaters, which accounts for the highest-grossing movie from the franchise. But, because it allegedly cost $105 million to produce, it didn’t necessarily turn much of a profit. Though its streaming release just brought Hulu the biggest movie premiere ever, with close to nine million views within its first five days (per Deadline). While its future sits in limbo, what could be next? I have four ideas I want to talk out...

A Predator: Badlands Sequel

I think the most natural followup for the Predator movies is a direct sequel for Badlands. Trachtenberg recently told ScreenRant that he’s already floating around ideas, too, especially regarding how to introduce Dek’s mom after she turned up at the end of the movie. He wants to bring her into the fold in a way that’s a “little unexpected” and would “"avoid the tropes as much as possible." He also said a Badlands sequel would be "more intentional and focused on the cool of the Yautja culture". Clearly, the filmmaker is already rolling around Badlands sequel ideas, but it’s obviously early days.

While I love all of the recent Predator movies, I think Badlands is the movie I’m the most immediately interested in seeing a followup for. I’m interested in the “found family” storyline between Dek, Elle Fanning’s synthetic character Thia and Bud, and would love to see what happens with Dek’s mother. After its doing OK in theaters and then its amazing performance on Hulu, I honestly would be totally fine with a streaming sequel, but that’s just me.

A Killer Of Killers Followup

Over the summer, Trachtenberg and 20th Century Studios also put out a surprise animated Predator movie called Killer of Killers. I found this one to be super unique because it brought together three characters from throughout history: a viking, samurai, and U.S. fighter pilot. They are each captured by the predators and placed into suspended animation before being brought together to fight to the death. I thought it was going to be a standalone movie, but the ending left us with a lot of questions to ponder once they escape and then are captured again. And, of course I loved the Prey easter egg. Considering the end leaves us hanging, I could see there being a sequel (or crossover somehow) for this, too.

In an interview with Fangoria from last year, co-director John Wassung said he and Trachtenberg were “definitely talking” about a Killer of Killers sequel, also saying they would “love to explore what happens next.” I know I would love to learn more about how predators have played a part throughout human history and what else goes down regarding fights like these.

Prey 2

Then there’s the movie that really showed us what was possible for Predator: Prey. At this point, we know why another Prey movie hasn’t happened yet. Trachtenberg thought of three original ideas for Predator, and has been spending time making those rather than going right into a sequel. Last year, the writer/director made a good point that with sequels people often think about “What could happen next” but don’t stop to think “Should it happen next?” It sounds like he had a reason to make Killer of Killers and Badlands after Prey, but hasn’t found a reason for us to catch back up with Naru after she defeated that predator.

Now, Prey star Amber Midthunder has shown interest in returning for a Prey sequel, saying she’d “be happy to do another one” in 2025, but hadn’t heard about one. Dan Trachtenberg’s thoughts going forward can perhaps best summed up by these words to ScreenRant:

It should also be noted that Dan Trachtenberg recently signed a three-year deal with Paramount that could take him away from the Predator franchise for a time even though there’s riches of ways he could keep going. Perhaps, he’ll take a break for a time and then return with one or more of these sequels?

Another Alien vs. Predator Movie

In recent years, there’s also been some talk around town about another Alien vs. Predator movies considering both franchises have recently been revived recently under Disney. Badlands specifically decided to implement the world of Alien into its storyline in an organic way by having synthetics in the mix. Alien: Romulus director Féde Alvarez has shown his interest, for example.

Personally, I think this could be such a fun way to boost both the Alien and Predator franchises under Disney, and might actually be worth a really big theatrical movie after the original version of this movie came out over 20 years ago now. I love both these worlds and I would go see a remake or reimagining of this concept in a heartbeat and I know it’d be an easy sell for a ton of other sci-fi fans. Of course, I don’t want them to make it unless there’s a good story out there a filmmaker is passionate about, but give it to us!

Clearly, there’s a lot of avenues where Predator could return in the near future. We’ll keep you updated here on CinemaBlend as we learn more but for the time being you can enjoy all the recent Predator movies with a Hulu subscription. And, if we've learned anything from the past few entries, there's a lot of surprises this series can bring.

1987’s Predator, from director John McTiernan, came out at the perfect time for me. I was about 12 years old, and I had the chicken pox about the time it hit video stores for rental. Having the chicken pox, I took advantage of my mother’s sympathy and convinced her to rent this rated-R movie for me to watch while home from school.

The film, available to watch with a Disney+ subscription, entranced me. As I got older and rewatched it over the years, I came to realize that it really feels like two different movies. There are action-sc-fi-horror elements in the second half of the film that really launched the whole Predator franchise, and it is incredible. The raid on the village in the first half , though, feels incredibly cheesy in a bad ‘80s action-movie kind of way. I recently learned why the two halves feel so different.

The Raid On The Village Was Not Shot By McTiernan

It turns out that the raid of the village set piece and the stunts throughout it were set up and filmed by the stunt coordinator and second unit director, Craig Baxley. According to McTiernan in the audio commentary on the film’s DVD (via Medium), that’s why it feels more “static” with still cameras shooting the wild stunts. McTiernan didn’t like the sequence, but was convinced by the film’s producers to keep it in the final cut.

I fully understand why it was kept in; it certainly provides a certain ‘80s pizazz to the movie. Beefy dudes with great big biceps, led by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, and Carl Weathers (in one of his best movies), with great big guns creating huge explosions that led to flying bodies. It’s what audiences expected in 1987. However, given how great the second half of the movie is, when those same beefy dudes are being hunted by the titular monster, the movie has a completely different (and much more successful) tone to it.

It Opened Doors For Baxter, But…

Predator kicked off a three-movie run for McTiernan that I would put up against any three-picture run from any director. His next two movies were Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October, both of which are total remote-droppers for me and among my favorite movies ever. The film also kick-started Baxter’s directorial career, with, well… mixed results.

After his successful stint as the second unit director, Baxter, who started his career in stunts, made the jump to the director's chair, debuting alongside one of the stars of Predator, Carl Weathers, in Action Jackson. Next, he teamed up with Dolph Lundgren for I Come in Peace, also known as Dark Angel. His next (and to-date, last) big-budget action movie was the 1991 gem, Stone Cold, starring football player Brian Bosworth. Like I said… mixed results.

Baxter settled into a career mostly directing for TV after Stone Cold tanked at the box office (like Bosworth’s career in the NFL), and he clearly had a very definite style, but it was much less interesting than McTiernan’s, and that is on stark display in Predator. Without McTiernan, the rest of the franchise, including 2025's Predator: Badlands (available with a Hulu subscription), probably would not exist.

Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger are two guys with massive biceps, and those muscles were even bigger in the 1980s when they co-starred together in 1987’s Predator (which you can watch with a Hulu subscription). It seems only natural that two beasts would be more than a little competitive at the time.

It seems Schwarzenegger was cheeky enough to take advantage of the wrestler-turned-actor’s competitiveness and played a prank on him, convincing Ventura (briefly) that his arms were bigger than the former champion bodybuilder’s arms. It ultimately cost Ventura a bottle of champagne (and maybe some wounded pride).

Schwarzenegger Set The Prank Up With The Wardrobe Department

It seems the future California governor had an inkling that the outspoken future Minnesota governor would check the costume sizes when he was getting fitted. And, indeed he did. In an interview around the time of the movie release nearly 40 years ago, Ventura said:

And yeah, he did refer to himself in the third person, as any truly great wrestler would. So, the trap had been laid, to which Schwarzenegger said:

It seems everything Schwarzenegger planned was working. Next came the gym.

Can You Imagine The Gym On The Set Of Predator?

The Predator cast included Ventura, Schwarzenegger, and Carl Weathers. That’s some serious muscle, and a lot of testosterone. Boys being boys, Schwarzenegger was counting on the fact that Ventura would brag about the difference in arm sizes, and he was ready to make a bet, in Schwarzenegger’s words:

The trap was laid, and all that was left was the tale of the tape. Schwarzenegger explained:

The two didn’t reveal how nice of a bottle of champagne Ventura paid the bet with, but seeing as the movie was a massive box office hit in the summer of ‘87 (and launched a long-running franchise with the latest installment, Predator: Badlands, crushing it on 2025 movie schedule), it’s another safe bet to assume it wasn’t a cheap bottle.

Every action movie presents particular demands for its stars, but Predator: Badlands was a unique production: neither of the main characters are human – Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is featured in head-to-toe costume as a Yautja named Dek and Elle Fanning plays Thia, a Weyland-Yutani synth that has been severed in half – and on top of everything else, there are a significant number of scenes feature the two of them strapped together. One would think that it would make for a terrifically uncomfortable experience, but the reality is that the actors got used to it to the point that they opted to stay entwined even when the camera stopped rolling.

Filming on movie sets requires a lot of starting and stopping, as various adjustments need to be made between takes, different camera angles require different lighting, and more. But when I spoke with Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and Elle Fanning earlier this month during the Predator: Badlands press day, they explained why they didn’t always opt to get out of their back-to-back positioning whenever the crew needed to work around them. Fanning explained that in addition to not being worth the time it would take to get done, efforts were made to make them as comfortable as possible:

In Predator: Badlands, Dek and Thia meet while on Genna, a treacherous world where the former is trying to prove himself in a rite of passage. He is on the hunt for the planet’s most dangerous prey, and while it is against his culture to accept any assistance, the fact that Thia is synthetic creates a special loophole for him. With the damaged android’s knowledge of local fauna and flora as an asset, Dek attaches the legless synth to him like a backpack, using vines as straps.

Because Elle Fanning actually has legs, creating the desired look with Thia on Dek’s back wasn’t easy, but Dan Trachtenberg and his crew went the extra mile to create the effect on set. The actress continued,

While Elle Fanning had the challenge of working without her lower limbs, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi wore a full-body Yautja suit every day on set, and it’s not hard to imagine the difficulty that comes with that work. Predator: Badlands was shot during late winter in New Zealand last year, but the actor still got a good sweat going because of the costume. Fortunately, his memories of the challenges are balanced by memories of collaboration:

Riding on a wave of positive buzz from critics, Predator: Badlands arrived in theaters earlier this month and is now playing everywhere.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Predator: Badlands. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!

Predator: Badlands is a self-contained adventure, but it does end with a rad twist. In the wake of Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) killing his awful, awful father, we learn that his life will not henceforth be perfectly safe, as a new threat arrives on the literal horizon: Dek’s mother. It suggests that a future sequel may introduce the first ever female Yautja on the big screen, which would be super cool to see – but what you may not know is that reveal was briefly considered for the new 2025 blockbuster.

When I spoke with writer/director Dan Trachtenberg earlier this month during the Predator: Badlands press day in Los Angeles, I made a point of asking him if he had discussions with legendary creature designer Alec Gillis about creating the first ever live-action female Predator. The filmmaker explained that he did indeed have conversations about the idea, but it was ultimately decided that it was something too big to include in a movie that was already taking such major swings within the franchise. Said Trachtenberg,

As is, Predator: Badlands is unlike any other Predator movie. There are exactly zero human characters, it’s the first story in the big screen canon to feature one of the hunt-loving extraterrestrials as a hero, and it’s the first time that audiences are brought to the aliens’ homeworld in live-action. That’s a lot to take on without also having conversations about gender dynamics in Yautja society and sexual dimorphism in their biology.

Dan Trachtenberg notes that fans and creatives have suggested ideas of what a female Yatja could look like in fan art and comics, but one could argue that all ideas are on the table. The easy route with the idea would be the aliens having sexual characteristics that are similar to those that exist in the human race, but there is nothing really keeping Trachtenberg, Alec Gillis and other masters of their craft inside that box, and it will be exciting to see what they eventually come up with.

In regard to exactly what we can expect from the future of the Predator franchise, Trachtenberg has presented avenues for storytelling but nothing is apparently concrete. In addition to the twist with Dek’s mother in Predator: Badlands, we also saw the animated Predator: Killer Of Killers conclude with an enticing twist this past summer. He explained to me that there presently isn’t a big picture plan, but he is also not ignoring cool ideas when he has them:

Predator: Badlands is now playing in theaters everywhere, having had the most successful box office opening in the history of the franchise earlier this month. Fingers are tightly crossed it won’t be too long until we learn what’s next on the way from this eternally awesome canon.

SPOILERS are ahead for Predator: Badlands, now playing in theaters.

One of the big surprises among 2025 movies for me is Predator: Badlands. While I was already a fan of the previous Predator movies that its writer/director Dan Trachtenberg made prior (Prey and Killer of Killers), there was no promise he would go three for three. While I love all the praise for Badlands for how it handles its Yautja storyline, I want to talk about its Alien connection.

Predator: Badlands Is Rightfully Getting A Lot Of Love For Being A Franchise Favorite

Before I do, let’s talk about why fans are loving Badlands so much. As I wrote about in our Predator: Badlands review, it’s the first movie of the franchise that’s devoid of a single human character, and yet feels like the most human due to how they are handled. (Other critics really liked it too for taking the franchise in new directions).

It’s been almost 40 years since the original Predator movie came out, and I think fans appreciated not only seeing a movie from the perspective of a Yautja hero, but also Dek in particular. He’s the runt of his clan, and it’s really refreshing to see a new type of story from the franchise that perhaps makes the fictional species more relatable and rootable (for this movie, anyways).

It’s on the way to becoming the biggest Predator movie ever, following its great box office performance so far, but there’s another aspect of it that I don’t think is being pointed out enough.

But, I Need To Talk About How Much I Appreciate How Its Alien Connection Is Handled

One of the most iconic Predator movies to this day is absolutely 2004’s Alien vs. Predator, but Badlands definitely isn’t a rehash of that. I’m happy it isn’t, but, as an Alien fan myself (more so than Predator), I found myself especially pulled in by seeing a Yautja have an unlikely friendship with a synthetic.

In the movie, Elle Fanning plays two synthetic characters, “sisters” named Thia and Tessa, who are employed by the Weyland-Yutani corporation for what the company is known to do – try to bag and tag alien species for its own benefit. While at first it seemed like Thia was a way-too-helpful synthetic to Dek, it’s revealed later that Thia was using her emotional programming to supposedly manipulate him, before her actual feelings took over.

But then the movie goes a step deeper. Thia isn’t only tapped into her emotions because of her objectives; she also feels a lot in general, and while that is looked upon as weak by Tessa, it ultimately helps her form a true friendship with Dek, and they become partners in being outcasts together. I love when the Alien franchise explores how technology and humanity can intersect, and the story between Thia and Dek is such a good extension of that conversation.

The addition of Thia and Tessa to the Alien franchise (even though it’s by extension of a Predator movie) is such a clever use of synthetics that continues to grow the lore that it has had since the beginning. An evil twin sister synthetic plotline is amazing! There’s been a lot of synthetics in Alien, but Fanning’s performance as Thia/Tessa, and the storyline written for her, is already up there among my favorites. And, that scene where the top half of her and the bottom half of her fight? So good!

The Predator franchise is nearly 40 years old, and somehow, against all logic in reason, after a string of films that have been at best fine and at worst terrible, it’s never been stronger. The last three movies in the series, Prey, Killer of Killers, and Badlands, are three of the absolute best movies in the franchise. It’s a string of success that most modern franchises haven’t had.

Before 2022’s Prey, I’m not sure I would have called myself a “Predator Fan.” I liked the franchise well enough, but I kinda need to call myself a fan now, as I loved Predator: Badlands almost as much as Dan Trachtenberg’s other two movies. In fact, I liked it so much that it’s changed my opinion on what the next Predator movie should be.

Prey Is My Favorite Predator Movie, And I’ve Been Dying For A Sequel

When I wrote the Prey review for CinemaBlend three years ago, I called it the best movie in the Predator franchise, and even after two excellent movies in the series have been released since, that’s a statement I still stand by. Prey is fantastic, a treat for action movie fans, movie monster fans, and character drama fans, all at once.

And so, as everybody who has ever loved a movie has done, I wanted more. Especially after seeing that Prey ended with a sequence, done in the style of a cave painting, that implied that the Predators might return, I’ve been hoping for news of a sequel to Prey. When it was announced that Dan Trachtenberg was returning to the Predator franchise, I was excited. When it was revealed that the new movie wouldn’t be a Prey sequel, but instead a movie that made the Predator the hero, I was a little bummed out.

Predator: Killer of Killers Continued To Tease A Prey Sequel

Of course, even before we got the new Predator: Badlands, we were surprised by yet another film in the series, the animated anthology movie, Predator: Killer of Killers. The movie arguably does some of the most significant worldbuilding in the franchise, suggesting that those that are proven themselves capable of killing the Predator race are captured and transported to the Predator home world in order to be challenged by even greater threats.

Of course, while this movie wasn’t the Prey sequel I had been hoping for, it still continues to tease such a sequel. A mid-credits scene reveals that Naru, Amber Midthunder’s character from Prey, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch, are both in suspended animation, seemingly revealing that the cave painting at the end of Prey told the story of Naru’s abduction.

So while we still haven’t gotten a proper Prey sequel, we’ve continued to be teased with the idea. However, I will admit that the Killer of Killers' tease didn’t get me as excited for a theoretical Prey 2 as I would have guessed. I wasn’t entirely sure why I felt that way. Predator: Badlands helped me understand.

Predator: Badlands Has No Business Being As Good As It Is

I hate to sound like a broken record here, but Predator: Badlands is great. While I think I’d still put Prey at the top of my personal ranking, Badlands may be number two on this list. It is able to turn a creature who previously had been little more than the killer in a slasher movie into a genuine character. And Elle Fanning is, as per usual, amazing.

I didn’t think I wanted a movie where the Predator was a protagonist. I didn’t have much interest in the idea going in, but the movie showed me that sometimes what I didn’t think I wanted was exactly what I needed. It also helped me realize that the thing I thought I wanted might actually be a bad idea.

While all I thought I wanted for three years was a sequel to Prey, I no longer feel that way. This isn’t because I’m looking for a sequel to Predator: Badlands, even though the ending leaves itself open for one, even more so than Prey. I don’t think we need any direct sequels to Predator movies ever.

Now I’m Afraid Any Predator Sequel May Ruin The Rejuvenated Franchise

While there have been seven Predator movies, the fact there has never actually been a sequel to any of them. Part of the reason that Predator: Killer of Killers fits so well in the franchise is that, while it’s the only anthology movie, the entire franchise is really an anthology. Each one deals with different human characters and different Predator aliens. While there’s a chronology to the events and they happen in the same universe, none of them are really connected. They reference each other sometimes, but none of them rely on events that came before to tell their stories.

This is even more true in the case of Dan Trachtenberg’s three Predator movies. They’re set centuries apart. One of them isn’t live-action. One of the main characters in one of them isn’t even alive. And yet, as different as the three films are, each one is incredible.

I have no idea what the future for the Predator franchise, or Dan Trechtenberg’s place in it, is, but if he does keep making Predator movies, I hope he keeps making more original concepts that stand alone because that process has worked remarkably well so far.

Going back to the well to make a sequel to Prey or to Badlands, for that matter, likely means not making some other new, otherwise original Predator movie. Each of these last three Predator movies has been born from simple ideas that were then expanded into creative and thoughtful films. Making a direct sequel by its very nature limits that creativity.

None of this is to say that if Prey 2 does happen, I won’t be the first one in line. If the movie happens, I’ll be there, and I’ll be hoping it's as good as what came before. But Predator, especially right now, is riding high by not relying on sequels, so I hope it doesn’t start.

In 2022, a big pivot was made with the Predator franchise. Following a pair of box office disappointments in Nimrod Antal's Predators and Shane Black's The Predator, the decision was made for Dan Trachtenberg's Prey to be a streaming release... and it ended up being both a hit with critics and extremely popular. With this success accomplished, a gamble with Trachtenberg's live-action follow-up, as Predator: Badlands was made with the big screen in mind... and now it looks like it's going to be the biggest success in the history of the series.

The box office needed a big splash following the awful ticket sales numbers from the Halloween weekend seven days ago, and that's exactly what it has gotten in the form of the new Predator entry. The sci-fi/action blockbuster arrived as the biggest new release from Hollywood on Friday, and audiences properly responded by easily making it the new number one movie domestically. Check out the full Top 10 below and join me after for analysis.

Predator: Badlands Has The Best Opening Weekend In The Franchise's Near-40-Year History

Predator: Badlands actually a gamble in many ways. In addition to the deadly Yautja species making the return to the big screen, the film is the first to make one of the extraterrestrial warriors into a protagonist, and the feature is the first in the canon to sport a PG-13 rating (which comes thanks to the movie having plenty of violence but zero human characters). There were no guarantees that these swings would pay off, but opening weekend numbers and reactions say that it has.

Early last week, positive praise from critics put Predator: Badlands on a nice buzz wave (CinemaBlend's Sarah El-Mahmoud gave it three-and-a-half stars in her review), and the end result has been substantial ticket sales. Earning $40 million – per The Numbers – doesn't exactly make the adventure instantly one of the biggest hits of 2025 (it ranks as the seventeenth biggest domestic debut dating back to January), but it is a big deal when it comes to features with "Predator" in the title.

Prior to this weekend (admittedly not adjusting for inflation), the previous biggest domestic debut in the series was Paul W. S. Anderson's Alien vs. Predator, which made $38.3 million when it debuted in theaters in the summer of 2004. Of course, one big thing that the two blockbusters share in common are close ties to the Alien franchise – with the new 2025 movie reaffirming the link between the canons by featuring androids made by the fictional Weyland-Yutani corporation. How much that link played into the new movie's success isn't totally clear.

In addition to getting love from critics, audiences are digging the adventure as well. Per CinemaScore surveys taking by opening weekend movie-goers, the new film earned an "A-" grade – which is actually the best grade that a Predator movie has ever gotten (John McTiernan's Predator from 1987 and Stephen Hopkins' Predator 2 from 1990 both got "B+" results). That's huge, and it's a sign that the blockbuster may see a solid weekend-to-weekend drop seven days from now thanks to positive word of mouth.

Going beyond the domestic market, Predator: Badlands has also earned $40 million overseas already – which is a big reason why the new film is getting set to be crowned as the biggest hit in the franchise. Earning $80 million in three days means that it has already outgrossed both Predator and Predator 2, and it will only need to make $50 million more to outgross Predators and The Brothers Strause's Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (which respectively made $127.2 million and $128.9 million during their worldwide theatrical runs). The $172.5 million made by Alien vs. Predator is presently the series' biggest success, but the days of that truth may soon be ending.

Predator: Badlands will need to have strong legs if it wants to have the ideal box office legacy that looks to be within grasp – though that won't exactly be simple given the big screen competition that is on the way in the weeks ahead, including a trio of new wide releases coming on Friday. I can promise you that the film's performance will be a subject discussed in my column next Sunday.

Regretting You Isn't A It Ends With Us-Level Hit, But It Is Holding On At The Box Office

When looking at the box office numbers for Josh Boone's Regretting You, it's easy to compare it to Justin Baldoni's It Ends With Us thanks to the fact that both movies are based on Colleen Hoover novels... but the comparison hasn't exactly been favorable. While the latter ended up being one of the biggest box office stories of last year, the romantic drama starring Blake Lively making $349.7 million worldwide, the former hasn't been able to perform nearly as well. That being said, it is holding on in the Top 3 as audiences check it out in the weeks following its debut.

Regretting You didn't make much of a splash when it first hit theaters in late October thanks to competition from Tatsuya Yoshihara's Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc, but the anime title quickly faded following its big opening weekend, and the Hoover adaptation has held on. The movie was in a virtual tie for first place with Scott Derrickson's Black Phone 2 when early box office numbers came in last weekend (albeit it ultimately had to settle for the silver medal), and ticket sales only dropped a comparative nine percent since Friday.

The title made $7.1 million in the last three days, and its domestic total now stands at $38.6 million. Worldwide, the film has made $71 million.

How will the box office Top 10 change seven days from now? One expects that the appropriate adjective will be "drastically," as the current releases will be squaring off with Edgar Wright's The Running Man, Osgood Perkins' Keeper and Ruben Fleischer's Now You See Me: Now You Don't. Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday for my latest column examining how everything shakes out.

Sometimes, all it takes to push a risky idea forward is one encouraging voice, and in the case of the 2025 movie release, Predator: Badlands, that voice belonged to James Cameron. Director Dan Trachtenberg recently revealed how a few offhand comments from the Aliens filmmaker gave him the confidence to forge ahead with what might be the boldest Predator film yet, though Cameron himself might not remember the conversation that lit the spark.

Trachtenberg recently counted a dinner he had with the Cameron while prepping Badlands in New Zealand. At that point, Trachtenberg had just driven eight hours to visit the legendary director on the set of the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash. After walking the Terminator creator through his high-concept pitch for Badlands, the two sat down to eat, where Cameron delivered a line that stuck with Trachtenberg throughout production. As the filmmaker tells THR:

However, months later, after Cameron watched a nearly finished cut of the movie, his feedback included a surprising admission. The Prey director added:

With Badlands, Dan Trachtenberg flips the script, making a lone Yautja named Dek (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) the central protagonist. Set on the hostile planet Genna, the film pairs Dek with a Weyland-Yutani synth named Thia (Elle Fanning) as they navigate a brutal hunt for a mythical beast. It’s a major departure for the franchise and a risky one. However, with Cameron’s unexpected (and possibly subconscious) encouragement, Trachtenberg stayed the course.

So does James Cameron actually remember giving Predator: Badlands his early blessing? Maybe not. But, whether it was intentional encouragement or an accidental pep talk, it was precisely what Trachtenberg needed, and it earned the Titanic director a well-deserved shoutout in the film’s credits.

Also, it looks like those bold swings are paying off. Badlands, the ninth entry in the Predator franchise (if you count Alien vs. Predator and its sequel), is earning praise from both fans and critics. It currently holds an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, along with a fan-driven 95% audience score—a rare feat for a franchise film this deep into its run.

In the end, whether Cameron remembers the moment or not, his influence lives in the DNA of a film that—much like some of the best sequels ever made, including his own Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day—dared to evolve. Predator: Badlands is now playing in theaters; check your local listings for showtimes.

In the last three years, the Alien/Predator franchise has been as active as any in modern Hollywood. Audiences have seen three new movies (Prey, Alien: Romulus, Predator: Killer Of Killers) and a new TV series (Alien: Earth), and we’ll be treated to the arrival of Predator: Badlands in theaters everywhere. Needless to say, it’s a fertile time for the canon, and while the stories are pretty disparate, it can be said that there is some cool sharing of ideas coming out of the overlapping production/release schedules.

I asked about filmmaker collaboration this past weekend when I interviewed director Dan Trachtenberg at the Los Angeles press day for Predator: Badlands – he having contributed majorly already to the franchise by helming Prey and Predator: Killer Of Killers. He started by saying that there wasn’t really any communication at all between the various projects (despite the fact that he is friendly with Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez), but that was principally because it wasn’t something that was necessary for the story that he was telling. Trachtenberg explained,

Predator: Badlands not only takes place further into the future than any previous story told in the continuity, but it takes place on alien worlds far from Earth and doesn’t even feature any human characters. That being said, it does make the biggest moves since the release of Alien vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007 to fuse the canons of the Alien and Predator movies. Specifically, while it doesn’t have any human characters, what it does have are Weyland-Yutani synths.

This is where the aforementioned sharing of ideas comes in. Predator: Badlands was in production in the middle of last year, and the timing happened to coincide with the theatrical release of Alien: Romulus. When Dan Trachtenberg and members of his crew saw scenes featuring Andy (David Jonsson) with the Weyland-Yutani logo in his eyes, they immediately saw potential:

The end result are moments in Predator: Badlands when Elle Fanning’s Thia goes into a kind of standby mode and her eyes look just like Andy’s in Alien: Romulus:

But what about Alien: Earth? The Noah Hawley-created series completed the run of its eight-episode first season in September, but it finished filming before the start of principal photography on Predator: Badlands. Again, the two projects occupy very distant points on the canon timeline, but Hawley did reach out to Dan Trachtenberg and gave him a special preview of what he was cooking up:

In everything we’ve seen in the last three years, there is a lot of great storytelling and a lot of potential for the future established – but the immediate present is delivering us the badassness of Predator: Badlands. Starring newcomer Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as a runt member of the Yautja species who has to prove himself worthy of his people’s warrior culture, the film arrives in theaters everywhere this Friday, November 7.

When a franchise has been around for nearly 40 years, you’d expect that the story would evolve in some way. That may be an understatement with the upcoming horror flick Predator: Badlands, which hits the 2025 movie calendar on Friday, November 7. Part road trip comedy, part coming-of-age story, Dan Trachtenberg focuses on the Predator, or Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), who sets out to prove himself after being outcast from his clan and forms an unlikely alliance with Elle Fanning’s synth Thia.

Critics have seen the film, and first reactions to Predator: Badlands were positive, if a bit apprehensive. Those who saw an early screening conveyed just how different this offering is from the Predator movies that came before. Now that critics are able to expand on those initial thoughts, does “different” translate to “good”? Peter Debruge of Variety thinks so, saying that other than Prey, this is the strongest film in the series since the 1987 original (and is plenty gory despite its PG-13 rating). The critic continues:

Germain Lussier of Gizmodo calls the film an “emotionally charged adventure,” with twists, turns and several winks at the Predator and Alien franchises. While the plot seems pretty basic — outcast sets off on a journey to prove himself — Dan Trachtenberg’s story goes much deeper than that. Lussier says:

David Fear of Rolling Stone promises “thrills, chills and spills” in this pulp-filled upcoming action flick that plays out like a buddy road comedy. Fear writes:

Richard Lawson of THR writes that while there are still dismemberments and gruesome bits of violence, there is a sweetness to Predator: Badlands, and the shift to seeing things from the Predator’s perspective works due to Dan Trachtenberg’s thoughtful construction. Lawson continues:

Damon Wise of Deadline praises the chemistry between Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, but says Predator: Badlands carries no real sense of danger. He also calls it a “buddy movie,” but doesn't seem as excited about the result, writing:

It seems a bit extreme to call an installment of the Predator series a “comedic road comedy” or “buddy movie,” but for most critics, that seems to be an OK change. I’m sure it helps that there’s still reportedly plenty of action and “bloody” dismemberments. If this movie feels like one you need to see on the big screen, you can do so starting Friday, November 7.

The Predator franchise has brought us a number of worthy sci-fi action flicks dating back to 1987, but when Predator: Badlands hits the 2025 movie calendar next week, it will be unlike any that came before it, with director Dan Trachtenberg (Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers) choosing to focus on the Predator itself. The movie has screened, so what do audiences think of this twist?

Predator: Badlands stars Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Dek, a young Predator who has been outcast from his clan. He finds an unlikely ally in Elle Fanning’s Thia, and the two set out on a quest. Eammon Parks Jacobs of Dexerto had a “blast” with the upcoming action movie, which he says has buddy comedy/road trip vibes. The critic posted:

The Brothers Geek Out podcast also had fun with the action and recommends catching this on in the theater. In their words:

Predator: Badlands is the first Predator movie to be rated PG-13, and that element confuses Naomi Roper of The Geek Goddesses, as she questions what audience Dan Trachtenberg is trying to attract. In her words:

Others who saw the movie are also commenting on the “big swings” taken by the director, and like the critic above, Neil Vagg of Get Your Comic On writes that he enjoyed the movie despite it not being as much of a horror flick as others on the 2025 horror movie calendar or the other films in the franchise. He posts:

Phil Roberts of Future of the Force agrees fans of the franchise may have some trouble with how different this offering is, but he still finds it an “epic spectacle.” More from Roberts:

And in another X post about the director’s bold choices, Paul Klein of Film Hounds says the movie will likely be divisive, but he finds it refreshing to see the franchise try something fresh and not recycle an old formula. Klein says:

Movie critic Josh Barton has strong feelings about what he witnessed at the theater, calling Predator: Badlands the “weakest” in the series but still a “badass” experience. Barton writes:

Movie lover Dave O'Flanagan acknowledges the changes made by the director, but says audience members who go in with an open mind should have a great time, as he posted:

It seems like many of those who have seen early screenings of Predator: Badlands are concerned about how die-hard fans may take Dan Trachtenberg’s vision, but also they have plenty of positive things to say about it. We don’t have long to wait before we can find out for ourselves. The sci-fi action flick hits theaters next Friday, November 7.

The summer movie season is here, and as usual Walt Disney Studios has some heavy-hitters to bring audiences to the movies during the warm months – and to infinity and beyond! The company just came off a huge box office slay with the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 has been breaking box office records. So, what’s next for the House of Mouse? You can take a look below and find out!

Before you continue, we should note that The Walt Disney Company also has a bunch more than you’ll see here: there’s upcoming Marvel movies like Avengers: Doomsday on the way this holiday season and more Star Wars movies after The Mandalorian & Grogu such as Starfighter coming next summer. Here’s a look at everything Disney has announced for the rest of this year and all the years to come.

Moana (Live-Action)

Release Date: July 10, 2026

Knowing how successful live-action remakes of Disney movies are, we probably could have guessed that a live-action Moana would happen someday, but few might have expected it to happen so fast. Just about a decade after the animated hit was released, the live-action version is set to debut from Walt Disney Studios. Dwayne Johnson will reprise his role in the flesh as Maui. Catherine Lagaʻaia will debut as the new Moana.

Super Troopers 3

Release Date: August 7, 2026

The Broken Lizard team is back with what is sure to be another incredible comedy with Super Troopers 3. Exactly what this movie will be about is unclear, but I can't imagine that anybody excited for it is going to care.

The Dog Stars

Release Date: August 28, 2026

When Ridley Scott makes a new movie, everybody should take notice. The Dog Stars is one of the upcoming book-to-screen adaptations on the way, as it is based on a bestseller from Peter Heller. The Dog Stars is a post-apocalyptic story that follows characters played by Josh Brolin and Jacob Elordi in the aftermath of a pandemic that has wiped out most life on the planet. The movie comes from Disney’s 20th Century Studios.

Whalefall

Release date: October 16, 2026

Another 20th Century Studios film, Whalefall is based on a novel by Daniel Kraus. It’s about a man scuba diving in search of his fathers remains, who is accidentally swallowed by a whale, and must find a way to escape. It stars Austin Abrams, Josh Brolin, and Elisabeth Shue and is written and helmed by Brian Duffield.

Wild Horse Nine

Release Date: November 6, 2026

Searchlight Pictures has a black comedy starring the likes of John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Parker Posey coming out just in time for awards season. It’s about two longtime CIA officers living in 1973 who get stationed in Easter Island. The movie is written and directed by In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin filmmaker Martin McDonagh

Hexed

Release Date: November 25, 2026

Announced during Disney’s Destination D23 event in August 2025, Hexed is an original story from Walt Disney Animation Studios that follows a teenager named Billie and his “Type-A” mother who discover she has magical abilities. This discovery leads them to a world where magic can run free. Hailee Steinfeld plays Billie and Rashida Jones voices her mom, Alice.

Ice Age: Boiling Point

Release Date: February 5, 2027

After Blue Sky Studios shut down in 2021, there was a time when more Ice Age movies seemed out of the realm of possibility. However, when it was acquired by The Walt Disney Company as part of its acquisition of 20th Century Fox that soon changed. The new movie brings back all our favorite characters from the series: Ray Romano’s Manny, John Leguizamo’s Sid, Denis Leary’s Diego, Queen Latifah’s Ellie and Simon Pegg’s “Buck” Wild.

Gatto

Release Date: March 5, 2027

The upcoming original Pixar title is set in Venice and focuses on a cat named Nero who needs to pay back a debt to a feline mob boss. This leads Nero into an unlikely partnership with a street musician. It comes from the filmmaker of Luca, Enrico Casarosa, and stars Mark Ruffalo as the leading kitty.

Bluey

Release Date: August 6, 2027

Bluey, the Australian animated kids show, has proven to be a hit for all ages and is regularly among the most-watched shows on Disney+. Disney will also distribute a feature-length Bluey movie in 2027 directed by the show’s creator Joe Brumm and giving the show’s beloved characters a big-screen debut.

The Simpsons Movie 2

Release Date: September 3, 2027

20 years after their last big screen endeavor The Simpsons will once again hit the big screen thanks to Disney’s 20th Century Studios. We don’t have many details about the plot of this one yet.

Frozen III

Release Date: November 24, 2027

Frozen is too big of a phenomenon to not receive another sequel, and it’s on the way for next fall. We know the third movie will feature Anna and Kristoff having a royal wedding and a mysterious adventure will once again have Elsa using her magical abilities to save her family and kingdom. The Frozen 3 release date for November 2027. Jennifer Lee previously confirmed that the story is so big it will require two movies, though when we’ll see the second one has yet to be officially announced.

Untitled Disney Movie

Release Date: February 18, 2028

Disney is holding this date on the release calendar for an as yet unnamed movie.

Lilo & Stitch 2

Release Date: May 26, 2028

The sequel to the live action Lilo & Stitch was announced quickly after the first film's success, and the release date has already been set, indicating this movie is on the fast track. We expect to see Maia Kealoha’s Lilo, Sydney Agudong’s Nani and the voice of Stitch, Chris Sanders back, but details about the sequel are currently under wraps.

Incredibles 3

Release Date: June 16, 2028

Officially announced as being in development at D23 2024, Incredibles 3 has a summer release date which places its release at exactly a decade since the last one came out. Life moves as fast as Dash does!

Untitled Disney Movie

Release Date: November 10, 2028

Disney is holding this date on the release calendar for an as yet unnamed movie.

Untitled Disney Movie

Release Date: February 16, 2029

Disney is holding this date on the release calendar for an as yet unnamed movie.

Untitled Disney Movie

Release Date: March 9, 2029

Disney is holding this date on the release calendar for an as yet unnamed movie.

Untitled Disney Movie

Release Date: May 25, 2029

Disney is holding this date on the release calendar for an as yet unnamed movie.

Untitled Disney Animation

Release Date: June 15, 2029

Disney is holding this date on the release calendar for an as yet unnamed animated movie.

Untitled Disney Movie

Release Date: August 3, 2029

Disney is holding this date on the release calendar for an as yet unnamed movie.

Untitled Disney Movie

Release Date: October 5, 2029

Disney is holding this date on the release calendar for an as yet unnamed movie.

Untitled Disney Movie

Release Date: November 9, 2029

Disney is holding this date on the release calendar for an as yet unnamed movie.

Untitled Pixar Movie

Release Date: November 21, 2029

As of now, the movie set for this date is officially untitled, but since we know Coco 2 is in development, and the original film was also a November release, it's a safe bet that the movie is at least planned to go here.

Avatar 4

Release Date: December 21, 2029

James Cameron has said that parts of Avatar 4 were filmed alongside Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash, but another massive production will need to get underway to finish out the five-movie cycle. Cameron had hinted the last two films may not actually happen, but thus far, we still expect them.

Avatar 5

Release Date: December 19, 2031

The final Avatar movie will finally arrive in 2031, assuming there are not more delays, or plans change for James Cameron.

Recent Releases

Are you looking for a recently released Walt Disney Company movie that already came out that you may have missed? Check out how you can watch the latest movies that came out within the past year below:

Now In Theaters

Toy Story 5

Now Streaming On Disney+

Avatar: Fire And Ash
Hoppers
Zootopia 2
Tron: Ares

Now Streaming On Hulu

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
Psycho Killer
Send Help

Available To Buy Only

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (On Digital Now, Coming To Disney+/Hulu on July 29)

When it comes to crossovers between movie franchises, I think it’s fair to be a bit cynical about how the proverbial sausage gets made. Hollywood obviously loves its well-known intellectual properties, and having two blend together frequently feels like a very orchestrated move executed principally for box office-centric reasons. That being said, one could be excused for thinking that the influence of Alien on the upcoming Predator: Badlands was a starting point from which the new 2025 blockbuster grew, but that’s not actually the case, as the big screen reunion of the sci-fi legends came together surprisingly organically behind the scenes.

Last summer, I took a trip with a small group of other journalists to Auckland, New Zealand to visit the set of Predator: Badlands when the film was still in production, and one of the big reveals during interviews was that the story would feature key elements from Alien: namely, Elle Fanning is playing multiple android characters built by the sinister Weyland-Yutani Corporation. It’s obviously not the first time that these two franchises have collided (see: the easter egg at the end of Predator 2 and the Alien vs. Predator movies), but it’s notable that director Dan Trachtenberg didn’t actually set out to execute a new collision with the film. Instead, it came about simply because he didn’t want to have to include any humans in the blockbuster.

Unlike any of the previous Predator films, Predator: Badlands is special in that it features a Yautja protagonist – specifically an outcast runt named Dek, played by newcomer Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. In developing the story with writer Patrick Aison, Trachtenberg told us that there was an effort to stay away from human characters because it would have both made the story too familiar and undercut the uniqueness of the approach that he wanted to execute. Said the filmmaker,

This makes all the sense in the world. Audiences tend to gravitate toward the characters to which we most relate, and in a story about a monstrous alien and a human, we’re definitely going to find the latter to be the more appealing. When a film is trying to execute a new kind of adventure that challenges what movie-goers are used to, such an inclusion can end up being a crutch, and that’s not something that Dan Trachtenberg was interested in.

With a desire to tell a two-hander story, Predator: Badlands needed a workaround, and the filmmakers found one. Instead of a human, it was decided that it would be cool to see Dek teamed up with a robot… and it was only after that idea was raised that Weyland-Yutani synthetics entered the conversation and were recognized as a perfect and super cool solution. Trachtenberg continued,

As to not interfere with the rest of the existing canon, Predator: Badlands is set in a future beyond anything we’ve previously seen in either the Predator or Alien franchises, and it centers on Dek, who gets lost on an extremely dangerous planet and has to show his mettle to survive (and prove his value to his species despite his diminutive size). He ends up finding Thia (Elle Fanning), a legless android also stranded on the strange world, and they team up in an effort to stay alive and get rescued.

Following the animated anthology adventure Predator: Killer Of Killers from this past summer, Predator: Badlands gives fans the most intimate look yet at the warrior culture of the Yautja and promises an adventure unlike anything we’ve seen in any of the canon’s previous stories. Should you need a refresher course, all of the previous Predator movies (including Predator, Predator 2, Predators, The Predator, Prey and Killer of Killers) are available to stream with a Hulu subscription, but Predator: Badlands will exclusively be playing in theaters starting November 7.

The Predator franchise is currently undergoing something of a renaissance as it hasn’t been this popular or successful since Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the original film. Many fans have hoped that at some point, through all the various Predator films, we might see Arnold again, and while nothing is official, Dan Trechtenberg, the current keeper of the Predator legacy, indicates that such a thing might be possible.

Dan Tractenberg first reminded us how great Predator could be with the excellent Prey, and then followed it up with the animated anthology, Predator: Killer of Killers. That movie added significantly to the Predator lore, revealing that Arnold’s character from the first film, Dutch, as well as Prey’s Naru, had been captured by the Predators and kept in stasis.

This little tease certainly opened the door to a potential return to the franchise for Dutch, and Dan Trectenberg tells Empire (via comicbook.com) that he’s actually talked to Arnold about the “many possibilities” regarding the future of the franchise, perhaps hinting at an eventual return. Tractenberg said…

Killer of Killers revealed that when a Predator is defeated, the person responsible is then captured so that they can be brought back to the Predator home world and challenged once again. At the movie’s conclusion, we see the likes of Dutch and Naru are part of the Predators' "collection.”

This certainly opened the door to a possible return for Dutch. Tractenberg specifically says he talked to Arnold about “what else we could do,” so it’s clear that, whether or not there’s a plan for a return now, that was at least discussed.

The door is certainly open to a variety of possibilities. We could see Dutch return in a future animated film, or we might actually see a live-action follow-up. Fans were interested in seeing a sequel to Prey after that film's success. Almost certainly, any potential sequel to that would take the events of Killer of Killers into account. Could we even see Dutch and Naru together? What a team-up that would be.

Dan Tractenberg’s next foray into the world of Predator will be another unique take on the franchise. Predator: Badlands will actually see one of the titular aliens as the hero of the story.

After that, we don’t really know what will happen next, but it certainly sounds like Dan Trachtenberg is looking at staying in the world of Predator, and perhaps it could include a return for the franchise’s original hero.

Between the 2025 movie calendar and the 2025 TV schedule, we have both Predator and Alien installments to look forward to in the near future. Plus, since they are both being made under Disney banners, fans have been wondering if the two franchises could merge once again. When I spoke to Predator: Badlands writer/director at SDCC last week, he shared thoughts on the possibility.

While at San Diego Comic-Con, fans could look one way and see a massive poster for the new Alien series coming to FX/Hulu this month, and look another and see marketing for Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands movie. So when I had the chance to talk to the filmmaker, I asked him if the environment brings about any thoughts regarding the next Alien and Predator crossover. Here’s what he had to say:

By “this,” he is talking about Badlands, which already includes some nods to the Alien universe. For example, Elle Fanning’s character Thea is an android from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which started in the Alien movies. Trachtenberg has previously said that when he was coming up with the idea for his third Predator movie, he decided he wanted to make one without human characters, and figured there was already “a company that makes robots” from the Alien movies.

As a fan of both franchises, I really appreciate how he handled this question. The writer/director sounds like he’s into the idea, and he is already finding ways to connect the dots, but wants to make sure that if he is part of the two coming together, it doesn’t feel like two action figures being smashed together for no reason. As Fanning added, perhaps a “build” to the next Alien vs. Predator is the best way to go.

While there are definitely theories out there that Predator: Badlands could become a full-blown Alien/Predator movie, Trachtenberg simply called it a “toe dip” into them sharing universes. As you might have also noticed in the trailers, there’s the skull of a Xenomorph on a trophy wall, along with things like a dinosaur head and so forth. When I asked him about those easter eggs, here’s what he had to say:

I think we’re going to have to wait for the movie’s release on November 7 to fully understand the implications of Badlands on the Alien universe, but it’s definitely worth noting that Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez has shared interest in connecting them, once suggesting that he and Trachtenberg could collaborate as directors. I know I’ll be paying close attention while watching both Alien: Earth and Predator: Badlands in the coming months.

You may know John McTiernan as the director of such beloved action movie classics as 1988’s Die Hard and the thrilling sci-fi movie Predator from the previous year. However, did you also know about the filmmaker’s more infamous reputation as a convicted criminal?

Don’t worry. It’s not like he tried to steal from an L.A. skyscraper by orchestrating a deadly hostage situation on Christmas Eve or anything like that. Yet, he was found guilty of some pretty shady activity that not only caused him to be ostracized from Hollywood but also from society as an incarcerated individual for a while. So, what could the somewhat forgotten director of the ‘80s hits listed above have done to wind up in this situation? Well, it actually involves a movie that most would agree is certainly not worth going to jail for.

The Story Begins With A Movie Called Rollerball

Years after hitting it big with his aforementioned action-packed favorites, John McTiernan signed on to helm a reimagining of director Norman Jewison’s 1975 dystopian sports thriller, Rollerball. Based on a short story by William Harrison, the film stars James Caan as the star player of the eponymous athletic event – a brutal, and sometimes even deadly, game that combines elements of roller derby, hockey, and motocross – who uncovers a conspiracy in an oppressive future in which all aspects of society are controlled by corporations.

McTiernan’s 2002 version, starring Chris Klein, LL Cool J, and Rebecca Romijin, is widely regarded as one of the worst cinematic remakes ever made, having earned a tragic 3% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics condemning its incoherent editing, a storyline that lacks focus, and a complete ignorance of the original film’s fascinating satirical elements. It was not a hit at the box office either, raking in roughly $25.9 million worldwide on a budget of $70 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

This could have easily been considered a mere smudge on the filmography of McTiernan, who followed it up the next year with a movie about military training called Basic, and that would have been the end of the story. However, just a few years later, new scandalous information related to Rollerball came to light.

John McTiernan Hired A Private Eye To Wiretap The Rollerball Producer's Phone Conversations

As a 2013 report by The Guardian recalls, John McTiernan had a dispute with Rollerball’s producer, Charles Roven, over how the film should be made. The filmmaker apparently took these disagreements to heart and, allegedly, decided to go to unlawful measures to do something about it.

In 2000, he reportedly hired a private investigator and notorious Hollywood fixer named Anthony Pellicano to wiretap Roven's conversations to find instances where Roven made negative remarks about the studio executives or said things to others that were inconsistent with what he said to the studio, as detailed in the trial records. Just six years later, a federal investigation into the matter took place. However, it was not the illegal wiretapping per se that forced McTiernan to appear in court.

John McTiernan Was Charged With Lying About The Wiretapping

According to Variety, in February 2006, the FBI questioned John McTiernan about hiring Anthony Pellicano to wiretap Charles Roven’s phone conversations, and he replied that he had no knowledge of the situation. However, the FBI uncovered a conversation between him and Pellicano discussing the wiretapping assignment, which the private investigator had recorded himself. Thus, the filmmaker was subsequently charged with making false statements to a federal investigator the following April.

Seven years later, he ultimately surrendered to a 12-month sentence. On April 3, 2013, he was sent to the minimum-security Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, South Dakota, and, during his stay, received support from Hollywood stars like Samuel L. Jackson, whom he worked with on Die Hard with a Vengeance in 1995 and Basic, and Alec Baldwin, who played Jack Ryan in 1990’s The Hunt for Red October, which McTiernan also helmed. According to the BBC, McTiernan would be released from the facility the following February and was ordered to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest at his Wyoming home.

What Is John McTiernan Doing Now?

It has been more than a decade since John McTiernan was released from Federal custody, yet he has still not helmed another film since Basic. Well, as far as I am concerned, if Academy Award winner and Marvel movie star Robert Downey Jr. can serve 15 months in prison only to come back with “the greatest second act ever,” as his friend Anthony Michael Hall has described it, so can the director of one of the most beloved Christmas movies ever made (and, yes, I am talking about Die Hard, whether or not you agree it is a holiday classic).

McTiernan told Empire in 2014 that, while serving his prison sentence, he penned a potential sequel to his 1999 version of The Thomas Crown Affair, but that has yet to see the light of day. He also had plans to make a sci-fi epic called Taut Ceci Foxtrot with Academy Award nominees Uma Thurman and Laurence Fishburne, but, in late 2020, the filmmaker told Empire (via SyFy) that circumstances related to COVID stalled the project before it was ultimately scrapped two years later, according to Filmofilia. In March 2025, he shared with Forbes that he has three or four ideas for a new directorial effort in mind, but cannot say for sure if or when the now 74-year-old will make them.

Following John McTiernan’s legal troubles and John McClane actor Bruce Willis’ recent retirement in 2022 due to his diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, the Die Hard movies seem to have taken on an almost bittersweet reputation. All in all, I have always admired McTiernan as an artist, especially when you consider how the original Die Hard was still being written as principal photography was taking place – there was an even argument about McClane’s signature catchphrase – and, yet, he managed to whip it into a bona fide classic with a only a few things that don’t make a lot of sense. I hope to see him return eventually with something that blows us to the back of the theater once again.

The best kind of cinematic experiences offer two movies for the price of one, but I am not talking about a double feature. I am talking about one film that shifts its tone so dramatically at one point in the story that it almost feels like it becomes a new movie entirely. The following are some of the best flicks that gave audiences an evolutionary experience in one sitting.

Parasite (2019)

One of cinema's biggest surprises of 2019 is writer and director Bong Joon-ho's Best Picture Oscar winner, Parasite, which, at first, is presented as a smart and quirkily funny economic satire about a poor family conning their way into a wealthy family's lives. At the almost exact halfway point, the Korean-language film becomes a bleak cautionary tale when the main family's taste of the high life suddenly begins to unravel before their eyes.

Predator (1987)

If not for its ominous title and opening shot of a strange ship entering Earth's atmosphere, you might assume that Predator is a simple military action thriller. Its sci-fi elements become most apparent when Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch and his crew members are slowly picked off one by one by one of the most terrifying extraterrestrials in cinematic history.

Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

Director Edgar Wright and star and co-writer Simon Pegg made their breakthrough with a relatively grounded sitcom called Spaced, which might lead one to assume that their first cinematic collaboration would be a relatively grounded comedy. Indeed, Shaun of the Dead feels like nothing more than a simple rom-com for a good while before it becomes apparent to the audience and our characters, through darkly hilarious circumstances, that London has become overrun with hungry, reanimated corpses in the instant horror-comedy classic.

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Roberto Benigni is a master of both broad comedy and tender drama and utilizes both brilliantly as the co-writer, director, and star of the World War II film and Oscar winner, Life is Beautiful. He plays a father anyone would be proud to have named Guido, whose clumsy nature and charming courting of the future mother of his son provides some lighthearted comfort, until it becomes a devastating tragedy when the film depicts the Holocaust through his family's eyes.

Sorry To Bother You (2018)

If you take out Cassius Green's (Lakeith Stanfield) uncanny "white voice," Sorry to Bother You feels like a relatively grounded economic satire set in the world of telemarketing at first. It becomes clear that Boots Riley's dazzling debut is not quite set in the real world when things take an unapologetically bizarre, surreal turn near the end.

Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)

Temple of Doom may be one of the lower-ranked Indiana Jones movies by many, but I have always admired the prequel, especially for being such a dramatic departure from its predecessor. Of course, it does feel like the same fun, breezy action-adventure story that Raiders of the Lost Ark is in its first half, but once Indy (Harrison Ford), Willie (Kate Capshaw), and Short Round (Ke Huy Quan) come across the Thuggee Cult, it's a straight-up horror flick.

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

Taika Waititi achieves an astonishing balance act with the way he pokes fun at the politics of 1930s Germany in Jojo Rabbit. In fact, the Oscar-winning period satire does such a good job establishing itself as a lighthearted comedy that its tragic turns in the second half are especially shocking.

Man On Fire (2004)

In its earliest moments, director Tony Scott's Man on Fire establishes itself as an uplifting redemption tale, following a depressed former CIA agent (played by Denzel Washington) and his healing bond with the young girl he is hired to protect (played by Dakota Fanning). However, it becomes a gritty revenge movie when the child is kidnapped and our hero moves heaven and earth to find her.

Psycho (1960)

Those who saw Psycho when it was first released might have assumed the title refers to Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and her choice to go on the run with stolen money. Of course, the Alfred Hitchcock thriller's true purpose is revealed when Crane makes a stop at the Bates Motel, which turns out to be her final destination.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Director Robert Rodriguez and writer and star Quentin Tarantino collaborate on a gritty crime drama about a pair of ruthless brothers (played by George Clooney and Tarantino) on the run who take a vacationing family hostage. Once they reach their intended destination, a mysterious roadside bar, From Dusk Till Dawn suddenly erupts into a crazy vampire movie.

Audition (1999)

Takashi Miike's Audition is one of the most shocking Japanese horror films of all time, particularly because it presents itself as a redemptive romantic drama at first. Widowed Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) hosts a fake movie casting call to find a new wife and immediately falls for Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina), whom he eventually discovers is a brutal sadist when she subjects him to her torturous hobbies.

Click (2006)

Click proved that Adam Sandler was making a move toward more mature films by having its story slowly evolve into something more mature than its first half. The sci-fi comedy indulges in the same childish humor the SNL star was best known for before his character's truly universal remote and its auto-fast forward function begin to take over his life in surprisingly heartbreaking ways.

True Romance (1993)

Quentin Tarantino was not yet a household name when a film he penned called True Romance was released, so audiences could not prepare themselves for its wild twists and turns. Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) and Alabama Whitman's (Patricia Arquette) indulgent but irresistibly charming pairing promises a sweet, lighthearted comedy before things turn violent.

Fresh (2022)

Without any prior knowledge of its plot, Fresh seems like nothing more than a funny, yet frighteningly realistic, rom-com until 30 minutes in its when its opening titles finally kick off and it becomes frightening for another reason. Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) believes her horrific dating streak has ended when she meets Steve (Sebastian Stan), until she discovers his shocking true intentions for her.

Lost Highway (1997)

One of the most infamously discombobulating David Lynch movies, Lost Highway, begins as a story about a married couple (played by Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette) suffering from a bizarre and distressing situation, among other personal matters. However, things get even stranger when Pullman's character is inexplicably transformed into a younger mechanic, played by Balthazar Getty, who suddenly becomes the new protagonist.

Barbarian (2022)

Writer and director Zach Cregger was not even sure what type of story he was going to tell when he began penning Barbarian as a writing exercise, which certainly explains its subversive shifts in tone. It starts off feeling more like a rom-com with an otherwise terrifyingly awkward meet-cute (Georgina Campbell and Bill Skarsgård's characters meet at a mistakenly double-booked Airbnb) before revealing itself as a grotesque horror flick when they discover the house is hiding a secret.

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Despite its somber tone and gradual pacing, die-hard fans of the genre would agree that S. Craig Zahler's Bone Tomahawk, depicting a trip to rescue a doctor kidnapped from her 19th-century village, is one of the best Western movies of its time. Once Kurt Russell's Sheriff Hunt and his comrades come across the kidnappers, a tribe of indigenous cannibals, it becomes one of the best horror movies of its time, let alone one of the most hauntingly brutal.

About Time (2013)

In the category of great time travel movies, About Time, starring Domhnall Gleeson as Tim, who discovers the ability to travel through time runs through his family, is one of the funniest, most uplifting, and most romantic entries, particularly when he falls for Mary (Rachel McAdams). However, at one point, it takes a heartbreaking turn into a story of loss.

Sinners (2025)

In Eric Eisenberg's Sinners review for CinemaBlend, he says he cannot decide if he loves Ryan Coogler's period film more as a crime drama or as a horror movie. Most critics and audiences would agree that the vampire-infested second half of this tale about twin gangsters (both played by Michael B. Jordan) returning to their home in the Jim Crow-era South is as strong and powerful as its more grounded first half.

Titanic (1997)

James Cameron's Oscar-winning historical blockbuster Titanic saves its breathtaking dramatization of the eponymous luxury passenger ship's tragic sinking in 1912 for its second half. Much of the story up to that point is a sweeping romance, following the passionate love affair between two fictional passengers: the wealthy, engaged Rose Butaker (Kate Winslet) and the impoverished, charming artist, Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Co-writer and director Scott Glosserman's criminally overlooked horror-comedy, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, is a brilliant send-up of classic slasher movie tropes filmed predominantly in a documentary style. That is, until the final act when the title character (played by Nathan Baesel) embarks on his big murder spree, and the film becomes a more traditionally dramatic masked killer flick.

Shutter Island (2010)

One of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's best collaborations, Shutter Island, seems like a standard detective noir, following US Marshals Teddy Marshall (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) investigating a disappearance at the eponymous mental health facility. However, the shocking plot twist, which I will let you find out on your own, changes the story into something else entirely.

Terms Of Endearment (1983)

Writer and director James L. Brooks' Oscar-winning adaptation of Larry McMurtry's novel, Terms of Endearment, is one of the most traumatically shocking tearjerkers in cinematic history, particularly for the way its heatbreaking plot points sneak up on you. The Oscar-winning film is largely a light dramedy focusing on Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) and her relationship with her daughter, Emma (Debra Winger), until the film shifts to a story of grief and loss when Emma is diagnosed with cancer.

Primal Fear (1996)

At first, the main pull of Primal Fear is Richard Gere's central character, defense attorney Martin Vail, and his moral flexibility and craving for an attention-grabbing case. The plot takes a bewildering turn near the end of the legal drama when the truth about Vail's client, a young murder suspect named Aaron (Edward Norton in his debut), is revealed

Bridge To Terabithia (2007)

A perfect example of movie marketing that misled its audience is Bridge to Terabithia, which was promoted as a fun family film following Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb) and Jess' (Josh Hutcherson) adventures in the eponymous fantasy realm. That description does match the tone of the film, but only up to a point when tragedy turns it into a traumatic gut-punch.

Overlord (2018)

Early on, Overlord was assumed to be an unofficial cinematic adaptation of the Call of Duty video games' zombie level, but it is not exactly that. In fact, the World War II-era combat drama remains relatively grounded for much of the first half before revealing its imaginative take on real-life, horrific experiments in reanimation.

Something Wild (1986)

Director Jonathan Demme's Something Wild certainly wears its darker properties on its sleeve throughout, but the story of a straightlaced businessman (played by Jeff Daniels) roped into an adventure with a free-spirited woman (played by Melanie Griffith) is largely outweighed at first by its fun, breezy romantic elements. However, it does begin to gradually evolve into a more earnest and alarming thriller once Ray Liotta shows up as the female lead's convict ex-husband.

The Wailing (2016)

Do not underestimate the blood-curdling twists and turns in store in the acclaimed Korean horror movie, The Wailing. You may feel safe to let your guard down by the comedic elements of this cop drama before its true identity as a harrowing supernatural thriller is unveiled.

Miracle Mile (1988)

You might have forgotten about the '80s movie Miracle Mile, which is a quirky comedy following Harry Washello (Anthony Edwards) and his blossoming romance with Julie Peters (Mare Winningham). Things change when Harry overhears evidence that the United States is launching a nuclear war with the Soviet Union and races against time to get him and Julie to safety.

Very Bad Things (1998)

Writer and director Peter Berg's feature debut, Very Bad Things, is a precursor to The Hangover, but takes things in even darker directions. It starts off as a light, funny party movie about five friends enjoying a bachelor party in Las Vegas, until an accidental murder brings the fun to a screeching halt and causes the story to descend into a maddening thriller.

Downsizing (2017)

In my opinion, Alexander Payne's Downsizing is, unfortunately, a go-to example of a disappointing movie with a great concept, namely a scientific breakthrough that helps people become more financially solvent by shrinking to five inches tall. The issue for me is that it shifts from a sci-fi economic satire to an environmental PSA in such a sudden, jarring succession.

Fantastic Four (2015)

There are many reasons why Josh Trank's Fantastic Four is one of the most critically reviled superhero movies of all time, but I don't consider its shift into a body horror movie to be one of them. In fact, portraying Marvel's superhero family as victims of their amazing abilities could have worked well had the film not used up so much time as a slow-paced inter-dimensional expedition thriller first, and so weakly tried to wedge in a generic comic book movie finale at the end.

Spoiler Warning: The following article contains some hefty spoilers for Predator: Killer of Killers. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, please turn around and come back after checking it out.

I recently checked out Predator: Killer of Killers, the new animated anthology series set in one of the most iconic sci-fi franchises of all time. The 2025 movie, which is now streaming for anyone with a Hulu subscription, features three short stories about warriors from different eras taking on predators before being abducted, put into suspended animation, and then brought back to battle like gladiators for the alien species. It’s pretty sweet, if I’m being honest.

But after checking director Dan Trachtenberg’s second entry in the Predator franchise (he still has Predator: Badlands later this year), I have five questions that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about. From the fate of some of the movie’s heroes to a tease of another great warrior and so much more, there’s a lot I need to go over with this one.

This Isn't The Last Of Kenji And John, Right?

In the “Epilogue” of Predator: Killer of Killers, World War II pilot John J. Torres (Rick Gonzalez) and 17th-century samurai Kenji Kamakami (Louis Ozawa) defy the odds and fight off their predator captors long enough – thanks to viking warrior Ursa’s (Lindsay LaVanchy) act of self-sacrifice – to escape in an alien airship. I don’t know if we’ll get a sequel to one of the best Predator films, but if we do, I’m not convinced we won’t ever see these two again.

The pairing, which is honestly really good, could lead to some great encounters, either with more predators or elsewhere if they are able to escape the planet (more on that next). Watching them work together, even though they don’t share the same native tongue, was impressive in Killer of Killers, and I would love to see that relationship continue to unfold. Plus, we have to see how these two survive, right?

I don’t have the highest of hopes for these two (or Ursa, who was put back into captivity), but we shall see what happens if their stories are ever revisited.

Even So, Where Will The Survivors Go After Their Escape?

One of the final shots of Predator: Killer of Killers is of the warlord sending a large group of predators in all kinds of ships with all kinds of weapons after the escaping John and Kenji. While watching this, I kept wondering one thing: where are the humans going to go?

First, let’s talk about the ship they commandeered. Is it capable of leaving the planet and surviving in space? If not, these two are stuck on an alien planet unknown lightyears away from Earth, and the chances of survival are slim to none, especially if they get captured by the raging war party.

But what if it does escape the atmosphere? Where are they going to go, and how long will it take to get there? It’s been shown at this point that the predators have some awesome technology that goes well beyond what we’re capable of producing back home on Earth, so it is within reason to believe that the ship is capable of traveling at hyperspeed. But again, can John, a WWII pilot, figure it out?

When Does The Epilogue Take Place In The Predator Timeline?

When I was watching Predator: Killer of Killers, I kept wondering if this clever anthology film saw the iconic sci-fi characters using time travel to pick out warriors from different eras. However, I then stumbled upon an interview The Direct had with co-director Joshua Wassung, where it was revealed that they have simply been building a collection of gladiators for many, many years. This got me thinking: where exactly does this movie take place in the Predator timeline?

Based on “The Bullet,” the third short film in the anthology, taking place in 1942, we know that the “Epilogue” is at least in the 20th century, if not beyond. And if it is beyond that point in time, does this mean it takes place around the same time as the original Predator movie (set some time in the late 20th century) or around the point of the later films in the series (sometime in the early 21st century)?

It’s hard to tell by the predator technology, as the creatures have always been more advanced than humans back on Earth.

Does This Mean We're Going To See Naru Again?

Another great moment from the Predator: Killer of Killers ending is a very brief shot of Naru, Amber Midthunder’s Comanche hunter from Prey, which was also directed by Dan Trachtenberg. You may recall that the last time we saw the badass female character at the end of the 2022 movie, she and her tribe were being approached by a group of predator airships after she killed her attacker and painted her face with his green blood.

While it remains unclear if we’ll get a Prey sequel at any point in the future, this quick look at Naru in suspended animation opens up several possibilities for her return to the franchise. On one hand, you could have a sequel to Killer of Killers featuring her and other iconic characters being awoken. On the other hand, you could have a sequel filling in the gaps in her story leading up to her capture on the alien planet.

And Finally, Is There A Chance We'll See Dutch In A Gladiator Battle?

Considering all of the warriors shown in Predator: Killer of Killers all previously killed at least one predator before being captured, it only makes sense for Alan “Dutch” Schaefer, one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best characters, to show up and kick some ass like it’s 1987 all over again. That being said, I have to know if we’re going to see Dutch become one of the gladiators and duke it out with fellow humans and predators alike on the aliens’ home planet.

You could have a little backstory about Dutch being abducted by a group of predators in the fictional Central American country of Val Verde, or even when he went back to the United States, before being transported deep into space and forced to fight. Having him come off the ice and trying to make it back home (and further avenge his friends’ deaths) pretty much writes itself.

Only time will tell if any of these questions are answered and we’re given more Predator: Killer of Killers. But in the meantime, at least we have Predator: Badlands to look forward to in the very near future.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Predator: Killer Of Killers. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!

Since the launch of the franchise in 1987, the various Predator movies have principally operated independently. They have all had different settings and different characters, with the one thing tying them together being humans going up against a Yautja (the in-universe name for the Predator species). What’s particularly special about the new animated feature Predator: Killer Of Killers, however, is that it successfully changes the formula – and its central idea is one that could end up having a massive impact on the future of the canon.

In the new movie (available now for Hulu subscribers), it’s revealed that humans who successfully manage to defeat Predators aren’t simply left to go about the rest of their lives; instead, they are abducted by the Yautja, brought to the alien species’ home planet, and kept in a kind of stasis until they are called upon to participate in a kind of champions tournament. It’s a massive idea that changes the way that audiences look at the aftermath of all the previous movies, and Dan Trachtenberg explained to me in an interview last week that it was the idea that made Predator: Killer Of Killers a story he wanted to tell. Said the filmmaker,

Predator: Killer Of Killers is an anthology movie, with three individual segments about Vikings, samurai and ninjas, and World War II pilots – but those tales are all linked together via the bigger idea that humans who defeat the Yautja are abducted following their victory. The stories are awesome independently, but Dan Trachtenberg and co-director Josh Wassung recognized that there are many different approaches that can be taken for an anthology structure.

The most significant potential is holds, of course, is the fact that it allows the possibility for the Predator franchise to bring back characters from previous movies – with the final scene of the animated film suggesting that there are thoughts about doing exactly that. At the end of Predator: Killer Of Killers, it’s revealed that one of the champions being kept in stasis on the Yautja home world is none other than Naru – the protagonist from Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey played by Amber Midthunder.

It was previously thought that Naru might have a very limited role to play in the grander Predator franchise due to the fact that Prey is set in 1719 – centuries before the events of all of the other canon features – but the new film totally changes the equation. We don’t have any specific clue as to how long the Yautja keep champions in stasis, but it can clearly be for a long, long time, as demonstrated in the fact that the three protagonists from Predator: Killer Of Killers are all from very different time periods in world history.

The table is clearly now set for Naru’s return… but what about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch from Predator? Or Danny Glover’s Mike Harrigan from Predator 2? Or Adrien Brody’s Royce and Alice Braga’s Isabelle from Predators? Or Boyd Holbrook’s Quinn from The Predator? The door is wide open now, and I’m thrilled about the idea of the franchise walking through in the coming years.

At present, we don’t know precisely how the Predator will dip back into the continuity’s past, but we won’t have to wait for the next installment generally speaking, as the next film in the canon is now just months away. Providing a whole new angle for the franchise by featuring a Yautja protagonist (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), Predator: Badlands is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 7 – and after the extreme badassness of Predator: Killer Of Killers, I am even more hyped than before.

If you’re a fan of 1980s action movies, I’m willing to bet that you are aware of the special bit of trivia that concerns Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton. Both are beloved and lauded character actors, but what makes their genre work particularly special is that they are the only performers in cinema history who have squared off against Predators, Xenomorphs and Terminators. It’s a very exclusive club… but this weekend, it is adding a new member thanks to the streaming arrival of the new animated film Predator: Killer Of Killers.

Michael Biehn memorably plays Kyle Reese in The Terminator, he is Cpl. Dwayne Hicks in Aliens, and in the latest installment of the Predator franchise, he voices a World War II commander named Vandy. I instantly picked up on the significance of the actor’s casting when I had the opportunity to see the film this past weekend, and when I asked about it during an interview earlier this week with director Dan Trachtenberg, he confirmed clear intention in the hiring. Said the filmmaker,

While I won’t say too much about Michael Biehn’s role in Predator: Killer Of Killers, he plays a key supporting role in the anthology film’s third segment and is a mentor character for Torres, a young pilot voiced by Rick Gonzalez.

As for Biehn’s new special place alongside Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton in pop culture history, Trachtenberg said,

For those out of the loop: Bill Paxton plays the unnamed Punk Leader in The Terminator, Private Hudson in Aliens, and Jerry Lambert in Predator 2. Lance Henriksen is Detective Hal Vukovich in The Terminator, Bishop and Bishop II in Aliens and Alien3, and Charles Bishop Weyland in Alien vs. Predator.

Arriving for Hulu subscribers in advance of Predator: Badlands (also directed by Dan Trachtenberg) hitting theaters, Predator: Killer Of Killers is a time-hoping narrative that sees members of the Yautja go toe-to-toe with Vikings, a ninja and a samurai, and skilled World War II pilots. It’s a fantastic treat for fans of the franchise and an excellent follow-up to Trachtenberg’s Prey. Check it out streaming starting tomorrow, June 6, and be on the lookout for more from my interview with the filmmakers behind the movie in the coming days.

I think I speak for many when I say audiences love it when characters from two (or more) different movies or TV series come together in one special event, such as the epic monster movies featuring both Godzilla and King Kong, or when Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc. appeared on Supernatural. Of course, for all of the mind-blowing crossovers we have been blessed with, there is still much to be desired in the realm of bringing two big-screen or small-screen franchises together.

In that respect, let’s let our imaginations run wild and dream up the movie or TV crossovers that would be incredible to see. Now, I cannot promise that many (or all) of these ideas are legally or even humanly possible, but why should we let that get in the way of the fun?

Toy Story And Small Soldiers

The first, and still one of the best, Pixar movies, Toy Story, showed us the world from the point of view of sentient toys in 1995. Three years later, Small Soldiers offered the same perspective, but with more of an edge and a more realistic approach. Seeing Woody (Tom Hanks) and other innocent children's playthings crossing paths with Major Chip Hazard (Tommy Lee Jones) and his AI-powered, militaristic action figures sounds like one wonderfully warped animated flick, if you ask me.

The Office And Parks And Recreation

As recalled by MovieWeb, co-creators Michael Schur and Greg Daniels initially conceived Parks and Recreation as a spin-off of The Office before it turned into its own separate and equally beloved TV sitcom. Still, there is no reason why Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and his former Dunder-Mifflin co-workers could not somehow cross paths with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and other Pawnee residents in a mockumentary-style special.

Drive And Fast And Furious

A famous example of misleading movie marketing is 2011's slow-burn, Neo-noir thriller Drive, which one woman assumed would be more of a high-octane action thriller like the Fast and Furious movies, inspiring her to file a lawsuit, according to The Guardian. Honestly, I see this as a reason to give the people what they want and release a movie that sees Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew facing off against Ryan Gosling's Driver.

Succession And Yellowstone

Having both premiered in 2018, Jesse Armstrong's Succession and Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone would become subjects of comparison, with some even calling the Paramount Network hit "Succession with cowboy hats." I think seeing the wealthy and vindictive Roys indulging in a rivalry with the also wealthy and vindictive Duttons would make for one epic feature-length special or miniseries.

21 Jump Street And Men In Black

Among the hypothetical crossovers presented here, not all are too much of a stretch from the realm of possibility. In fact, there were actual plans for a film called MIB23, which would have brought Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) from the 21 Jump Street movie into the world of the Men in Black franchise. Unfortunately, plans were scrapped in 2019, but I still have hope this insane sci-fi/comedy mash-up could work.

Poker Face And The Thing

Imagine if human lie detector Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) from the Peacock original TV show Poker Face was trapped in one place with a group of people who may or may not be shapeshifting extraterrestrial organisms in disguise, like the 1982 horror movie classic, The Thing. She would be the only one who could suss out the imitators, but the rest of the group might be too paranoid to confidently trust her judgment. I think Rian Johnson should give John Carpenter a call.

Star Wars And Marvel Cinematic Universe

As a fan of both the Star Wars movies and of Guardians of the Galaxy, I love the idea of seeing the cosmic warriors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe visit George Lucas' galaxy far, far away. Considering both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm are owned by Disney, this intergalactic epic is entirely possible, as long as the timeline is respected, of course.

RoboCop And Terminator

Omni Consumer Products' half-man, half-machine crime-fighting tool has crossed paths with Skynet's mechanical killer before, but only on the pages of a Dark Horse comic book series from Frank Miller. Why Hollywood has not yet tried its hand at a movie that pits the hero from RoboCop against any of the antagonistic cyborgs from the Terminator franchise is beyond me.

James Bond And Jason Bourne

The Matt Damon-led Jason Bourne movies are often cited as the inspiration for the James Bond franchise's grittier tone, especially after Daniel Craig took over as 007. If there could be a way to get the American amnesiac assassin and the suave MI6 agent together in a room (which would likely be destroyed by the end), that could make for one of the best spy movies ever.

Sherlock And Doctor Who

Two of the BBC's most popular series, Sherlock and Doctor Who, both involve a highly intelligent, fashionable, and sometimes arrogant protagonist who is accompanied by a reliable companion. For that and many other reasons, I think it would be amazing to see them come together in a special or miniseries in which Holmes, hitting a wall with a case that defies logic, finds unexpected help from The Doctor.

DC Universe And Marvel Cinematic Universe

The two biggest comic book publishing companies in the world have not always been rivals and have indulged in creating stories that see DC heroes and Marvel heroes fighting side by side. Considering his strong ties to the MCU, it can't be out of the question for DC Studios head James Gunn to at least call a meeting with Kevin Feige to discuss bringing this kind of crossover to the big screen, which might end up being the greatest superhero movie ever made.

John Wick And Kill Bill

While largely differing in tone, the John Wick movies and Quentin Tarantino's two-part Kill Bill saga are pretty similar in concept, following two retired, legendary assassins waging a vengeful war on those who wronged them. Who is to say that Keanu Reeves' gun-fu master and Uma Thurman's The Bride never crossed paths in their deadly heyday?

The Evil Dead And The Exorcist

Two of the most popular franchises of demonic possession movies, The Exorcist and The Evil Dead, could not be more different from one another, which is exactly why I want to see them converge. In my pitch, grown-up Regan MacNeill's (Linda Blair) expertise in devilish activity is enlisted to help with a new case, but when it spirals out of control, the only one who can help is chainsaw-headed Deadite hunter, Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell).

Inception And A Nightmare On Elm Street

When you think about it, Leonardo DiCaprio's Dom Cobb from Christopher Nolan's Inception essentially has the same job as Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Just imagine how much more challenging his team's adventures through the subconscious would be with Robert Englund's sadistic, badly burned boogeyman invading the same dream.

Alien, Predator, And Jurassic Park

You know what I think the Alien vs. Predator movies were missing? Dinosaurs. Putting these two fearsome extraterrestrials in yet another battle, but while trapped on one of the prehistoric animal-infested islands from the Jurassic Park films, could result in one of the most exciting entries from any of these franchises. You would not even need human characters to make it work because seeing both the Predator and the Xenomorph knocked down a peg by the T-Rex as a common enemy would be more than enough.

Ghostbusters And Casper

We already know that Casper and the Ghostbusters exist in the same universe, thanks to Dan Aykroyd's cameo as Ray Stantz in the Friendly Ghost's 1995 live-action feature adaptation of the animated series. I am sure Casper would happily help the paranormal exterminators take on a few evil spirits, even after an awkward misunderstanding were to happen when they first meet.

Mad Max And Dredd

The great thing about post-apocalyptic movies is that each has a different, intriguing interpretation of what a dystopian society would look like. However, what if the Wasteland from George Miller's Mad Max movies existed just across the (dried up) pond from Mega City One in Dredd? The gritty, visually stunning possibilities are endless.

Blade And Twilight

Allow me to make one thing clear: I am not suggesting that Marvel Comics' vampire hunter, originally played on the big screen by Wesley Snipes, should show up in the Twilight movies just to see Robert Pattinson's Edward, Kristen Stewart's Bella, and other bloodsuckers get slaughtered. I actually think Blade's presence could give the persistent haters of the films based on Stephanie Meyer's YA novel series a reason to treat the franchise with a little more respect.

Indiana Jones And Marvel Cinematic Universe

Since Disney owns both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, I wonder if anyone there has ever tinkered with the idea of putting a character like Indiana Jones in the MCU. I mean, he and Steve "Captain America" Rogers would have been alive around the same time and, as staunch anti-fascists, probably would have gotten along great. I doubt Harrison Ford's casting as Thunderbolt Ross in Captain America: Brave New World would cause much confusion, either.

Monk And Psych

The USA Network used to run promos bringing characters from their respective series together, including one in which Tony Shalhoub's eponymous detective from Monk suspects that Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) is not a real psychic. It makes me wish that we could have seen an official crossover episode that would have seen plenty of funny bickering between the carefree Shawn and someone as neurotic as Adrian Monk, who at least might have gotten along with Gus (Dulé Hill).

Power Rangers And Godzilla

By combining their respective, animal-shaped vehicles into one large Megazord, the Power Rangers have managed to face off against bizarre creatures of all sizes, which means they could realistically take on Godzilla. However, if I were to pitch this crossover, the rangers would eventually have to join forces with the King of the Monsters after an even larger creature emerges to wreak havoc on Angel Grove.

Bill & Ted And Wayne's World

Perhaps we never saw Bill S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves) take Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) on a trip through time because we are not worthy of such an excellent idea. Then again, if Myers and Carvey can still get together for Wayne's World reunions on SNL and Reeves and Winter could come back for 2020's Bill & Ted Face the Music, who says it doesn't have potential?

Dirty Harry And Death Wish

I think the greatest Dirty Harry movie we never saw would have put Clint Eastwood's Lt. Callahan on the case of a murderer targeting the most vicious gangs in San Francisco, which would turn out to be Charles Bronson's Paul Kersey from Death Wish. Inevitably, I think Harry would be lured into an alliance with the vengeful vigilante, coming to believe that his more permanent methods of justice align with his own.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer And Sabrina The Teenage Witch

It's a shame that there was never any attempt to make an official crossover between Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Sarah Michelle Gellar and the Melissa Joan Hart-led Sabrina the Teenage Witch while they were still on the air. The coming-of-age supernatural series may have differed dramatically in tone, but that is just what would have made the collaboration such a blast.

Harry Potter And The Dresden Files

If fans of the Harry Potter movies have ever been interested in trying out something a bit darker and grittier, there is another literary modern-day wizard with the same first name: Harry Dresden, played by Paul Blackthorne on the SyFy series, The Dresden Files. I think it would be fun to see J.K. Rowling's The Boy Who Lived helping author Jim Butcher's Chicago-based P.I. solve a grisly mystery in which magic is involved.

The Munsters And The Addams Family

They may have been on different networks and produced by opposing studios, but how in the world has there never been an attempt to introduce the Munsters to the Addams Family? I would even be open to getting the actors from Rob Zombie's reboot movie to star alongside the cast of Netflix's Wednesday if it meant getting just a glimpse at these creepy, kooky families finally coming together.

It And Terrifier

There are no two villains in the subgenre of creepy clown movies more iconic than Pennywise from It and Art the Clown from Terrifier. I can't imagine a horror fan being against the idea of bringing Bill Skarsgård's shapeshifting fear demon from Andy Muschietti's blockbuster adaptation of Stephen King's novel and David Howard Thornton from Damien Leone's shocking indie slashers together for one brutal showdown that would have blood and white face paint smeared across the screen.

Hocus Pocus And Trick 'R Treat

In Disney's cult favorite, family-friendly witch movie, 1993's Hocus Pocus, our young protagonists go through a lot of trouble to defeat the Sanderson Sisters (played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker). I cannot help but wonder how easily those sinister spellcasters could have been taken care of by the mischievous Sam from the 2007 anthology horror movie favorite, Trick 'r Treat.

Hoarders And Storage Wars

You know those people on the show Hoarders who compulsively keep hold of any item they possess, no matter how unnecessary or even unhealthy it may be? I have a potential idea to help them: put them on another A&E reality show called Storage Wars and tell them that they must outbid other experienced collectors if they want to maintain ownership of their junk.

Johnny English And The Pink Panther

While it barely held a candle to Peter Sellers, I cannot deny that I enjoyed Steve Martin's portrayal of Inspector Jacques Clouseau in his Pink Panther reboot. I even more enjoyed Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling Bond-wannabe in the Johnny English movies. I imagine that having the clueless French detective and accident-prone British spy cross paths on a case would result in some real comedic dynamite (especially if real dynamite is involved).

Sister Act And The Nun

After watching Whoopi Goldberg's Academy Award-winning performance in Ghost, I am convinced that a sequel to Sister Act in which Deloris Wilson-Van Cartier must contend with the habit-wearing demon Valak (Bonnie Aarons) from the Conjuring movies would be a riot.

Big Brother And Survivor

Big Brother and Survivor are both competitive reality shows that make social interaction a key element to winning, with the biggest difference being the setting. If I ran CBS, I would send the most famous all-stars from Big Brother to a remote island, bring Survivor champs to the Big Brother house, and see what happens.

Here’s the thing. If you’re excited about upcoming sci-fi flicks, then you have a lot to look forward to, including movies about aliens, and movies about predators.

As an old-school fan who mostly likes the “classics,” I think it’s safe to say that a majority of people would agree that the Alien series is a better franchise than the Predator series. In fact, in our list of the 35 best sci-fi movies of all time, two Alien movies made the list. Do you want to know how many Predator movies made the list? ZERO.

That said, even though I’d probably slot certain Alien movies higher than the where I'd rank the Predator movies when it comes to overall quality, I still prefer the latter when all is said and done. Here’s why.

First Off, The Predator Series Is More Fun Than The Alien Series

You know a word I would never associate with the Alien franchise? Fun. I mean, even the Alien vs. Predator movies, which were supposed to be more action-packed than the base Alien films, still felt too dark for my liking. Compare it to something like 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason, which was deliberately silly, and I think you can see where I'm coming from. In every way, the Alien series is not known for being enjoyable. Tense? yes. Scary? You betcha. Fun? Nope!

And, it’s not supposed to be! The funny thing about the first two Alien films, is that not only did they make our list of the best sci-fi films. They also made our best horror movies list! In every way, the fear factor runs deep in the Alien series’ DNA, as all of the movies are supposed to make you feel uncomfortable.

Not so with the Predator series, which has always been kind of camp. Arnold Schwarzenegger is no Sigourney Weaver, and a majority of his acting in the first film was one part muscles, and two parts catchphrases (“Get to the choppa!”).

And, that's the thing, all of the Predator movies (well, save for the abysmal Alien vs. Predator: Requiem) are meant to be fun action flicks.

Now, granted, some of them are more fun than others (I personally love Predator 2, Prey, and of course the 1987 original), but I find all of them to be way more enjoyable than the Alien series, and that's saying something, given how good most of the Alien movies are.

They Also Have A Lot Less To Live Up To, Meaning They Can Take More Creative Risks

I mentioned earlier how Alien and Aliens are two of the greatest sci-fi/horror movies of all time, and that's a lot to live up to! So much so that when the most recent Alien movie, 2024's Alien: Romulus came out (which we called the third best Alien movie in our review), one thing that some people liked about it was that it felt like a return to form.

Movies like Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, and Prometheus all felt different from the first two movies, but aside from Prometheus, I feel like a majority of people probably wish they hadn't felt so different.

And, that's probably because the first two movies set impossibly high standards. Not so with the first Predator, though, which while fun, was not something that couldn't be altered or even improved upon.

Even the first Predator sequel, Predator 2, changed up the setting dramatically, putting it in L.A. Predators, meanwhile, was like a back to basics Predator movie set on a different planet. And then, The Predator was all over the place (though, maybe not in a good way). This was followed up by the excellent Prey, which was a period piece.

Which is the beauty of the Predator franchise! Since it doesn't have one (Or two!) of the greatest movies of all time in its series, it can pretty much take as many risks as possible. The Alien series…not so much, since any new movie will always be compared to the first two films, which is kind of a bummer.

I Also Like How The Predator Movies Have Almost Always Felt More Character-Focused Than The Alien Movies

I’m going to say something controversial: Aside from Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, and Michael Biehn, I’d say that a majority of the other actors in the Alien movies are pretty forgettable.

I know, I know, who could forget Ian Holm as an android, or Michael Fassbender as, er, another android? Yes, some characters certainly do stand out, but I think we can all agree that besides Sigourney Weaver, the real stars of the Alien movies are probably the Xenomorphs.

Which again, cool. Xenomorphs are some of the most iconic creatures in all of sci-fi. That said…I always felt like aside from the first few Alien movies, most of the characters, besides Sigourney Weaver, felt like they were just there to be killed by the Xenomorphs.

This is the exact opposite of the Predator movies, with the Alien vs. Predator films being the exception, rather than the rule when it comes to not providing interesting human characters.

Because honestly, what is a Predator movie if not a story about a human going up against an alien? Yes, both the Xenomorphs and the Predators are alien races that hunt their prey, but the Alien films often seem like they’re more focused on the monsters (and the chilling atmosphere) rather than the characters, while the Predator movies are almost always centered on a human character (Like Dutch, Mike Harrigan, Royce, Naru, etc) facing off against an alien threat. I love that aspect of the Predator films, and I find that human element lacking in most of the Alien flicks.

As Somebody Who Can Get Claustrophobic At Times, I Also Prefer The Wide-Open Settings In The Predator Films

I’ve already written about horror movies that I’m too scared to watch, but I have managed to watch every single Alien movie. That said, some of them have been really tough to sit through, since I’m a bit claustrophobic, and the Alien movies thrive on this fear.

Aliens crawling through tight spaces, the extremely close corridors of space ships, the feeling of being stuck out in space. It all really just gets under my skin time and time again, making all of the Alien films feel extremely visceral, and like I said earlier, uncomfortable. And, all of this is intentional.

It’s a hallmark of the series, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Even so, I still much prefer the wide-open areas of the Predator series. There’s a certain scariness of being that out in the open, what with the Predator camouflaging itself with its surroundings. Even so, I never feel squished or tight watching a Predator movie.

Au contraire, it all feels very spaced out, which I can take a lot more of than what we get with the Alien franchise.

For instance, I sometimes like to do Predator marathons, but I wouldn’t dare do that with the Alien series. I can only do one Alien movie per day, as I couldn’t take those close corners for more than a single movie. I wouldn’t be able to breathe!

Lastly, I've Just Always Found Predators To Be Cooler Than Xenomorphs

Finally, I know the Xenomorphs are scarier, but I’ve always just thought the Predators were cooler.

For instance, I like that they’re constantly seeking out the strongest people for the joy of the hunt. This has always seemed like a really cool concept to me, since I love stories where it’s ultimately one-on-one. And, while we’ve gotten stories with multiple Predators, I’ve always enjoyed the element of that final showdown, which we’ve gotten in some of the Alien movies, though not to the same extent or build up.

I also really like the different kinds of Predators. Yes, there are different kinds of Xenomorphs, but I just like the different designs of the Predators even more. And when we got the AvP movies, I always rooted for the Predators. They seem more scrappy, which I approve of.

In every way, I’m more of a Predator dude than a Xenomorph guy. So, even though we’re possibly getting a new Ridley Scott Alien movie, I’m much more excited for Predator: Badlands (which is making “a wild change” by making a Predator the protagonist, but I’m willing to give it a chance!).

But, what do you think? Are you a more of a Predator fan, or a Xenomorph stan? Either way, you can’t go wrong!

Fresh new takes on classic sci-fi horror movies have been coming out, and for long time fans like me, these new takes on our best horror movies. From the newest Nosferatu to Alien: Romulus, there is a new breath of fresh air in the movie scene, and I am living for it. Hulu’s Prey is another entry like the ones above that is a new refreshing take on an old sci-fi horror. On the topic of Prey, the concept of a sequel has been thrown around a lot. The latest on that? Amber Midthunder has the latest, and while it isn’t much at first, it still gives promise.

In an interview with Collider, when talking about her high-octane flick Novocaine, actress Amber Midthunder was asked about the potential of a Prey sequel. She had spoken before about the potential of a sequel, stating that it was something in talks but she'd be interested. But this time around we got a little bit more to go off of. This time Midthunder gave a heartfelt response to the possibility, even if it isn’t set in stone. Midthunder was quoted saying:

While the sequel is still in early development, it is still lined up and in the works. Though for a while it was touch and go on whether or not it was going to take place. At one point Dan Trachtenberg said that while it would be cool, they are grappling with whether or not they should make it. A sentiment that many sequels and prequels grapple with.

Among sequel talks, there was also the idea thrown around of a new Alien vs Predator, something that the directors are also quite enthusiastic about. And fans like myself are hoping they do make happen, because I just think that would be super awesome. Mainly just because both franchises have been going to new creative angles for both franchises, with Romulus going back to original form of clunky, old, and really out there. While Prey had the angle of someone using ‘primitive’ warfare against something as technologically advanced as Predator.

An angle that many people enjoyed, including those from indigenous groups that were represented in the film. Midthunder did speak on the impact that the film had in the past, and the overall sigh of relief she felt that it was well received.

Overall, a sequel to Prey would be really cool and I am interested to see what they would do, seeing as based on the end credits the actions of Prey will bring more attention to earth. So, there is definitely more to explore with other times and other groups. And while I'd love to see Naru again, I am interested to see what other stories that they can cook up. For now, we can watch the old predators and make our own rank list, cause Prey definitely deserves to be high up there.

While Alien: Romulus made us scream last summer, the 2025 movie schedule will still deliver even more terrified reactions. That’s especially true when you consider that fans who side more with the Predator legacy of movies will have some fresh kills to enjoy thanks to Badlands and the upcoming Hulu film.

With these two creature feature titans resurging so close to each other's orbit, we continue to wonder if we’ll ever get a high-quality crossover movie that would merge the Alien movie timeline with that other sci-fi franchise in a more canonically accepted manner. And Romulus helmer/co-writer Fede Àlvarez sounds like he'd volunteer for that gig if one or more studios stepped up to fund it.

In fact, he already has an idea for what he’d want to do for such a project, and those thoughts require a nice, juicy F-bomb. Speaking with Collider, Àlvarez couldn’t contain himself, and shared his strategy in two parts, starting with:

I don’t know about you, but even though we already have two Predator movies to look forward to this year, I'm still kind of hoping this crossover plan will happen sooner than later. I mean, we know that a secret Predator movie was already filmed as a Hulu subscription exclusive, set for release before Badlands hits theaters. So it's not without precedent.

Could Fede Àlvarez have already conspired with his geek brother in arms Dan Trachtenberg to take steps that might put their hypothetical Alien vs. Predator movie on the board? It's certainly worth asking, although who says that the Predator franchise should do all the heavy lifting?

Continuing to flesh out his thoughts on using 20th Century Studios’ franchises as backdoor prequels to this potential crossover, Alien: Romulus’ co-writer/director turned the tables to consider this possibility:

Pondering these twin scenarios has me thinking about the story behind Split’s twist ending, which saw M. Night Shyamalan turning his seemingly standalone film into the middle entry to the Eastrail 177 Trilogy. Connecting the legacy of Unbreakable to the finale that was Glass, no one knew it was going to happen until it unfolded on the screen.

Imagining a brand new chapter in either of these sci-fi greats throwing the other into its fold as a twist that does just that is truly worthy of a “fuck yeah.” That's a premiere I'd need to attend, just to soak in the cheers and shouts of the public first learning that this rematch was indeed on.

Of course, one would hope that based on how Fede Àlvarez described it, that twist would be deployed much earlier in the picture. It’s all speculation at this point, though we do know that the Evil Dead reboot mastermind has taken on Alien: Romulus’ sequel as his next film. Perhaps it won’t be too long before we learn whatever the next steps may be in this horrifyingly intriguing universe.

Until then, I'll definitely be watching both of those upcoming Predator movies a lot closer when they arrive later this year. Which, to me, is another excuse to rewatch Romulus, as there could be some potential clues scattered among that bout of carnage and destruction.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has done a lot over the years. He’s been the source of some hilarious out-of-context memes, given the internet some of the wildest commercials, and kicked a whole lot of butt on the big screen. Over the years, his characters like the Terminator, John Kimble, John Matrix, and Dutch have also made a massive impact in the best action movies, even if they sometimes responded with way more force than necessary.

That said, here are 32 times one of Arnie’s characters went a little too far, either physically, verbally, or both!

The Suitcase Scene (Total Recall)

Total Recall is a wild movie. In fact, it’s one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s craziest films. One scene that never gets old is the one where Douglas Quaid is trying to get a suitcase that’ll help him remove a device from his nose. But before he can save himself, he tussles with an older lady who stumbled upon it. Sure, she cusses at him, but only after almost pulling her down a flight of stairs.

When The Terminator Took Out A Bar Full Of Bikers (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

The T-800 getting his clothes through violent means is a staple of the franchise, but he went all out when getting some biker clothes in the opening of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The bar fight, the bikers getting whooped, the one dude getting thrown on a hot stove. Ouch!

The Time John Kimble Told A Group Of Kids To 'Shut Up!' (Kindergarten Cop)

There are two things a teacher should refrain from doing in a classroom: hitting students and yelling at the little kiddos. Luckily, John Kimble remembers the first rule in Kindergarten Cop, but he missed the memo when it came to telling his class to “Shut up!”

When John Matrix Killed A Guy On A Plane And Then Dipped Out During Takeoff (Commando)

Commando is an outrageously violent movie that depicts Arnold Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix going above and beyond to rescue his kidnapped daughter. However, he takes extreme measures to save the day, like the time he snapped a henchman’s neck on an airplane to escape. He could have just knocked the dude out and still gotten off the plane.

The Classic 'You're Fired' Moment (True Lies)

James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger made some of the best action flicks of all time together, including True Lies, a movie with all kinds of zany violence. Just look at the time Harry Tasker took out terrorist leader Salim Abu Aziz in the final act. He could have just taken him into custody, but nope, he fired him through a building and into a helicopter on a rocket.

The Handshake Turned Arm-Wrestling Match With Dillon (Predator)

Predator is probably the most macho of all the ‘80s action movies, which means we’re going to get some over-the-top scenes left and right. And there are also moments where Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch responds to situations with way more force than needed, like the iconic handshake-turned-arm-wrestling match with Dillon. So unnecessary, but so awesome.

The Time Mr. Freeze Froze A Security Guard Pleading For Mercy (Batman & Robin)

While Mr. Freeze is far from being the most violent or deranged villain Gotham City has ever seen, the version of the big bad in Batman & Robin used excessive force as much as he used terrible puns throughout the 1997 comic book movie. In the beginning, he straight up freezes a security guard begging for mercy, which is just cold.

Splitting Buzzsaw In Two (The Running Man)

Yeah, Buzzsaw kind of had it coming in The Running Man, but Ben Richards sending this gameshow villain to an early death was just so much. Imagine being split in half by your own weapon and then having some guy in a leotard joke about it on the way to kill your friends.

When The Terminator Pulled Out A Punk's Heart (The Terminator)

The Terminator wasted no time letting audiences know that this wasn’t their granddad’s sci-fi movie. No, it was darker, more action-packed, and a whole lot more violent. Like, remember when the T-800 straight up rips a dude’s heart from his chest? Brutal!

The Time John 'Eraser' Kruger Used A Freezer To Kill A Man (Eraser)

Eraser is one of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies that doesn’t get talked about enough, which is a shame because it has some bonkers scenes. There’s one sequence in particular where John “Eraser” Kruger snaps a dude’s neck in a freezer like he’s opening a bottle.

Thulsa's Decapitation (Conan The Barbarian)

Okay, Thulsa Doom (played by the late James Earl Jones) wasn’t the nicest of guys and pretty much had it coming. However, his decapitation at the hand of Conan Barbarian was shockingly and unsettlingly violent with not one, not two, but three swings of his sword.

Impaling Bennett With A Steam Pipe (Commando)

Okay, Commando gave us some of the best Arnold Schwarzenegger lines, but did Bennett really need to be turned into a steam pipe after being impaled? Was it hilarious? Yeah. Was it gruesome? Yes, again. But was it necessary? The jury is still out on that one.

John Kimble's 'I Lied' Speech (Commando)

There are few Arnold Schwarzenegger lines funnier than “I lied” from Commando. Despite being a great one-liner and despite being an unforgettable way of taking care of a sworn enemy, the manner in which John Kimble takes out Sully is so over-top-top and ridiculous. He did deserve it though.

The 'That Hit The Spot' Scene (The Running Man)

The Running Man finds the perfect balance of absurd action and biting social commentary, and it features some hilariously ridiculous death scenes. One that is just so out there happens when Ben Richards finally gets revenge on Damon Killian by sending him crashing into one of his own signs.

When Mr. Freeze Turned Gotham Into A Frozen Nightmare (Batman & Robin)

Freezing large groups of people and entire city centers is kind of Mr. Freeze’s schtick (just look at his name), but that’s no defending the Gotham villain’s actions in Batman & Robin. This guy went from trying to find a way to cure his comatose wife to turning a major metropolitan area into a winter wonderland.

When John Matrix Lifted A Phone Booth Above His Head (Commando)

John Matrix does a little bit of everything in Commando, especially when it comes to beating people up and killing them. Remember the time he was trying to attack Sully and decided that the best way of getting back at him was punching a phone booth and lifting it above his head? Like, what would have happened if no one stepped in to stop him?

When Harry Tasker Arrests His Wife Then Forces Her To Seduce A Mysterious Man (True Lies)

Bruh, Harry Tasker is lucky Helen didn’t divorce him and leave him in her dust after what he pulled in True Lies. If lying to your wife isn’t bad enough, the Omega Sector agent later arrests her and forces him to seduce a mysterious man (which is actually him) after he caught her having fun with a conman she was convinced was an actual spy. That’s grounds for divorce in at least 37 states.

The Time The Terminator Drove A Car Into A Police Station (The Terminator)

The classic “I’ll be back” line has a rather devastating punchline in The Terminator. When the T-800 can’t get into the police station through normal means, the walking, talking killing machine drives a car into the front desk, killing the poor clerk in the process.

The Party Pooper Scene (Kindergarten Cop)

Before John Kimble started yelling at kids in Kindergarten Cop, he was spending his time being a “party pooper” by viciously killing all manner of criminals. In the opening of this hilarious action comedy, a bearded Kimble pretty much kills anyone who looks at him funny or at least gives off a hint that they are some kind of criminal. Anyway, he just comes in blasting!

Howard Yelling For Ted To 'Put The Cookie Down!' (Jingle All The Way)

Ted is an undeniable scumbag in Jingle all the Way for preying on Howard Langston’s wife like that, but at least let the guy eat the cookie. This scene in the 1996 holiday-theme family comedy has become one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most iconic, but still no need to yell like that.

When Howard Langston Fought A Warehouse Of Santas (Jingle All The Way)

Howard Langston is far from being the best husband, dad, neighbor, friend, or human in Jingle All the Way. Throughout the movie, he takes things way too far in an attempt to make up for being a distant and distracted father all those years. But fighting a warehouse full of Santas? Come on, Howard, save that energy for Ted.

When Conan Turned The Tables On A Vulture (Conan The Barbarian)

Conan the Barbarian is a wild, fantastical, and violent movie, but what more do you expect from John Milius? One of the most ridiculously violent scenes in the movie comes when Conan is being crucified on the Tree of Woe. As a vulture is picking away at the dying warrior, Conan grabs ahold of the bird and eats him. He could simply yell at him to go away, but nope, he eats him. Violently at that.

The Time Dutch Threw A Knife And Let A Soldier Slowly Bleed Out (Predator)

A lot of people forget that the first chunk of Predator sees Dutch and company make quick work of a group of soldiers deep in the rainforest. That means, there’s probably a large group of people who have completely forgotten about the time Dutch threw a knife into a soldier’s chest and let the man slowly bleed out in agony.

Ben Richards Telling Damon Killian How He's Going To Kill Him (The Running Man)

Ben Richards telling Damon Killian, in no uncertain terms, that he’s going to kill him, is one of the most straightforward and forceful ways of trying to intimidate a villain we’ve ever seen. And while Ben is a lot of things, a liar he is not, as Damon finds out before the credits roll.

When Jericho Cane Told The Devil He Was A 'Choir Boy' (End Of Days)

Not every Arnold Schwarzenegger character has had to resort to acts of violence to make a villain quiver in his boots, and that includes Jericho Cane (talk about a great movie name) from End of Days. Remember the time he told the devil that the actual prince of darkness, the fallen angel, lucifer himself was a “choir boy” compared to him? He didn’t have to put the burn on the guy like that.

Joseph P. Brenner Telling Monique She Shouldn't 'Drink And Bake' (Raw Deal)

Admittedly, Raw Deal is an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie that is often overlooked. And that’s a crying shame because it has some of the wildest and most brutal lines from the action star. But nothing comes close to the scene where Joseph P. Brenner gets snippy with his wife and tells her she “shouldn’t drink and bake” after throwing a cake at him.

The 'You've Just Been Erased' Scene (Eraser)

Want to talk cold-blooded? Well, look no further than Eraser when John Kruger fakes his own death and orchestrates a plot to get revenge on Robert DeGuerin. How does he do it? Well, he has the villain’s limo stop on a train track, and just before the train comes crashing into him, Kruger says ‘You’ve just been erased.”

When The Terminator Told The Gas Station Clerk To 'Talk To The Hand' (Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines)

Is Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines a good movie? No, far from it. But it does have one of the sassiest and most unnecessary Arnold Schwarzenegger moments of all time. There’s a scene when the killing machine sent from the future tells a gas station clerk to “talk to the hand.” Like, why did that need to happen?

The 'Divorce' Scene (Total Recall)

Like a lot of the other great ‘90s action movies, Total Recall is a series of one unforgettable scene after another. For example, there’s the moment partway through the movie when Douglas Quaid finds out his wife is actually a secret agent and tells her he wants a divorce before killing her. Like what?

The Garden Shed Scene (Commando)

One of the most shockingly violent moments in all of Commando takes place during the garden shed sequence when John Matrix is taking on all kinds of mercs. He takes out one with a pitchfork, another with a saw blade, a guy with an axe, and then chops off the remaining soldier’s arm with a machete.

The Time Hercules Fought A Bear (Hercules In New York)

Remember Hercules in New York, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first movie? Well, you’re missing out because he fights a bear. Yep, a bear.

Pretty Much The Entire Movie (Last Action Hero)

Last Action Hero has built a cult following over the course of the past 30 years, and people are finally starting to appreciate John McTiernan’s satirical action flick. Instead of including one, two, or three examples of Jack Slater using excessive force, we’ll just point out that he’s unnecessarily forceful in his attacks from start to finish.

The Predator franchise has found new life thanks to director Dan Trachtenberg. Following his work on the absolutely excellent Prey, Trachtenberg has directed not one, but two Predator movies, and the next one promises to be as fresh as the last one as it will do something that no Predator movie has done before, focus on the Predator.

While the Predator movies are often seen as science fiction movies first, by virtue of the fact that the title character is a space alien, they are essentially slasher movies, with each film following human characters as they are chased by a near-unstoppable killing machine. Speaking with Empire, Dan Trachtenberg confirms that the new film Predator: Badlands (recently added to the 2025 movie schedule) will be different because the Predator will actually be the main character. He explained…

Trachtenberg says the idea came from a desire to find a fresh way to push the boundaries of the Predator franchise in the same way that Prey had done before. In this case, that apparently means a movie that will actually have fans rooting for the Predator.

How exactly that will work is anybody’s guess at this point. What we know about Predator: Badlands is fairly limited. The movie will be set on an alien world and will be set in the future, a first for the franchise. Elle Fanning is set to star in the film, and so we all thought she would be the film’s main character, but now it’s unclear who the star really is, if The Predator will be hunting her, or if perhaps they’ll end up working together.

I don’t really know what’s going on with Predator: Badlands, but I am absolutely interested in seeing how it all turns out. When I wrote our Prey review I had nothing bad to say about the film. I honestly think it’s the best movie in the Predator franchise, and Dan Trachtenberg has my confidence. The last time he tried something really new it was a home run.

Connecting emotionally with a Predator would seem like a tall order. The characters have previously only been monsters focused on hunting. They’ve never really shown emotions of their own beyond rage. Making a Predator character that evokes an emotional reaction from the audience without being a drastically different sort of character, would seem incredibly difficult if not impossible, but that’s what makes it so exciting.

And if this does work it’s only going to get more excited for the future of this franchise. Especially since Dan Trachtenberg has another Predator movie coming, one that he apparently filmed alongside Badlands in secret. While I would love to see a sequel to Prey, if there is yet another way to push the boundaries of Predator, I'm here for it.

Sometimes, you see a movie, leave it, and you don’t think it needs a sequel. Or maybe you want a sequel, but it never gets made, and unexpectedly, a legacy sequel comes out decades later. All of this and more have led to some great films, so here are over 30 sequels that no one really asked for but are actually beloved.

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish

One year after the release of the fourth Shrek film in 2010, we got Puss in Boots. At the time, I think it's safe to say many of us weren’t looking for a spinoff of the sequels. However, we got it. Then, in 2022, we got its sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Between its unique animation style, its existential questions about death, a truly horrifying villain and all the humor we know and love from the Shrek films, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish will stay with you for a long time after watching it, and I can’t say that’s typically expected from a film that’s sequel to a spinoff.

Twisters

Back in 1996, after the release of Twister, there was talk about making a sequel. However, nothing came of that, and we all moved on. Then, almost 30 years later, stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones and director Lee Isaac Chung came flying onto the scene to make the legacy sequel Twisters, and boy did it work!

Top Gun: Maverick

Yes, there had been chatter about a Top Gun sequel for years and years and years after its release in 1986. However, we got nothing for literal decades. Then, 36 years later, Tom Cruise and co. came zooming back into theaters with Top Gun: Maverick, and it dominated.

The film raised the bar for aviation action, and it somehow managed to not just live up to Top Gun, but exceed it in a lot of ways. Overall, the film by Joseph Kosinski was an epic and wild ride that came out three decades after the original, proving that the need for speed was still there.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (And Everything That Followed)

Let’s be real, they could have stopped at three if they wanted to. However, the Mission: Impossible movies didn’t end there, and thank goodness. After the releases of M:I 1, 2 and 3, they switched up the naming trend and revamped with the release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in 2011.

Since then, we’ve gotten so many wild stunts from Tom Cruise and so many seemingly impossible missions, and it’s not stopping there either. That’s because if there’s a mission, we will always choose to accept it.

Toy Story 3

The first two Toy Story movies were all about Buzz, Woody, and co.’s adventures in Andy’s room. These two films came out in 1995 and 1999, and they are beloved by so many. Then, in 2010, eleven years after 2 came out, they returned again with Toy Story 3, which saw the toys donated to a childcare center.

While the film wasn’t exactly asked for, it was made and it blew audiences away. It also left them crying their eyes out.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

Did we need a legacy sequel to Jumanji that saw the board game turned into a video game? No. But did we get it? Yes. And did it blow audiences away? 100%.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, this film was a super fresh take on the classic starring Robin Williams as the kids ended up in the jungle rather than the jungle ending up in their homes. And it was so well received, that now there are two more films based on the video game adaptation of the classic board game.

Cobra Kai

There’s always been a demand for more Karate Kid, however, no one asked for or quite frankly deserved the goodness that is Cobra Kai. Rather than following Daniel LaRusso, the show flips the script and follows his original rival Johnny Lawrence as he works to start his own dojo and turn his life around.

After starting out on YouTube, the show found great success, and eventually wound up on Netflix. Now, Cobra Kai is one of Netflix’s most bingeable and beloved shows.

Creed

After six Rocky movies that came out across four decades, you’d think another one or a spinoff wasn’t necessary. However, then Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan came in swinging with the story of Apollo Creed’s son Adonis, and to mix my sports metaphors, they knocked it out of the park.

Blade Runner 2049

Folks were apprehensive about returning to the universe of Blade Runner 35 years after the original’s release. However, Blade Runner 2049 received good reviews and a positive response from audiences in the time since its release in 2017. Although, should we be surprised by that? It was directed by Denis Villeneuve and starred Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.

The Incredibles 2

Admittedly, there was always a want for an Incredibles sequel. However, the one we got was not what we expected. After ending the first film on a cliffhanger, there was a 14-year break and then we got The Incredibles 2 which took the story in a new, refreshing and exciting direction.

Mad Max: Fury Road

After making three Mad Max movies between 1979 and 1985, the prospect of the franchise returning with such force in 2015 was unexpected. However, it ended up being incredible, because not only is George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road a hit, it’s now widely considered one of the best action movies of all time.

Fast Five

Fast Five is the film that definitively changed the Fast and Furious franchise. While the previous Fast movies were rooted in street racing and did up the ante every time, the fifth installment took things to a whole new level. Following the team’s heist in Brazil, this film proves that sometimes a fifth movie can be the best one, because, to this day, Fast Five is one of if not the best Fast and Furious movie.

Prey

The Predator franchise began in 1987, and each decade since, we’ve gotten a new film. However, in 2022, I don’t think many asked for or expected Prey. The film was widely well-received, and the prequel introduced many to the wildly talented actress Amber Midthunder. It went over so well with audiences, in fact, that it’s now considered one of the best Predator movies.

Toy Story 4

If you thought Toy Story 3 seemingly came out of thin air, then you likely really weren’t ready for Toy Story 4. Released nine years after the third film, this project is quite different from the others as it sees the toys with Bonnie and Woody specifically struggling with his life as a toy. It’s a thoughtful and fun film, and one that I was surprised I loved so much since the bar was sky high for it.

Scream (2022)

While each Scream movie features a new ensemble of side characters, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette were always leading the films. However, 2022’s Scream – which is notably the first project in the franchise not directed by Wes Craven – acted as a changing of the guard. While Sidney, Gale and Dewey were there, the film was led by Melissa Barrera’s Sam, Jenna Ortega’s Tara and their set of friends, giving us a fresh yet fitting addition to this beloved horror franchise.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Yes, there was a want for Mamma Mia! 2, however, I don’t think anyone asked for them to go this hard! The film flashes back and forth between the present and the past, adding new ABBA songs and bringing back fan favorites, meaning the vibes were so high in this sequel and it's a worthy successor of its beloved predecessor.

T2: Trainspotting

In 1996, Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting was met with a lot of love. Then, 21 years later, in 2017, Ewan McGregor and co. got back together for the sequel T2: Trainspotting.

Shrek 2

Shrek was a cultural phenomenon, and honestly, it still is. However, Shrek 2 came onto the scene swinging, and the story that included the antagonistic Prince Charming and Fairy Godmother is widely considered the best Shrek movie.

Paddington 2

I’m not being dramatic, Paddington 2 is a masterpiece. As you will note if you look at its many five-star reviews, Paddington 2 is a wonderful, wholesome and deeply beloved film that is also a sequel that no one expected to love this much.

Before Sunset

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy put a wonderful love story to screen in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise. Typically, romances don’t get sequels. However, in 2004, the crew got back together again to make Before Sunset, which is also a deeply loved film.

Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit

Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit – which is a wonderful title – was the surprise sequel to Whoopi Goldberg’s beloved Sister Act. While it’s not as beloved as the original, it is heaps of fun and filled with magical musical moments.

John Wick: Chapter 2

John Wick was an action-packed new film that blew people away. Then, after its success Chad Stahelski got to make more of these movies with Keanu Reeves, spawning one of the great action franchises.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

After the first Suicide Squad film, I don’t think anyone needed or really wanted another one. However, then James Gunn got his hands on the property and saved it with ease as he brought back characters like Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, and introduced new ones, like John Cena’s Peacemaker.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Six years after the release of Gremlins, we got another story about these little monsters. And like its predecessor, it’s a spooky and fun film that audiences really love.

Halloween (2018)

In 1978 we saw Jamie Lee Curtis lead the iconic slasher Halloween, and we were introduced to the legendary horror villain Michael Meyers. After that, we got movies in 1981, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2007 and 2009. In fact, 2018’s Halloween is the third movie to just go by the singular name. So, it’s safe to say there were questions about if we needed an eleventh film in the franchise. However, this entry from David Gordon Green was a welcome one that breathed new life into the franchise.

Magic Mike XXL

Magic Mike XXL is one of those movies that has no right to be as good as it is. I don’t think many thought Channing Tatum’s movie about strippers would get a sequel, however, Magic Mike ended up being quite the success. A few years later we got its great sequel that takes the beloved strippers on the road so they can go to a stripper convention.

Thor: Ragnarok

If you’ve watched the Marvel movies in order, you know that Thor: The Dark World is a dark spot in the franchise. So, going into the threequel about the God of Thunder, apprehension is the word I’d use to describe many viewers' thoughts about it. However, under the direction of Taika Waititi, the third Thor movie took a hard turn into comedy, leaned into Chris Hemsworth’s comedic sensibilities and brought this franchise based on the Norse hero back to life.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

You know, The Terminator did say “I’ll be back,” and he was right. In 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger returned as the titular character, and he did so with a bang. To this day it's considered one of the great sequels, and The Terminator came back a few more times after that.

Psycho II

It might not be as critically acclaimed as its predecessor but Psycho II has quite the cult following. The film follows Norman Bates 20 years after the events of the first film, and offers an interesting look into what happened two decades after those infamous events at the Bates Motel.

Predator 2

Predator 2 is a cult classic. While it’s not as acclaimed as its predecessor, the 1990 sequel led by Danny Glover has many fans who adore it.

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York

The first Home Alone became a fast favorite and one of the best Christmas movies. Then, two years later, Kevin McCallister didn’t get left home alone, he got lost in New York, and the shenanigans that ensued made this sequel just as classic as the original.

Aliens

After Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic Alien, James Cameron took over to helm the sequel, Aliens, in 1986. Not only is it a great sequel, it’s one of the best sequels ever. And, not only is it a fantastic sequel, it’s also just flat-out one of the best movies of the ‘80s.

From cult classics to critically acclaimed flicks, there’s a whole swath of sequels we didn’t really ask for. However, I’m oh so happy they happened, and I think a bunch of viewers are too.

Warning: SPOILERS for Alien: Romulus are in play. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you’ve been warned.

Dear friends and readers, you’re going to want to make some room on your calendar for some important upcoming 2025 movies, and then some. Thanks to a new interview with 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell, the outlook is a bit clearer for both the Alien movie timeline, as well as the world of the Predator franchise.

Unfortunately, this good news comes at a cost, and that price may have been paid through the latest update that the Kingsman series has gotten; a development that has left me quite saddened. So let’s break this down one step at a time and try to ignore that there’s a Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sequel floating around in the ether:

Alien Romulus Has A Sequel In The Works

Let’s start with the good news though, shall we? For those of you who rode it out with Alien: Romulus’ wild ending, your attachment to the survivors is about to be rewarded. During his discussion with THR about the state of 20th Century Studios’ slate, Mr. Asbell issued the following update on the status of a potential sequel:

Between Rain becoming another formidable entry into the history of Alien franchise female leads, and Andy landing his place as one of the best artificial people in this universe, that news is extremely promising. Not to mention, it’s good news to consider on top of Alien: Isolation’s recently announced sequel keeping things alive in the world of video games.

Predator fans, fear not! I promised you good news, and good news you have not once, but twice over.

A Secret Second Predator Film Is Coming In 2025

For a movie that started as a direct to streaming original, Prey has done quite well for itself. The Amber Midthunder-starring action/adventure epic pleased fans enough to clamor for a sequel, which pivoted to the upcoming follow-up known as Predator: Badlands.

While we knew that film was headed our way in 2025, Steve Asbell’s state of the slate at 20th Century came with a bit of a surprise reveal: another Predator sequel has secretly been filmed as well. Here's how that prospect evolved, through Asbell's continued remarks:

The theatrical movie is Predator: Badlands starring Elle Fanning, and according to Steve Abell, it’s “an absolutely bonkers idea. It is a sci-fi thing, but it’s not what everybody thinks it is.” Continuing to talk up the works of Dan Trachtenberg on his duology of Predator sequels, Asbell teased out that mysterious other project thusly:

So the way I’m reading this news is that while Predator: Badlands will be in theaters, this untitled Predator sequel will potentially be released for folks with a Hulu subscription. At least, that’s how I interpret Steve Asbell’s very carefully worded address towards the topic at hand. So again, fans of the Predator movies are winning in the same vein as the Alien fans are.

Leave it to Dan Trachtenberg to deliver a stealth sequel that’s not only reminiscent of how Ti West shot X and Pearl back to back, but also of Trachtenberg’s clandestine sequel 10 Cloverfield Lane. Not everyone can be a winner though, which brings me to something that truly upsets me to report. Fans of the Kingsman saga, you may want to read this next section at your own peril.

The Kingsman Franchise May Have Found Time To Die

Remember back in 2020 when Matthew Vaughn teased a bunch of Kingsman movies and TV shows? Well, if you didn’t, it’s probably for the best, as 20th Century Studios’ president put a simple, but firm update as to whether or not we should count on seeing the final chapter of Eggsy’s story, or any future chapters for that matter. The heartbreaking truth can be summed up with these words:

Now is this the end of the line for the franchise in general? Technically it's not, as that remark above isn't closing the door completely on 20th Century Studios' end of the deal. Also, seeing as as Vaughn’s MARV Productions owns Kingsman top to bottom, he might be able to find a new studio partner to help distribute his continued vision.

However, that’s still going to depend on finding a studio that is willing to fork over the cash to make such projects like Kingsman 3 or even The King’s Man 2 happen. And since Argylle’s less than impressive box office fate was probably an attempt for the Kick Ass director to pave the way for such a backup plan, you can see why I’m practically preparing for the funeral.

We’re still walking away with a net positive though, as both the Alien and Predator franchises are in much better shape than they’d previously been. Stellar new entries in both lines have given fans something to want more of, and that demand looks like it’s going to be met in the near future.

As it stands, you can catch Prey on physical release, or at its streaming home of Hulu. Also, you can buy or rent Alien: Romulus digitally, with the 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and VHS (yes, you read that right) being available on December 3rd.

If you look back at some of the best action movies of all time, you’ll probably see Arnold Schwarzenegger pop up on that list more than any other actor. Over the years, the body-builder-turned-actor-turned-governator has made iconic big-screen moments audiences won’t soon forget. And on top of those insane stunts and bonkers action sequences, “Arnie” has also given us some memorable one-liners. Here are some of the best lines that people still quote all the time, for better or worse.

"I'll Be Back" (The Terminator)

The Terminator could very well be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most iconic character, but there’s no denying the fact that “I’ll be back” is his most quoted one-liner. This is funny due to the fact that he says this as an ice-cold, homicidal cyborg in James Cameron’s The Terminator, a movie in which he does come back to take out an entire police station.

"Hasta La Vista, Baby" (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

James Cameron reinvented the summer blockbuster with Terminator 2: Judgment Day, one of the best ‘90s movies, and that’s mostly due to Arnold Schwarzenegger and lines like this one. “Hasta la vista, baby” was one of those lines kids would throw around on the playground, having no idea of its context or really where it came from.

"You're Fired" (True Lies)

Though True Lies isn’t the best or second-best collaboration between Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron, this 1994 box office hit was more fun than it had any right being. Plus, it gave us the “You’re fired” line just before Schwarzenegger’s Harry Tasker sent a terrorist to an explosive death.

"It's Not A Tumor!" (Kindergarten Cop)

Sure, a lot doesn’t make sense about Kindergarten Cop, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a great or hilarious movie, because it is. And why is it so funny? Oh, just because Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Detective John Kimble is yelling stuff like this in a room full of 5-year-olds. It’s just the best!

"C'mon Bennett, Let Off Some Steam" (Commando)

Commando came out when Arnold Schwarzenegger was still on the ascent, and our boy was doing everything he could get over. Not only does he do that with this action skills in this 1985 action spectacle, but he also shows off his comedic timing with one-liners like this one after dispensing of an adversary in a brutal fight.

'What's The Matter? CIA Got You Pushing Too Many Pencils?" (Predator)

There's also an iconic quote that precedes this unforgettable moment between Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch and Carl Weathers’ Dillon, but we need to talk about how the “pushing too many pencils” line and handshake-turned-arm-wrestling-match, which is without a doubt the most macho part of Predator not featuring Jesse Ventura.

"Put The Cookie Down, Now!" (Jingle All The Way)

Is Jingle All the Way a good movie? No, unless you were a kid in the ‘90s, and even then, it’s a bit of a slog. However, this 1996 Christmas movie about a dad going to great lengths to not let his kid down over the holidays did give the “Put that cookie down, now” line, which is great. That little pause before “now” is just legendary.

"Consider That A Divorce" (Total Recall)

One of the best sci-fi movies of the ‘90s, Total Recall is a trip if there ever was one. While it would be great to talk about all those crazy moments from the 1990 Paul Verhoeven cult classic, let’s keep it simple and just point out that the “consider that a divorce” one-liner from Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to Loir Quiad (Sharon Stone) is honestly one of the most absurd things about the movie.

"Ah, He Had To Split" (The Running Man)

In terms of one-liners per capita, no Arnold Schwarzenegger movie hits as hard as The Running Man. Take this scene when Ben Richards defeats Buzzsaw (Gus Rethwisch) in the demented game show. We wouldn’t see cringe-worthy comedy like this until Batman & Robin 10 years later.

"Get To The Chopper!" (Predator)

“Get to the chopper” or “Get to tha choppa,” depending on how you break down Arnold Schwarzenegger’s speech, is another great and iconic one-liner from the ‘80s. And while it’s a small part of the stellar Predator ending, it’s lived on nearly 40 years on.

"Who Is Your Daddy, And What Does He Do?" (Kindergarten Cop)

Detective John Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his attempt to get information and solve a crime in Kindergarten Cop leads to all kinds of great moments, including the time he turns an interrogation into a game for 5-year-old students called “Who is your daddy, and what does he do?

"Come With Me If You Want To Live" (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

The look on Sarah Connor’s (Linda Hamilton) face when the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) comes not to kill her but to save her from T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is so perfect. The same can be said for Schwarzenegger’s delivery in this key Terminator 2: Judgment Day scene.

"Killian, Here is Subzero, Now Plain Zero" (The Running Man)

Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) yelling up to the perfectly cast Richard Dawson as gameshow host Damon Killian in The Running Man to tell him that one of his champions is dead is an admittedly silly moment. However, the actor’s delivery drives it home.

"Oh, I Feel The Baby, The Baby" (Junior)

Though less remembered than the other Arnold Schwarzenegger/Danny DeVito team-up movie, Junior isn’t without its great moments. For example, take this absurd scene in which Schwarzenegger’s Dr. Alex Hesse says he can feel the baby living inside his womb. Yes, a baby, in his womb.

"Your Foster Parents Are Dead" (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

One of the coolest yet darkest moments in Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the scene when T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) tells a young John Connor (Edward Furlong) that his foster parents have been killed by T-1000 after an intense phone call.

"I Let Him Go" (Commando)

Moments after telling Sully (David Patrick Kelly) he lied about killing him last, John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) gave audiences a quick yet unforgettable one-liner when asked about what he did with the goon. The simple yet effective “I let him go,” is just perfect.

"Shut Up!!!!" (Kindergarten Cop)

Sometimes it’s the facial expressions and delivery of a one-liner that makes it so unforgettable. This is the case in a hilarious scene in Kindergarten Cop in which Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character yells “Shut up!” to get a classroom to quiet down. The anger, the frustration, and again, those facial expressions, make this an all-timer.

"All Right, Everyone! Chill" (Batman & Robin)

Batman & Robin is definitely not the best Batman movie, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from having a good time with this 1997 disaster. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who goes all out with Mr. Freeze and his never-ending series of puns, is the best thing about this over-the-top comic book adaptation.

"Terminated" (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

When replying to a young John Connor who asks if the T-1000 is dead in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the battered T-800 responds with “Terminated,” because it just makes sense. Who needs poignant moments from a machine when you have this?

"I'm The Famous Comedian Arnold Braunschweiger" (Last Action Hero)

John McTernan's Last Action Hero is a movie that came out like 15-20 years too early, and it’s hard to imagine the 1994 meta action-comedy not hitting with audiences much later. The movie is full of great moments, including this scene when Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger) calls himself “Arnold Braunschweiger.”

"Allow Me To Break The Ice" (Batman & Robin)

If you are looking for a way to start a conversation about terrible Arnold Schwarzenegger puns and even worse comic book movies, look no further than this line from the actor’s take on Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin. Memorable for all the wrong reasons, this one-liner is lukewarm at best.

"I'm Not Into Politics, I'm Into Survival" (The Running Man)

It’s quite ironic that Ben Richards says he’s not into politics in The Running Man, considering Arnold Schwarzenegger would later go into politics and serve two terms as the governor of California. It’s hard to watch the scene from this 1987 action spectacle and not get a chuckle out of how things ended up for the “Governator.”

"Let's Kick Some Ice" (Batman & Robin)

Though it’s a bad movie, there are a lot of reasons to love Batman & Robin, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is definitely one of them. The puns, which are some of the worst to ever make it into a final cut of a film, are terrible, but they do add a charm to the experience. The “Let’s kick some ice” line is one of the best/worst offenders, by far.

"Yeah, But They Were All Bad" (True Lies)

Everyone loves a good “truth serum” scene, right? Well, this spy movie trope manages to find its way into True Lies during a pivotal scene when Harry and Helen Tasker (Jamie Lee Curtis) are tied up and awaiting their fate. The fed-up wife, after finally learning of her husband’s true profession, asks if he’s ever killed anyone. Nonchalantly, the Omega Sector agent says “Yeah, but they were all bad,” which isn’t a lie.

"Yeah, He Was A Real Pain In The Neck" (The Running Man)

Ben Richards is on a roll throughout The Running Man, and it seems like Arnold Schwarzenegger was insistent on including as many puns as humanly possible in this over-the-top Stephen King adaptation. Case in point, after strangling Subzero with some barbed wire, the game show contestant lets out a short yet memorable line: “he was a pearl pain in the neck.” Not the best from the movie, but definitely a delivery that won’t soon be forgotten.

"See You At The Party, Richter!" (Total Recall)

Total Recall has some amazingly gory scenes, including the one where Richter (Michael Ironside) gets his arms ripped off by an elevator. To add insult to injury (quite literally), Douglas Quaid (while holding both severed hands) says “See you at the party, Richter.” Tasteless, you’ve got to love it.

"I'm The Party Pooper" (Kindergarten Cop)

Before he’s off dressing up like a glorified babysitter in Kindergarten Cop, John Kimble goes undercover in one of those insane Arnold Schwarzenegger action sequences of the ‘90s. The “party pooper” line is absurd, but it does set the tone for the rest of this wild comedy.

"If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It" (Predator)

Though Dutch’s words end up ringing true with his “If it bleeds, we can kill it” line in Predator, the statement isn’t without consequence. This all-time great hero moment in the quintessential ‘80s action movie is so foreboding yet so awesome.

"What A Hothead" (The Running Man)

Do the puns from The Running Man ever get old? No, not really. That’s what makes the 1987 sci-fi action thriller so much fun. Though the “have a light” line is great when Ben Richards is fighting Fireball (Jim Brown), the follow-up – “What a hothead” – is even better and so dang sarcastic.

"I Did Nothing. The Pavement Was His Enemy" (Twins)

Julius Benedict is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's most innocent and sincere characters, but that doesn’t mean he can’t give bad guys a beating (even if by pure accident) or let out a funny quip. Both happen in the same scene in Twins when Julius thwarts a robbery and sends the would-be thief flying off his motorcycle.

"You've Just Been Erased" (The Eraser)

Though it’s not one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most iconic movies, The Eraser isn’t without its great moments. For example, the ending where his character tells U.S. Marshal Robert DeGuerin (James Caan) he’s “just been erased” before his limo is destroyed by a train is just so awesome.

"No Sequel For You" (Last Action Hero)

Jack Slater killing Benedict (Charles Dance) in Last Action Hero just wouldn’t be the same without the meta-action movie character telling the villain he wouldn’t be in the sequel before pulling the trigger. Sure, it’ll make you groan, but it’s also impossible to hold back the laughter.

I don’t know about all of you, but I’m loving Terminator: Zero. Though I haven’t finished the 2024 Netflix series, the anime set in the universe of James Cameron’s all-time great sci-fi movie franchise has a great story and wild animation. As I’ve been watching, I can’t help but think about other franchises I would love to see get the anime treatment at some point in the future.

Some of these picks have already been turned into live-action TV shows or animated series, but they have never received a proper anime series that approaches the source material with a fresh set of eyes and a new perspective. I think each of these properties would be well-suited for the medium and a ton of fun to watch.

Alien

With the box office success of Alien: Romulus and FX’s upcoming Alien: Earth live-action series coming in the near future, it’s safe to say the iconic franchise is alive and well. What better way to capitalize on the success of Alien’s resurging popularity than by giving it an anime series set somewhere in the property’s sometimes confusing timeline?

It wouldn’t have to be about Ellen Ripley, though Neil Blomkamp’s awesome sequel idea would be awesome in anime form, and instead could be about new characters living through the pattern of finding a strange organism, having it burst out of someone’s chest, and then trying to escape an almost perfect xenomorph. In an ideal world, there could be multiple seasons with each telling a new story set somewhere deep in space. 

Predator

Though there is reportedly a finished Alien vs. Predator anime series locked up in the Disney vault, according to Bloody Disgusting, there’s a good chance we’ll probably never get to see what the show had in store for us. That said, I would still love to see a series based on at least Predator, as the franchise has shown time and time again that it can work when creative forces are willing to try new things.

With animated anthology series like What If and Tales of Jedi finding audiences, I think a Predator anime set in different historical periods would be cool to see. We could have one season set in feudal Japan, another set during the French Revolution, another deep in the heart of Africa, and so forth. Disney really needs to make this happen.

Mad Max

I understand that Fuiosa: A Mad Max Saga didn’t perform well at the box office and we may never see another movie set in George Miller’s wasteland because of the bomb, but that doesn’t mean the franchise has to be over and done with, right? Well, imagine if Warner Bros. turned its attention to creating an anime series in the vein of Terminator: Zero that tells one of Miller’s unproduced ideas on a smaller (and probably less expensive) scale. 

There was a pretty sweet Mad Max: Fury Road prequel comic series that was released around the same time as the 2015 action flick, and I think that could be a cool series to adapt and fill in some of the gaps between the Mel Gibson-led movies and the more recent additions to the franchise. This four-issue series explored various characters from the wasteland and I would love to see those stories unfold in an animated series that combines elements of anime and Miller’s distinct visual style.

Planet Of The Apes

Planet of the Apes has grown a great deal over the years, going from a popular book to a landmark film to a massive multimedia brand with movies, TV shows, cartoons, and multiple reboots. Because Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has given new life to the franchise, I think now’s a good time to come out with an anime series set somewhere in the franchise’s timeline.

I’m fully aware of the Return to the Planet of the Apes Saturday morning cartoon that aired on NBC back in 1975, but the show only lasted a single season and shouldn’t prevent an anime based on the property from seeing the light of day. The gap between War for the Planet of the Apes and Kingdom is a vast one, so it would be cool if we got to see at least some of what happened in the hundreds of years between the two. 

Stargate

I have fond memories of Stargate as a kid, and I’ll never forget the first time I watched it at a friend’s sleepover the summer between second and third grade. There was just something about the look and tone of Rolan Emmerich’s sci-fi adventure that prevented me from looking away from the screen or thinking about it while I was trying to sleep that night. Thirty years later, I want to see an anime series that either revisits one of the best ‘90s sci-fi movies or at least is set in its universe.

Yeah, there have been a few TV shows (both live-action and animated) based on one of Kurt Russell’s best movies, but I would love a nitty-gritty and incredibly violent series with stylized animation and all that anime flair. Hell, you could even bring back Russell and James Spader to reprise their roles and take us off to another alien world with a culture modeled after a different ancient civilization. 

Men In Black

Remember Men in Black: The Series, the cartoon based on the hit Will Smith movie? If not, make sure to check it out because it’s a ton of fun and further expands upon the lore and characters of the sci-fi action flick. That said, the show has been off the air for nearly 25 years at this point, and I think now would be the perfect time to retool the franchise as an anime.

I mean, Men in Black is one of the best comic book movies not from DC or Marvel, and there’s a lot that could be explored from the short-lived yet influential six-issue run. It would be great to see Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones come back and voice their famous characters, but if they weren’t willing or able to, I still think there’s enough fun to be had in this sandbox. 

Metal Gear Solid

There has been a lot of talk about a Metal Gear Solid movie over the years, but I, for one, have grown tired of waiting for the upcoming video game adaptation to finally come to fruition. However, I do have an idea for how Konami could introduce its iconic tactical espionage action series to a new audience: anime. 

There are unofficial anime series inspired by Hideo Kojima’s landmark action video game, but none of those have ever had the seal of approval from Komani or anyone associated with the franchise. I would be fine with anything set in the world of Metal Gear, be it straight-up adaptations of the games or new stories about Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Les Enfants Terribles, the shadowy government project that cloned Big Boss to super soldiers. Maybe even a proper ending for Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain. 

I don’t know if any of these will happen (they should), but there are a lot of great 2024 TV shows we can watch right with a Netflix subscription, like Terminator: Zero.

While watching Alien: Romulus, it occurred to me that the Xenomorph never fails to terrify. However, it also made me wonder, Is it the scariest movie alien of all time?

There are countless classic horror movies and even more awesome sci-fi movies that have unveiled otherworldly creatures of all different shapes, sizes, and, most importantly, qualities of nightmare fuel, but only one can be the eeriest and most intimidating extra-terrestrial of all. Could it be the Xenomorph? Let's take a deeper look at some of cinema's most horrifying horror villains from outer space before we determine which is my choice for the ultimate in revolting interplanetary royalty.

First, let's start with some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

While they did not make the cut for my personal Top 10 Scariest Movie Aliens, I could not call this list complete without some mention of freaky favorites like the visitors who abducted Travis Walton (D.B. Sweeney) in 1993's Fire in the Sky, the bioraptors from the first Riddick movie (2000's Pitch Black), and what are referred to as "Gorilla-Wolf Motherfuckers" in 2011's Attack the Block. 

I also believe that Jean Jacket from Jordan Peele's Nope is one of the best modern horror movie villains for its stunningly unique design alone, the haunting sights from The Shimmer (which some might consider to be a creature in its own right) make 2018's Annihilation one of the best sci-fi horror movies of its time, and Robert Patrick's performance as a gym teacher infected by an alien parasite makes 1998's The Faculty a classic.

10. Blue Aliens (They Live)

Have you ever felt you were being treated like a puppet? If so, you can relate to Roddy Piper's Nada from John Carpenter's They Live, who uses special sunglasses to uncover one of the most inventive alien invasion movie plots: brainwashing the human race with subliminal messaging while living among us in plain sight. The Blue Aliens' plan might be even scarier today than when the cult favorite was released in 1988, as its themes of psychological manipulation are more relevant now than ever.

9. The Blob (The Blob)

Not to undermine psychological manipulation, but at least that sort of circumstance is easier to overcome than being consumed whole by sentient slime, like The Blob. With all due respect to the original from 30 years earlier, Chuck Russell's 1988 version is the one that really pulls no punches in showing what horrors this strange gelatinous goo is capable of.

8. Edgar The Bug (Men In Black)

I am actually not sure which I find scarier: Edgar the Bug in his true form as a giant cockroach or while hiding under Vincent D'Onofrio's skin. Either way, the slimy interstellar terrorist is easily Men in Black's most iconic alien for its breathtakingly eerie design and intimidating snarl, even though J (Will Smith) does manage to find its soft spot by stomping on some of its smaller relatives.

7. Long-Limbed Gray (No One Will Save You)

The otherworldly visitors in Brian Duffield's No One Will Save You (one of the best horror movies on Hulu) boast the most familiar alien design imaginable (gray skin with a skinny frame and bulbous head). However, the 2023 film's most unnerving sequence sees Kaitlyn Dever's Brynn chased by one creature with extra-extra-long arms and legs that sends a chill down your spine with every movie it makes.

6. The Children (Village Of The Damned)

Another great John Carpenter movie featured on our list is his 1995 remake of Village of the Damned, in which Superman actor Christopher Reeve takes on human-looking youngsters who turn out to be alien spawn hellbent on taking over the world. The horror genre has its fair share of creepy kids, but the eerily intelligent, platinum-blonde troublemakers with hypnotic eyes are on a whole different level.

5. Death Angels (A Quiet Place)

While the antagonistic creatures from the post-apocalyptic movie favorite, 2018's A Quiet Place, and its sequels are undeniably chilling, it is not their appearance that makes the so-called "Death Angels" so iconically scary. It is their keen sense of hearing, which has forced people all over the world, such as the Abbotts, to live in complete silence or become the monsters' next meal.

4. Pod People (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers)

Perhaps the only thing scarier than a savage beast from another planet is an alien that looks perfectly human and intends to replace you, your loved ones, and the rest of mankind. Hollywood has released multiple Invasion of the Body Snatchers movies, but one thing that remains the same in each iteration is the eerie, emotionless Pod People, who can only take your place if you cannot stay awake.

3. Predator (Predator)

Not all of cinema's most frightening extra-terrestrial creatures are animalistic savages. Exhibit A: the hulking, titular antagonist of the Predator movies, who does select its targets randomly, but uses a certain code of honor like your typical hunter would. Defeating the creature is not a test of strength but of wit, which Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch learns during his final one-on-one battle with the "ugly motherfucker" in the 1987 original.

2. Xenomorph (Alien)

One of the Predator's most challenging opponents is the Xenomorph, which is not so merciful and will tear apart anything that comes in its way — its first victims always being the human host it pops out of. Cunning stamina and bloodlust aside, H.R. Giger's unmistakably iconic design for the Alien movies' flagship creature, which has since taken on many different Xenomorph variations, is an unparalleled combination of picturesque purity and unsettling grotesquerie.

1. The Thing (The Thing)

However, the one thing that the Xenomorph cannot do is fool its prey by posing as a fellow human they trust, like the titular creature from John Carpenter's masterpiece, The Thing, which was a surprising box office flop in 1982. In addition to the wave of paranoia it inspires, the creature's ability to perfectly imitate any living organism makes way for some indelibly gruesome transformations that little to no other cinematic extra-terrestrials can rival.

Our beloved and beautiful Xenomorph just cannot hold a candle to the more clever and manipulative master of disguise from The Thing, which is why I believe it is the scariest movie alien we have ever seen. Would you agree?

Even the most staunch fans of the Alien saga probably couldn’t predict how commanding the latest entry would land among the 2024 movies on the market so far. So observing Alien: Romulus’ fantastic opening weekend is something that has people jazzed about the franchise's future, even if the finished project has left some fans questioning things. Now director/co-writer Fede Álvarez’s hit has prompted potential interest in an Alien vs. Predator sequel, which has me totally in on his concept for how he’d want to tackle such an affair.

Thanks to the Don’t Breathe director’s chat with Deadline, which took place during the red carpet premiere of Alien: Romulus, the man has put forth a concept that sounds too good to pass up. Here’s how Álvarez pitched a new Alien vs. Predator entry in a beautiful, yet hypothetical sense:

I need to put out a very specific caveat before we go much further. While I’m a fan of the Alien movies timeline, the Alien vs. Predator duology is a very mixed bag. The first film is decent, if not watered down for a PG-13 blockbuster; whereas the R-rated sequel felt like it was nihilistic for the sake of being nasty. That important context out of the way, having Fede Álvarez and Dan Trachtenberg co-parent a new chapter in this legacy, to me feels like a foregone conclusion.

This isn’t just on the back of Alien: Romulus’ well received cocktail of blood, guts and lore, as we need to talk about Trachtenberg’s specific credentials here. For those who may have forgotten, the 10 Cloverfield Lane director had a hit of his own in this semi-shared universe thanks to 2022’s Prey.

Now both the Alien and Predator sagas are riding high on the latest wins score in both columns, and Dan Trachtenberg already committed to another Predator adventure as a result. With the director allegedly keeping Prey 2 on the back burner as well, Trachtenberg doesn't look to be leaving this realm at any point soon.

So maybe there's some room for this dream project to come true. And to be completely honest, it couldn't have happened at a better time.

Frankly, now is the time to make a new Alien vs. Predator movie, if only to finally do it right. With two fresh entries gathering fans steadily, a proper crossover hit could be the box office event that executives thought they had on their hands when making the first film to bear its name. Of course, those potential plans would probably be further off than one would think, as Fede Álvarez’s monstrous just might spawn some sequel potential of its own.

At least, one would hope so after the events of that Alien: Romulus’ ending. With both of these classic sci-fi movie franchises in fighting form, you might not have a better opportunity to make Alien vs. Predator happen in its best shape possible. Although plenty of disasters have occurred with that sort of thinking in the air, so I'll just go back to vehemently hoping the right idea and the right timing are about to align.

If you haven’t experienced the dark joy of Álvarez’s grand finale for yourself, you can currently do so at a theater near you. And if you’re looking to reflect on past chapters of the series, log onto your Hulu subscription and head back to the adventures of Xenomorph past, present, and future.

Maybe if people start streaming both Alien and Predator movies a bit more, the message will be so loud and clear that it cannot be ignored. One last note: if you’re going to stream an Alien vs. Predator movie for the cause, do yourself a favor and stick with only the first one.

Great horror movies cannot be singularly defined; instead, the genre is comprised of a diverse collection of special subgenres. Some are identified by specific monsters, like vampires and zombies; some have specific settings, like home invasion and haunted houses; and some feature familiar story structure… which is what brings us to the subject of slashers.

You know a slasher when you see it – with the tell-tale sign being a plot that involves a violent killer or killers on a spree, often methodically eliminating key players in the supporting cast. The subgenre includes a lot of shlock-y, gratuitous nonsense, but the story approach has also been brilliantly utilized by filmmakers in the last century, and it’s to celebrate the best of the best that we’ve put together this feature ranking the greatest slasher horror movies of all time.

15. Detention (2011)

Joseph Khan’s Detention qualifies for this list because its baseline genre is slasher – but the truth is that it is also oh so much more. It begins with a familiar setup – a serial killer called Cinderhella is on a rampage attacking high school students in a small town – but then the movie goes headlong into blissful insanity with plot twists involving time travel, body swaps, and more. 

It’s made with such self-assured weirdness and unfurls at such a quick pace that it’s hypnotizing, and there is no other cinematic experience quite like it.

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14. The Frighteners (1996)

Though he is now best known for his work in the world of Middle-earth and making documentaries, Peter Jackson will long be remembered for his fantastic contributions to the horror genre, and while the brilliance of 1992’s Braindead doesn’t qualify for this particular ranking, his excellent 1996 film, The Frighteners, most definitely does. The movie executes a cool twist on the genre – with a slasher continuing his slashing from beyond the grave – and the lovable charisma of Michael J. Fox as a huckster paranormal investigator well-pairs comedy with scares.

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13. American Psycho (2000)

Author Brett Easton Ellis’ novel American Psycho is an extreme book that's tough to stomach, which is why it was viewed as unadaptable following its release – but that just means that director Mary Harron deserves all the more credit for her incredible job bringing the material to the big screen. It’s not a traditional slasher in terms of story structure, but it does hit on the key themes of the subgenre in its presentation of lurking madness and evil, and it also happens to be a sharp and delicious satire of yuppie culture.

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12. Child’s Play 2 (1990)

There are many great (as well as underappreciated) slasher sequels, but John Lafia’s Child’s Play 2 is the movie I hold in high enough esteem to qualify for this ranking. The original Child’s Play is awesome and has the distinction in pop culture history of introducing the world to Chucky (Brad Dourif), but the first sequel is where the killer doll starts getting properly inventive with his kills and the foster brother/sister dynamic between Alex Vincent's Andy Barclay and Christine Elise's Kyle make for wonderful sibling heroes.

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11. Deep Red (1975)

This list of the best slashers would feel empty without a representative from Team Giallo, and it doesn’t get much better than Dario Argento’s Deep Red. Following a musician as he independently investigates a series of murders in Turin, Italy, there’s a marvelous, taut mystery at its heart with a stellar twist, and while certainly violent, it’s a gorgeous movie of bold, visceral, and colorful cinematography and production design.

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10. Predator (1987)

Does the killer have to be human or at least formerly human for a movie to qualify as a slasher? The vast majority of the titles featured in this ranking would suggest that the answer to that question is yes…but I also feel that John McTiernan’s Predator hones close enough to the traditional structure of the subgenre that it counts. 

There obviously is an abundance of action blockbuster dressing – the story centering on a team of mercenaries hired for what they are told is a standard rescue mission – but soldiers getting targeted and picked off one-by-one is classic slasher material.

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9. Frenzy (1972)

Alfred Hitchcock had a major hand in the birth of the slasher, but while one title gets the majority of love for being a seminal title in the subgenre (more in a bit), the excellence of Frenzy is not to be ignored in this discussion. In addition to the movie being one of the director’s great mistaken identity stories, with Richard Blaney (Jon Finch) accused of being the serial killer called the Necktie Murderer, Barry Foster delivers a fully unnerving turn as the Bob Rusk, whose friendly smile perfectly masks his violent, dangerous mind.

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8. Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer (1986)

Not only is John McNaughton’s Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer one of the best slasher films of all time, it would also rank highly on a list of movies that require thorough post-screening showers. Part of what makes this subgenre special is the idea that a sadistic lunatic might be hanging out at your local convenience store, gas station or movie theater, and Henry makes that reality disturbingly clear. No amount of cinematic desensitization will ever allow you to shake off the work done here by Michael Rooker and Tom Towles.

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7. Peeping Tom (1960)

As recognized in this list, perspective is not a disqualifying factor in defining slashers, as the subgenre has stories told from the point of view of victims and killers alike – and Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom is the best all time example of the latter. 

Like another horror classic that was released just two months later (a title that will be further discussed a bit later), the movie helped creatively pave the way for slashers, and in itself is both thrilling and fascinating. Understanding the obsession of Mark Lewis (Carl Boehm) to capture the fear of his victims on film can’t help but lead one to contemplate the draw of genre cinema.

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6. Black Christmas (1974)

Contrasting the stereotypically merry time of year that is the holiday season with a grim tale of chaos, bloodshed and terror is catnip that a lot of horror directors can’t resist, and it has been put to use in terrific films including Joe Dante’s Gremlins, Charles E. Sellier Jr.'s Silent Night, Deadly Night, and René Manzor's Deadly Games, but Bob Clark’s Black Christmas is the best of the bunch and one of the best slasher movies of all time. 

The obscene phone calls from “Billy” – with their manic shifting tones, giggles and vile suggestions – are chilling enough, but far worse are his actions as he terrorizes the girls of a sorority house.

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5. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Even by slasher standards, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is an extremely simple film. A bunch of kids on a road trip get stranded in the worst possible place, and as they venture away from their van, they end up encountering the chainsaw-wielding madman known as Leatherface and his psychotic, cannibalistic family. It’s because of its stripped down nature, however, that it is so utterly terrifying. 

There are no gimmicks or twists to remind you that you are watching a movie; it’s grounded in such a way to remind you that the world can be a nightmare, and we are along for the ride like a blood-soaked young woman laughing hysterically in the bed of a speeding pickup truck.

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4. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

A lot of people don’t like horror movies because they give them nightmares… and that’s what makes Wes Craven’s A Nightmare On Elm Street so devilish: not only will it inspire nightmares, but it suggests you may be wholly unsafe while experiencing them. The performance by Robert Englund and the iconography of Freddy Krueger (the famed knife glove, fedora, and stripped sweater) are unforgettable, and it’s impeccably crafted from its cinematography to its special effects to its sound design to send chills up your spine.

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3. Scream (1994)

This feature is admittedly dominated by subgenre prototypes and classics, but Wes Craven’s Scream is a landmark achievement that did a magical job evolving the genre via introspection after the golden age that was the 1980s. 

With its genius script by Kevin Williamson, it’s as much a satire as it is a slasher, but the brilliance of Craven is that the laughs don’t undercut the terror – from Ghostface’s shocking slaying of Drew Barrymore’s Casey Becker at the start to the showdown between Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and the “friends” (Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard) who murdered her mother.

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2. Halloween (1978)

The Shape. I think those two words alone should be enough to explain the high placement of John Carpenter’s Halloween in this ranking, but I will elaborate anyway.

It’s the film that arguably paved the way for the golden age of slashers in the 1980s, and helped cement subgenre elements that we view as staples today – including an iconography-and-myth-heavy killer (Michael Myers), the suburban setting (Haddonfield, Illinois), and the classic final girl (Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode). Carpenter didn’t invent the slasher genre, but he pretty much perfected it in 1978.

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1. Psycho (1960)

I’ve alluded to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho a couple times already in this feature before getting to this point, and there’s a reason for that: without it, slasher movies may not exist as we know them. 

It’s a film so engrained in pop culture that even those who haven’t seen it know about the mid-shower death of Janet Leigh's Marion Crane and the twist with Norman Bates’ mother, but it’s brought to life with such incredible style and atmosphere that even memorizing every scene won’t minimize the chills it induces.

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For more scary cinematic goodness, check out our feature keeping track of upcoming horror movies and our list of 32 horror movies for genre beginners.

Sometimes, it can be fun to take a deeper look at the movies you love and see if you can find any details that may or may not be hiding in plain sight. You must be careful, though, because this sort of speculation could forever change how you perceive the most beloved characters from cinema in bizarre, funny, or even unsettling ways. 

Now, we are not saying we are fully convinced by any of the following wild movie character fan theories we found online, but we also can’t deny they are fun to read. Therefore, the only cautionary warning we feel is truly necessary to give you before you read on is to be wary of spoilers.

Han Solo Is Force Sensitive (Star Wars Movies)

Could Han Solo’s unparalleled piloting skills, precise blaster aim, and survival during his Carbonite slumber in the Star Wars movies be the result of him actually being one with the very Force he once doubted was real? Reddit user sumojoe actually posited this idea about Harrison Ford’s scruffy nerfherder years before it could be further backed up by the reveal in Star Wars: The Force Awakens that he and Leia (Carrie Fisher) had a Force-sensitive son (Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren).

Jack Is A Time Traveler (Titanic)

Before 1997’s Titanic, James Cameron’s biggest hits were time travel movies — namely The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day — but could his Best Picture Oscar-winning historical fiction blockbuster also be part of the same genre? Redditor MarkHarris1989 believes that historical inaccuracies to his backstory and his “anachronistic attitude and haircut” suggest Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) could actually be a man out of time who may have even been sent back from the future to save Rose (Kate Winslet).

The Toys Are Possessed By A Delusional Entity (Toy Story)

It is still a mystery why Woody, Buzz, and the others come alive when humans are not around in Toy Story movies, but a theory by Inevitable_Cut_4670 (which has since been removed from the r/FanTheories subreddit) attempts to provide an explanation that casts a dark shadow over the Pixar classic. The user imagines that Andy’s toys became possessed by an otherworldly spirit that split itself between the different characters before developing a different personality for each and, ultimately, forgetting what it was initially.

Wonka's Tour Was A Planned Sacrifice (Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory)

What happens to the four other children invited into the eponymous facility from 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has been subject to much eye-opening speculation, but what if the truth is even more horrifying? One now-deleted FanTheories subreddit post suggests that the Roald Dahl adaptation exists in the same universe as the horror-comedy favorite, The Cabin in the Woods, and the youngsters’ strange fates were all part of a sacrificial ritual the famous chocolatier (Gene Wilder) orchestrated to appease the Gods.

Tom Hardy's Max Is The Road Warrior's Feral Child (Mad Max: Fury Road)

For the fourth Mad Max movie, Tom Hardy succeeded to the role of the post-apocalyptic drifter from Mel Gibson, but the folks at Nerdist are not so sure that is the case. They theorize that the male protagonist of 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road is actually “The Feral Child” (originally played by Emil Minty in the second installment, 1981’s The Road Warrior) as a grown-up who has adopted the hero’s persona. This would explain why a lot of Hardy’s dialogue consists of grunts.

Ferris And Cameron Are The Same Person (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

Have you ever considered the possibility that John Hughes’ 1986 high school movie classic, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, is actually a precursor to David Fincher’s adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, Fight Club? A popular fan theory (via CBR) that echoes the twist from the 1999 cult favorite suggests Matthew Broderick’s mischievous title character is just an alternate persona the neurotic Cameron Fry (Alan Ruck) subconsciously developed to carry out his wildest fantasies.

Sandy Is Dead The Whole Time (Grease)

One of the more bizarre “they were dead the whole time” theory and one of the most bizarre examples comes from the unlikeliest of places: 1978’s Grease. A post on Imgur suggests that Danny Zuko (John Travolta) never actually saved Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) from drowning and the upbeat musical numbers we see are a symptom of her brain losing oxygen. To top it off, the famous flying car at the end is supposedly carrying her into the afterlife.

Kincade Is Sean Connery's Bond (Skyfall)

Similar to the famous theory that all James Bond actors are each portraying a different man using the same code name, a post in the James Bond subreddit questions if Kincade from 2012’s Skyfall is really Sean Connery’s iteration of 007. The theory is actually backed up by the fact that, according to The Huffington Post, Sam Mendes considered casting Connery in the role before it went to Albert Finney.

Chris' Horror Is All In Rod's Head (Get Out)

It was once suggested on Reddit that the horrifying things Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) endures at the Armitage Estate in 2017’s Get Out are actually an elaborate fantasy imagined by his best friend, Rod (Lil Rel Howery). In a video for Vanity Fair, writer and director Jordan Peele addressed and debunked this theory, but did praise its creativity.

Owen Grady Is The Kid Grant Freaks Out With His Raptor Speech (Jurassic Park)

Even before 2015’s Jurassic World came out, Redditor faceur318 had a feeling that the kid whom Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) tells to “have a little respect for raptors” in the 1993 original, Jurassic Park, would grow up to become Owen Grady. The actor who plays the raptor trainer, Chris Pratt, told Huffington Post that he does not believe it himself, but director Colin Trevorrow wouldn’t deny it.

Donkey Used To Be Human (Shrek)

One of the most convincing movie theories we have ever heard suggests Donkey (Eddie Murphy) from Shrek was once human until he visited Pleasure Island and was turned into his namesake animal — a fate many children also suffered in the classic fairytale, Pinocchio. A video by The Film Theorists provides astonishing evidence of this traumatizing idea, which tyoung000 also posted to the FanTheories subreddit with an added detail that Donkey is really Pinocchio’s talkative friend, Lampwick.

Possessing Karras Was Always Pazuzu's Intention (The Exorcist)

Redditor mysticaldensity believes that in 1973’s The Exorcist, Father Damien Karras’ (Jason Miller) bid to save Regan MacNeill (Linda Blair) by having Pazuzu possess him instead (before taking his own life) was part of the demon’s plan all along. According to the theory’s pretty solid evidence, the entity saw Karras — who had been wrestling with his faith following his mother’s death — as a perfect target with which to infiltrate the church, but would still need the priest’s permission to inhabit him, which is why it used an innocent 12-year-old as a vessel to taunt him with.

Patrick Bateman Is Really Bruce Wayne (American Psycho, The Dark Knight Trilogy)

If you ever found similarities between Christian Bale’s performances as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and Bruce Wayne in the Dark Knight Trilogy, Redditor DragonfruitDisable believes that is not by coincidence and, in fact, the two are one in the same. The theory states Alfred Pennyworth put the famous young orphan through school under a different alias, which he continued to go when he started to have elaborate, homicidal fantasies. This bout of insanity would lead him down a path of self-discovery, which brings us to the start of Bateman Beg… or Batman Begins, we mean.

Django Actually Killed Sandy's Son (Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight)

It is no secret that most of Quentin Tarantino’s movies exist in the same universe, which QuantumBandit404 likely used as inspiration for a Reddit theory that states that, in The Hateful Eight, Marquis Warren’s (Samuel L. Jackson) lied about killing the son of Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), who was really a bounty for Django Freeman. It’s an intriguing concept, especially considering Warren’s deceptive skills, but what makes it more interesting is, according to DP/30 Podcast (via ScreenCrush), Tarantino originally wrote the role as an older version of Jamie Foxx’s titular bounty hunter from Django Unchained.

Nemo Is Imaginary (Finding Nemo)

Finding Nemo is already one of the saddest Pixar movies, but an op-ed by Søren Hough on Movie Fail makes it even more tragic if you believe what his theory suggests. He believes that Marlin (Albert Brooks) was the only true survivor of the 2003 family film’s tragic opening sequence and invented his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould), as an imaginary coping mechanism for his grief.

T-800 Was Preprogrammed Not To Kill (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, John Connor (Edward Furlong) urges his mechanical protector (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to not commit murder, but did he ever really have to? Based on the fact that the T-800 never kills anyone in the opening scene (despite causing bloodshed rather quickly in the first film), Redditor Potential_Gap3957 speculates that Connor’s adult self already programmed him with this command before sending him to 1995, but also asked him to stage a killing in front of young John as a way to build up his leadership skills.

Michael Myers Is A Vampire (Halloween)

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers attempted to explain the iconic horror movie villain’s supposed immortality as part of a curse given to him at birth by a deadly cult, but there is another theory that we think is far more amusing. According to ScreenRant, Michael is really a vampire — not the typical bloodsucking kind, but one that feeds on murderous acts — and his psychiatrist from the reboot trilogy, Dr. Ranbir Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), is his familiar, which might explain why he wanted to be like the slasher.

Pearl Is Maxine's Grandmother (X, Pearl)

Is it possible that the resemblance between young Maxine and the elderly Pearl (both played by Mia Goth in Ti West’s X) is more than just an example of the acclaimed A24 horror movie’s nuanced commentary on aging? On Reddit, Thabrianking speculates that Maxine’s televangelist father is Pearl’s son, who turned to religion after witnessing his mother’s homicidal tendencies, which were a main plot point in the prequel, Pearl.

Ned Ryerson Is The Devil (Groundhog Day)

There has never been a definitive explanation for how Phil (Bill Murray) relives February 2nd over and over in 1993’s Groundhog Day, but a Redditor named SuperConductiveRabbi believes it is the work of Ned Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky), who may even be the Devil himself. Evidence: the time loop begins after Phil insultingly refuses to buy insurance from Ned and stops when he gives in to the offer (symbolism for selling one’s soul) and finally treats him with respect.

Jar Jar Binks Was In Cahoots With The Sith (The Star Wars Movies)

While very few people would call Jar Jar Binks their favorite Star Wars character, some have warned that the seemingly harmless, motormouth Gungan was not to be underestimated. Before The Force Awakens was released, Lumpawarroo predicted that he would play a major role in the film, which would also reveal that he was not only a Sith Lord the entire time, but the true identity of Supreme Leader Snoke. The Sequel Trilogy may have debunked that last detail, but is still fun to imagine the rest being true.

Walter Never Served In Vietnam (The Big Lebowski)

In 1998’s The Big Lebowski, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) finds any opportunity he can to bring up his tour of Vietnam, which is not typical behavior of a military veteran, as pointed out on a FanTheories subreddit post that suggests the avid bowler was never even in the service. Goodman himself once admitted in an interview with Today, for the 20th anniversary of the classic Coen Brother comedy, that he agrees with this theory.

Juror #8 Is A Reformed Criminal Who Coerced The Others Into Changing The Verdict (12 Angry Men)

Sidney Lumet’s 1957 courtroom drama, 12 Angry Men, is hailed as a powerful story of justice prevailing over a broken system, thanks to Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) pointing out flaws in the others’ initial “guilty” verdict, but is that truly the case? According to a theory by Redditor Agile-Confusion-626, Juror #8 actually did believe the poor, young defendant was guilty of murdering his father, but as someone who once fell prey to the criminal lifestyle in his own youth, wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself outside of prison. Thus, he conned the other jurors into changing their minds.

Dom And The Crew Are Super Soldiers (Fast And Furious Movies)

With how implausibly over-the-top the Fast and the Furious movies came to be over time, the best explanation is that Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew were made into super soldiers at some point. According to YeppImNaked on Reddit, not only is that exactly what happened, but the team actually exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and they were dosed with the same serum that turned Steve Rogers into Captain America by their true employers, S.H.I.E.L.D.

Ripley Is Genetically Suitable To Host A Queen Xenomorph (Alien Movies)

It seems that no matter what she does, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) cannot escape running into some horrifying situation involving the vicious creature from the Alien movies known as the Xenomorph, and that might actually be by design. As a theory by Redditor clutzyninja suggests, not just any human can be impregnated with a Queen Xenomorph and Ripley can, which is why she is considered a special asset to Weyland-Yutani.

Kevin's Dad Is In The Mob (Home Alone)

In Home Alone, the Wet Bandits consider the McCallister household to be the “Silver Tuna” of the Chicago suburb they target during the holidays, which begs the question, how exactly was Kevin’s (Macaulay Culkin) father, Peter (John Heard), able to afford such a lovely, expensive home with five children and a non-working wife (Catherine O’Hara)? Redditor cubanesis believes he may have mob connections, which would explain why he so quickly comes to the defense with Harry (Joe Pesci), disguised as a cop, asking to speak with him at the beginning.

The Predator Is In Exile (Predator)

On Reddit, Mister_E69 points out that, in 1987’s Predator, the titular extraterrestrial hunter’s technology is severely outdated to that of the Predator we see in 2022’s Prey, which takes place centuries earlier. For that reason, it could be possible that the creature from the original film has been exiled from his planet and forced to use a less reliable cloaking feature, blades of a stunted length, and glitch infrared vision. 

Cobb's Real Totem Is His Wedding Ring (Inception)

The ending of Inception has puzzled fans for years, but the answer to whether or not Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is awake at the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s trippy masterpiece may lie in what one Redditor belies is his real totem: his wedding ring. We never see the thought-extractor wearing it when he is awake and, since it is not on his finger in the final scene, perhaps we can conclude that the long-awaited reunion with his children is real.

Tree Is Stuck In Purgatory (Happy Death Day)

The concept of time-loops being a form of purgatory serves as the basis for BingeWatcher_Fanatic’s theory that, in Christopher Landon’s Happy Death Day, Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) is actually dead and continuously reliving Monday the 18th as a way to repent for her sins. Even though this contradicts pretty much the entire plot of the sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, it offers an intriguing, deeper meaning to the fun slasher flick.

Jenny Is The Girl From The Tommy Tutone Song (Forrest Gump)

Apparently, Tom Hanks’ titular protagonist is not the only one from Forrest Gump who made an impression on American culture, if we are to believe paulvs88’s theory. The Reddit user speculates that Tommy Tutone’s 1981 one-hit-wonder “867-5309/Jenny” is, indeed, about Robin Wright’s character of the same name.

Ron Used Magic So Hermione Would Fall For Him (Harry Potter Movies)

Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Grainger (Emma Watson) initially seemed like a pretty unlikely match, which makes their romance in the Harry Potter movies so endearing. However, it is not so heartwarming if you believe EmperorDeathBunny’s theory on Reddit suggesting that he used the Imperius Curse — which is basically a manipulation spell — to enchant into falling in love with him.

Luca Is Atlantean (Luca)

The 2021 Pixar film, Luca, stars Jacob Tremblay as the voice of the titular sea monster who gets a taste of life on the surface with another creature of his kind (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) by disguising themselves as humans. As a fun way to expand on the lore, Redditor Drecon1984 posited a theory that the sea monsters are actually descendants from the lost city of Atlantis.

Wendy Imagined The Horror At The Overlook (The Shining)

There is an insane amount of conspiracy theories inspired by The Shining, but regarding the ones that actually focus on characters from the 1980 Stephen King adaptation, we like one we found on MovieWeb. It suggests that, instead of Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), it is really his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), who is losing her mind while staying at The Overlook, where none of the bizarre and tragic things that take place are real, but exist her in imagination.

Movie fans have some wild imaginations, don’t they?

There are some horror movie characters — including some of the scariest villains or even the resourceful heroes they chase after — who are so well defined by the performances that brought them to life, that you cannot imagine any other actor in the role. However, history shows that things could have gone differently had other actors previously considered landed the part instead. Take a look at just how different some of the all-time best horror movies could have been by sifting through some of the fascinating and surprising examples of actors who came close to becoming horror movie icons — including some who did earn that title in other ways.

Kane Hodder (Freddy Krueger In A Nightmare On Elm Street)

As Kane Hodder revealed during ShudderFest’s Horror Royalty panel in 2020 (via Yahoo), before he played Jason Voorhees, Wes Craven considered him to play Freddy Krueger before Robert Englund joined the A Nightmare on Elm Street cast. However, at the end of the ninth Friday the 13th movie, that's actually Hodder's arm wearing Krueger’s claw pulling Jason's mask underground, meaning the actor got to play both roles after all.

Drew Barrymore (Sydney Prescott In Scream)

Seeing an A-lister like Drew Barrymore die in the opening scene of Wes Craven’s 1996 slasher revival was one of horror cinema’s greatest surprises since Janet Leigh’s death in Psycho, just as the actor predicted. Barrymore revealed on Hot Ones that she was offered Sydney Prescott, the lead role of the original Scream cast, but requested to play Casey Becker instead, knowing it would shock the audience.

Christopher Lee (Dr. Loomis In Halloween)

An undisputed Scream King for playing Dracula and starring in other classics like The Wicker Man, Christopher Lee's influence could have cast a wider net with a role in Halloween. According to The Digital Fix, he later said he regretted the chance to star in John Carpenter's seminal 1978 slasher as Dr. Sam Loomis, which was ultimately given to Donald Pleasence.

Bela Lugosi (The Creature In Frankenstein)

Following his success in the title role of 1931’s Dracula, Bela Lugosi was given the chance to play another legendary Universal Monster in that year’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. According to The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi by Arthur Lennig (via SlashFilm), the actor believed such a grotesque, inarticulate creature was “beneath him,” giving Boris Karloff the chance to embody Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s creation.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Patrick Bateman In American Psycho)

Christian Bale once told GQ that every role he has played was first offered to Leonardo DiCaprio and one accurate example is Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, as Vice’s oral history recalls. Legend has it Gloria Steinem (Bale’s stepmother, coincidentally) convinced DiCaprio that playing the sadistic investment banker would hurt his post-Titanic reputation, but he later told The Morning Call that he passed because felt the script “didn’t mean anything in the end.”

Jean-Claude Van Damme (The Predator In Predator)

The late, 7’2” Kevin Peter Hall played the titular extra-terrestrial hunter in 1987’s Predator and its first sequel, but the original actor chosen for the role was actually the 5’6” Jean-Claude Van Damme. As detailed in oral history by THR, the future Belgian action movie star quit because he did not want to be hidden in the costume, which resembled a large insect at the time.

Jamie Lee Curtis (Regan MacNeil In The Exorcist)

Playing Laurie Strode in Halloween made Jamie Lee Curtis one of the first and all-time greatest Scream Queens, but her years as horror royalty apparently could have started earlier. The Oscar winner told EW that a producer for The Exorcist asked her mother, Psycho’s Janet Leigh if the then-13-year-old could audition to play the possessed Regan MacNeil. Leigh refused on her daughter’s behalf and the role ultimately went to Linda Blair.

Will Poulter (Pennywise In 2017's It)

Bill Skarsgård made one of modern cinema’s scariest horror villains out of his portrayal of Pennywise in the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King’s It. However, as director Andy Muschietti told Deadline that year, he had, at one point, spoken to Will Poulter about the possibility of succeeding Tim Curry as the clownish, shape-shifting entity until the future Midsommar star became “slowly disengaged” from the dark role.  

Jack Nicholson (Father Damien Karras In The Exorcist)

Before playing Jack Torrance in The Shining made him horror royalty, Jack Nicholson read for the role of Father Damien Karras in 1973’s The Exorcist before it went to Jason Miller. At the 2013 Dallas International Film Festival, director William Friedkin said the Oscar winner came up to him and Ellen Burstyn at a restaurant asking to be considered, to which the filmmaker responded, “Jack, if I show you in a priest collar, the whole audience is gonna go up.”

Bette Midler (Annie Wilkes In Misery)

Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning performance as Annie Wilkes is a key reason why Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery is such a classic. However, the role of the nurse with a morbid obsession over her captive guest, author Paul Sheldon (James Caan), was previously offered to Bette Midler, who told Variety that the character’s violent, unfunny, and irredeemable qualities turned her away from it.

Jeff Bridges (Matt Hooper In Jaws)

When speaking to Vanity Fair about the making of Jaws, Steven Spielberg shared that Richard Dreyfuss was not his first choice to play shark expert Matt Hooper. One of his initial candidates was Jeff Bridges, whose closest contributions to the horror genre have included 1976’s King Kong, Terry Gilliam’s Tideland, and R.I.P.D.

Emma Stone (Margot In The Menu) 

In director Mark Mylod’s 2022 horror-comedy, The Menu, Anya Taylor-Joy plays Margot, one of several guests at an exclusive dinner run by an unhinged chef played by Ralph Fiennes. According to The Film Stage, Taylor-Joy actually stepped in as a replacement for Oscar winner Emma Stone, who was cast in the role was Alexander Payne was attached to direct.

Slim Pickens (Dick Hallorann In The Shining) 

You could argue that the heart and soul (and a few endearing qualities) of Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of The Shining is Scatman Crothers’ performance as Dick Hallorann. According to Screen Rant, the musician was not actually the first choice to play the Overlook Hotel’s head chef, which was offered to Slim Pickens, who previously worked with Kubrick on Dr. Strangelove and said he would only take the role if his scenes could be done in fewer than 100 takes.

Alice Cooper (Pennywise in Stephen King's It) 

Before Bill Skarsgård, the definitive image of Pennywise was that of Tim Curry, who was actually just one of several actors considered to play the embodiment of fear in the miniseries adaptation of It from 1990. Perhaps the most fascinating name tossed around, according to THR, was rock star Alice Cooper, who has dabbled in horror on the big screen (such as when he played Freddy Krueger’s father in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare) and in his music.

Haley Lu Richardson (Dani Ardor In Midsommar)

After appearing in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, Haley Lu Richardson passed on the opportunity to lead another disturbing movie called Midsommar, which turned out to be one of the best A24 horror movies in the eyes of many. She told Backstage in 2023 that she did not have to courage to watch it yet, but has nothing but praise for Florence Pugh, who ultimately did play Dani Ador in Ari Aster’s sinister sophomore effort from 2019.

Al Pacino (Hannibal Lecter In The Silence Of The Lambs)

While Brian Cox first played Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter, Anthony Hopkins’ became the most recognizable iteration with his Oscar-winning performance in The Silence of the Lambs. However, Jodie Foster revealed to Deadline that there were a few American actors considered to play the cannibalistic criminal psychologist in the Best Picture Oscar winner, including Al Pacino.

Michael Cera (Cole Sear In The Sixth Sense)

When talking to Esquire, Michael Cera recalled auditioning to play Cole Sear in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense without realizing the character was a medium. Upon seeing the thriller, when watching the scene he read for, he noticed how Haley Joel Osment played it very sorrowfully instead of the upbeat and optimistic vibe the future Arrested Development star was going for.

Tilda Swinton (Pennywise In 2017's It)

Her chameleonic talents — best seen in her unrecognizable turn in 2018’s Suspiria remake — have us convinced that Tilda Swinton could have played Pennywise. Indeed, the Academy Award winner’s name was brought up as a possible choice for the fear-devouring clown in 2017’s It, as Andy Muschietti confirmed to Vanity Fair after a journalist jokingly mentioned her.

Sharon Tate (Rosemary Woodhouse In Rosemary's Baby) 

The title role of 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby — a woman who grows suspicious of her new neighbors after becoming pregnant — skyrocketed Mia Farrow into movie stardom. Before Farrow was cast, according to Vanity Fair, writer and director Roman Polanski’s own wife, Sharon Tate, fought hard to play the role herself.

Helen Mirren (Ellen Ripley In Alien)

In an interview with Vulture, Helen Mirren recalls reading the script for Alien and not being able to tell if Ripley, or any of the characters, were male or female. The future Academy Award winner would audition for Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi classic, but the role of Ripley ended up going to Sigourney Weaver.

Chris Evans (Dan Torrance In Doctor Sleep)

Despite making a cameo in Doctor Sleep, The Shining’s original Danny Torrance, Danny Lloyd, is a former child star who no longer acts, which is why Ewan McGregor assumed the role for Mike Flanagan’s 2019 sequel. The filmmaker confirmed on his personal Tumblr account that, before the Emmy-winner was cast, one of the actors he met with was the MCU’s Steve Rogers, Chris Evans.

Shelley Winters (Pamela Voorhees In Friday The 13th)

While the Friday the 13th movies’ centerpiece slasher is Jason Voorhees, the main antagonist of the 1980 original was his vengeful mother, Pamela, played by Betsy Palmer. David Grove, author of On Location in Blairstown: The Making of Friday the 13th, told EW that one of the actors previously discussed to play the iconic female horror movie villain was Shelley Winters, best known for her Oscar-winning performances in The Diary of Anne Frank and A Patch of Blue, and her nominated role in disaster epic, The Poseidon Adventure.

Tobey Maguire (Alex Browning In Final Destination)

On director Jeffrey Reddick’s wish list for the Final Destination cast, he wanted the lead to be Tobey Maguire, who was cast in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man just two years later. However, as the filmmaker shared with Den of Geek, New Line Cinema was not convinced by the choice, which led Devon Sawa to ultimately take the part of Alex Browning.

Michelle Pfeiffer (Clarice Starling In The Silence Of The Lambs) 

Jodie Foster won her second Oscar for playing intrepid FBI trainee Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs, but the part was previously offered to Michell Pfeiffer. The actor told The New Yorker that the “evil” in the film made her nervous, but she does regret turning down the opportunity to reunite with her Married to the Mob director, Jonathan Demme.

Freddie Prinze Jr. (Billy Loomis In Scream)

In an interview with Dread Central, Freddie Prinze Jr. revealed that he and Skeet Ulrich were the final two candidates to play Billy Loomis in 1996’s Scream before the vengeful murderer role ultimately went to the latter. At least Prinze Jr. got to work with writer Kevin Williamson on another teen slasher favorite, I Know What You Did Last Summer, the following year.

John Lithgow (Seth Brundle In The Fly)

Jeff Goldblum gave one of his best performances as half-man, half-insect Seth Brundle in David Cronenberg’s 1988 remake of The Fly. Before he was cast, however, the role was offered to Goldblum’s The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension co-star John Lithgow who told In Magazine (via IndieWire) that he “didn’t want to play something so grotesque.”

Johnny Depp (The Invisible Man In The Invisible Man) 

In 2016, The Wrap reported that Johnny Depp was up to star in the title role of a modern reimagining of The Invisible Man. That was until the immediate failure of the Dark Universe convinced Universal to go in a different direction with its monstrous properties, allowing Leigh Whannell to introduce his own modern interpretation of H.G. Wells’ classic thriller.

Drew Barrymore (Carol Anne Freeling In Poltergeist) 

Drew Barrymore broke through at age 7 with her role in E.T. the Extra-terrestrial, but she actually met Steven Spielberg when auditioning for another film. She recalled to Ellen Degeneres how she was considered for, but ultimately not given the role of Carol Anne (which did go to Heather O’Rourke) in 1982’s haunted house classic, Poltergeist.

Lee Marvin (Quint In Jaws)

Steven Spielberg’s first choice to play Quint in Jaws was actually Lee Marvin, but the Oscar winner (for 1965’s Cat Ballou) was not interested, as the filmmaker recalled to Vanity Fair. Thus, the role of the intrepid shark hunter was given to Oscar nominee Robert Shaw.

Anne Lockhart (Laurie Strode In Halloween)

It is impossible to imagine other than Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode — the one Haddonfield babysitter who survives Michael Myers’ killing streak in the original Halloween. However, according to Biography, one of co-writer and director John Carpenter’s first choices was Anne Lockhart of Battlestar Galactica fame before she passed on the role.

Jodie Foster (Margaret White In 2013's Carrie)

As Vulture reported in 2012, Jodie Foster was approached to star alongside Chloe Grace Moretz in a remake of Carrie as the titular telekinetic’s overbearing mother, Margaret White. The part ultimately went to Julianne Moore, who, coincidentally, was Foster's replacement to play Clarice Starling in 2000's Hannibal.

Kirsten Dunst (Clear Rivers In Final Destination)

As Final Destination director Jeffrey Reddick shared with Den of Geek, he had a wish list for the unique 2000 horror flick’s cast that included Kirsten Dunst as Clear Rivers. Instead, that role would end up going to Ali Larter, who came back for Final Destination 2.

We would honestly love to peek into an alternate universe in which one of these actors got the iconic horror movie role they were up for, just to see how creepy it might have turned out.

The Predator series (which we've ranked) has had its fair share of not-so-good sequels and follow-up movies. However, that all changed with 2022’s prequel, Prey. The franchise received an electrifying boost from Dan Trachtenberg’s reimagining, which was initially exclusive to folks with a Hulu subscription. Set in the early 1700s and starring Amber Midthunder, it won critical praise, even earning 4 out of 5 stars from CinemaBlend. The good news is that the next Predator movie is already in development with the same team and is rumored to focus on another female action character. The Mandalorion’s Katee Sackhoff has expressed her interest in being a part of it, and personally, I need this to happen.

The Battlestar Galactica alum took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a report on the upcoming movie, which read, “BADLANDS’ will be a Predator film set in the future with a female lead.” The actress has a pretty good idea of who is uniquely qualified to go head to head with everyone’s favorite horror movie alien baddy, captioning her post:

Katee Sackhoff knows a thing or two about playing one of the best female action characters, seeing as how she has been providing the voice for Star Wars fan-favorite character Bo-Katan Kryze on both The Clone Wars and Rebels before jumping over into live-action to portray the character on The Mandalorian. She has also had experience within the world of superheroes. She famously suited up for The CW’s The Flash as Amunet Black, a metahuman crime boss. 

And, of course, she famously starred as Kara "Starbuck" Thrace across four seasons of 2004’s Battlestar Galactica revamp. So, needless to say, she's more than qualified to square up against the human-hunting Yautja. So let’s go, Hulu, sign her up!

Dan Trachtenberg, who made a smashing entrance into directing with 10 Cloverfield Lane in 2016 — a film I rank as one of the best horror flicks in the last two decades — will be retaking the helm as writer and director for the next chapter in the Predator series, aptly named Badlands. Trachtenberg is set to dive deeper this time, having previously shared story credits with Patrick Aison on Prey, with Aison handling the entire script. It's been reported that the upcoming flick is top of the list in terms of priorities for 20th Century Studios, with Trachtenberg and his team already scouting for lead actors. Fingers crossed, Katee Sackhoff's tweet lands her an audition!

Interestingly, reports also indicated that Badlands hitting the development track doesn't spell the end for Prey 2. Word on the street is that a sequel is still brewing, with Amber Midthunder possibly returning as the lead. But the other movie seems to be taking priority. And with Trachtenberg helming the new flick, don't be shocked if Midthunder's sequel ends up with a new director steering its course, assuming it gets the official go-ahead. 

Who knows, more Predator movies could mean more opportunities for Katee Sackhoff to join the franchise.  I’m not sure how she would fit into the 1700s settings of the first Prey but, any chance to get Sackhoff into this fictional universe would much appreciated.

While you wait for updates regarding whether the actress will star, visit her previous work in Star Wars by streaming The Mandalorian. All you need is a Disney+ subscription. Also, check out our 2024 movie schedule to see what's headed to a theater near you. 

There was a time when seeing iconic horror movie villains such as Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees slashing up young, defenseless civilians was the genre’s main draw. However, these days, audiences have come to better appreciate the Scream Queens and Scream Kings who know how to hold their own against the likes of masked killers, vicious extraterrestrials, mischievous demons, and more. With that in mind, let’s take a minute to shine the spotlight on the clever and courageous heroes from the best horror movies of all time and point out what makes them worth rooting for.

Ash Williams (The Evil Dead Movies) 

The Ash we meet in 1981's The Evil Dead is completely in over his head, struggling desperately to defend himself against his possessed friends in whatever way he can find. However, by the end of 1987's Evil Dead II, when he replaces his severed hand with a working chainsaw, Bruce Campbell's most iconic role becomes one of the horror genre's grooviest heroes… even if he is prone to a few flubs and mishaps here and there.

Laurie Strode (Halloween) 

Out of all of the babysitters working in Haddonfield on All Hallow’s Eve, Laurie Strode is the only one who manages to survive the escaped Michael Myers' killing streak in 1978's Halloween. The young woman’s courage and avoidance of distracting vices in John Carpenter's quintessential slasher made the character the ultimate “final girl” and Jamie Lee Curtis the quintessential Scream Queen.

Ben (Night Of The Living Dead) 

Duane Jones made history as the first Black actor to play the lead hero in a horror movie with his role in 1968's Night of the Living Dead. Ben is the one character in George A. Romero's groundbreaking thriller who manages to keep a level head when struggling to survive against hungry reanimated corpses.

Nancy Thompson (A Nightmare On Elm Street) 

Played by Heather Langenkamp, Nancy Thompson certainly takes a little while to figure out how to defeat the subconscious-haunting Freddy Kreuger (Robert Englund) in writer and director Wes Craven’s supernatural slasher classic. Near the end of A Nightmare on Elm Street, when she realizes that bringing him into reality is the key, she turns the tables on him with a series of elaborate traps that predate Home Alone.

Ellen Ripley (Alien) 

Sigourney Weaver’s career-defining role of Ellen Ripley became the sole survivor of  1979’s Alien and, as a result, one of the most inspirational female heroes in horror movie history. Her previous experience contending with the Xenomorph provided her with the resilience and wherewithal to ensure there would be more survivors in 1986’s Aliens, making her one of the greatest female action heroes of all time.

Sidney Prescott (Scream) 

When you have been targeted by masked killers as many times as Sidney Prescott, you tend to pick up on a few helpful tips and tricks for survival. Even before the original Ghostface first struck in 1996's Scream, the tragic murder of her mother a year prior prompted Neve Campbell's character to be prepared for such things.

R.J. MacReady (The Thing) 

Easily one of Kurt Russell's best roles is R.J. MacReady in John Carpenter's The Thing. The pilot brings a well-conceived, no-nonsense approach to weeding out who among his fellow researchers is a shape-shifting alien in disguise while stranded at their outpost in the Arctic.

Elise Rainier (Insidious)

When your house (or, maybe, your child) is haunted, the first person you should call is someone with a direct line to the afterlife, such as Lin Shaye's Elise Rainier from the Insidious movies. The medium comes to the Lambert Family's aid after young, unwitting astral traveler Dalton (Ty Simpkins) flies too far into "The Further" — a spiritual realm she named herself.

Chris Washington (Get Out)

Jordan Peele made a point to have a protagonist capable of making intelligent decisions for his Oscar-winning directorial debut, Get Out. He achieved that goal beautifully with Daniel Kaluuya's Chris Washington, with his adept suspicions of unusual circumstances and ingenious plan to escape the Armitage Family’s clutches.

Grace (Ready Or Not) 

Samara Weaving's newlywed in Radio Silence's breakthrough hit, Ready or Not, proves to be an ideal Hide-and-Seek player when her in-laws forced her to play it to the death as part of a matrimonial ritual. While she does get spotted a few times, it is in those moments when Grace also proves to be quite the fighter.

Dutch (Predator) 

Even the biggest fans of the Predator movies seem to forget that, when it comes to defeating the cunning, titular extraterrestrial, being the toughest, strongest, and best marksman is nowhere near as important as being the smartest. Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character from the 1987 original) realizes this after becoming the last of his crew and taking him on with old-school hunting tactics.

Sienna Shaw (Terrifier 2) 

Played by Lauren LaVera, the hero of Damien Leone's sequel to his shockingly brutal, old-school slasher throwback, Terrifier, is not just a final girl by circumstance. As foretold in artwork crafted by her late father, it is Sienna Shaw's destiny to cross paths with and defeat the sadistic Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton).

Clarice Starling (The Silence Of The Lambs) 

Jodie Foster won her second Academy Award for her performance in Jonathan Demme's adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel, The Silence of the Lambs. Her role as Clarice Starling — an FBI trainee seeking help from a manipulative, cannibalistic psychiatrist (played by Anthony Hopkins) — is one of the most intelligent and inspirational heroes in cinematic history, regardless of whether or not you want to call the Best Picture Oscar winner "horror."

Casey Cooke (Split, Glass) 

In M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, it eventually becomes known that Casey Cooke's calm demeanor and resourcefulness when she and her friends are kidnapped by a DID patient (James McAvoy) are the result of years of abuse from her uncle. Her trauma also allows Anya Taylor-Joy's character to have a unique connection with her captors' core identity, Kevin Wendell Crumb, that helps bring him back to earth in the 2019 sequel, Glass.

Randy Meeks (Scream)

The only original Scream cast member as resourceful as Sidney (if not more) is Randy Meeks, whose obsession with horror movie tropes allows him to, successfully, figure out at least one of Ghostface's true identities. Even though Jamie Kennedy's movie buff does not survive 1997’s Scream 2, his prime suspect in that sequel also turns out to be halfway correct.

Chief Martin Brody (Jaws)

Roy Scheider's Brody is the one member of Jaws' heroic trio with the least amount of experience with sharks. Yet, he makes up for it with the courage and skill needed to rid the waters of that man-eating beast.

Erin Harson (You're Next) 

When masked assassins turn an already bitter family reunion into a bloody nightmare in You're Next, the first one to take charge (and take out these adversaries) is Sharni Vinson's Erin, who is dating one of the family members. It is later revealed that she was trained for situations like this when she was a child, having grown up on her father's survivalist compound.

Peter Washington (Dawn of the Dead)

In the midst of the apocalypse, there is no one better to have in your crew than a member of SWAT, like Peter Washington. Ken Foree's role in George A. Romero’s 1978 zombie movie classic, Dawn of the Dead, is not only a master at slaying zombies, but a devoted survivalist and clever strategist.

Mindy Meeks-Martin (Scream, Scream VI) 

Like uncle, like niece. You would not be able to tell that Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) never got to meet the slain Randy based on how remarkably similar she is to him, particularly in her wide range of horror movie knowledge that proves to be very beneficial for the Scream franchise's new generation of targets.

Dr. Sam Loomis (Halloween) 

In Halloween, Laurie Strode manages to defend herself against Michael Myers, but is unable to expect when, where, and how he might strike — unlike the killer's psychiatrist. Donald Pleasence's Dr. Loomis is not necessarily one step ahead of his former patient, but is not too many steps behind him either, and there might have been fewer casualties in Haddonfield if more people actually accepted his advisement.

Marty (The Cabin In The Woods) 

Fran Kranz's character in the 2012 horror-comedy movie favorite The Cabin in the Woods, Marty, is chosen to represent the "Fool" archetype by The Organization, but they largely misjudged him. He is the first among his vacationing friends to pick up on the strange circumstances surrounding them and call them out on poor decisions often made in less self-aware horror movies.

Maddie Young (Hush) 

In Mike Flanagan's Hush, when a masked killer (John Gallagher Jr.) discovers his target, Maddie Young (Kate Siegel), is deaf, he takes advantage of that fact to intimidate, manipulate, and trap her in her secluded home. What he does not expect is that, as an author, she possesses a sharp analytical mind that keeps her one step ahead of her adversary.

Naru (Prey) 

In Dan Trachtenberg's 2022 Predator prequel, Prey, Amber Midthunder's aspiring Comanche warrior, Naru, proves her worth as a hunter by besting the greatest hunter in the universe. Much like Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch from the original classic, she manages to take out the hulking extra-terrestrial with her wits.

The Janitor (Willy's Wonderland) 

Similarities between 2020's Willy’s Wonderland and the popular Five Nights at Freddy’s series are allegedly coincidental, but there are some audiences who believe that said recent underrated horror movie is a better cinematic counterpart than Blumhouse’s official feature adaptation. The reason is that Nicolas Cage's silent, unnamed drifter manages to absolutely lay waste to a rundown family entertainment center's evil-possessed animatronics with his bare hands, all while cleaning the place up to an immaculate degree and scoring big in pinball.

Tess Marshall (Barbarian) 

In 2022’s Barbarian, Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) wastes no time scoping out the strange man she finds staying in her vacation rental home (played by Bill Skarsgård) — asking for his ID, avoiding a drink he prepares for her, etc. — which is only the first sign of her wisdom. The most definitive sign is when she finds a creepy hidden room in the basement and, instead of taking a look inside, her first instinct is one big, "Nope."

Scarlett Marlowe (As Above, So Below) 

Scarlett Marlowe (Perdita Weeks) proves her worth as a Final Girl hall-of-famer in one pivotal scene from the 2014 found footage favorite, As Above, So Below. She single-handedly runs all the way back through the, literally, devilish caverns she and her comrades have traveled through to find a mystical artifact that will save a man's life.

The Abbott Family (A Quiet Place) 

A post-apocalyptic world overrun with aliens that hunt by sound is the ingenious concept behind 2018’s A Quiet Place from director John Krasinski, who also stars alongside his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, as a family struggling to stay undetected. For the most, the Abbotts manage this pretty well with tricks like creating paths of sand for quieter walks, building a soundproof bunker for their newborn, and speaking exclusively in American Sign Language.

Lionel Cosgrove (Dead Alive) 

While initially known for his clumsiness, Lionel (Timothy Balme) proves to be a real hero in Peter Jackson's comedic classic, Dead Alive, by making mincemeat about out of a zombie horde with a makeshift lawnmower. What an ingenious idea!

Sang-hwa (Train To Busan)

It is no wonder Don Lee went on to star in Marvel's Eternals cast after playing Sang-hwa in Train to Busan. Fewer characters might have survived the onboard outbreak in the South Korean zombie movie favorite if not for his remarkable skills as a strategist and a bare-knuckle brawler.

Cecelia Kass (The Invisible Man) 

Writer and director Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man is an ingenious modernization of H.G. Wells’ novel for multiple reasons — including its narrative from the perspective of the victim, and a very bright and cautious one at that. Elisabeth Moss' Cecelia Kass is one of the few horror movie characters who leaves absolutely no stone unturned in a fierce battle of wits against her adversary — in this case, her manipulative former husband, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), whom she suspects has figured out a way to stalk her without being seen.

Blade (Blade) 

What makes Blade — originally played by Wesley Snipes in his own trilogy — the ultimate vampire hunter? He technically is one himself. The Marvel Comics hero is known as a Daywalker, having been born with vampire blood and similar abilities that allow him to think just like his prey.

Tommy Jarvis (Friday The 13th Movies) 

Few of Jason Voorhees' targets have been about to successfully outsmart the hockey-masked killer like Tommy Jarvis. In his debut appearance in 1984's Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, the young man (played then by Corey Feldman) shaves his head to appear like a young Jason, disorienting the killer and giving him a clear shot to defeat him.

Tired of watching horror movies and getting frustrated over the characters’ ill-advised decisions? You shouldn’t have that problem with these characters.

In 2022, four years after The Predator failed to hit with critics and audiences alike, the Predator franchise got a major jolt with Prey, which was initially released exclusively to Hulu subscribers. The early 1700s-set prequel starring Amber Midthunder was met with critical acclaim, including CinemaBlend’s Prey review giving it 4 out of 5 stars. Now the next Predator movie has been lined up, and I’m excited that one of the key talents from Prey will be back for it.

Dan Trachtenberg, who directed Prey and made his directorial debut in 2016 with 10 Cloverfield Lane, will write and direct Badlands, the next installment in the franchise (evidently it sounded “cool” enough for him). This will give him even more to do this time around, because although he also came up with Prey’s story with writer Patrick Aison, it was the latter who penned the entire script. Deadline also reports that Badlands is a “high priority” for 20th Century Studios, and that Trachtenberg and executives are already meeting with actors for the lead role.

Considering how successful Prey was, bringing back Dan Trachtenberg feels like a no-brainer. The man did a good job helming the feature following Amber Midthunder’s Naru battling Dan DiLIegro’s Feral Predator, chronologically making her the first human to face off against one of these extraterrestrial warriors. Why not ensure Badlands stands a chance of earning the same kind of stellar critical reception by placing him back in the director’s chair and having him work on the script (although I won’t be surprised if another writer later comes in to polish up his work)?

While it’s good to hear Trachtenberg is sticking around the Predator space, no plot details for Badlands have been revealed. As such, it’s unclear if this will be another period piece, if the story will return audiences to the present day, or if it will take place in the future. As for the release plans, because 20th Century Studios has sent recent movies like The Boogeyman to theaters, and will do the same with movies on the 2024 release schedule like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Alien: Romulus, it’s possible that Badlands could also score time on the big screen rather than be limited to Hulu again, though nothing is set in stone just yet.

Deadline’s article also mentioned that Badlands entering development doesn’t mean the kibosh has been put on Prey 2. That sequel is reportedly still in early development, with Amber Midthunder potentially reprising her lead role. However, given this latest news, it sounds like Badlands is the more urgent Predator-related project at the moment, and I also wouldn’t be surprised if Dan Trachtenberg taking the helm on it means that someone else would need to direct Prey 2 if that ends up getting officially greenlit.

We’ll let you know when more concrete information about Badlands comes to light, but in addition to Prey, remember that the first two Predator movies can also be streamed on Hulu. You’re also welcome to look through our rankings of the Predator movies, including Prey.

When thinking about the ‘80s, there are three actors who immediately come to my mind-Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Carl Weathers. And while Schwarzenegger and Stallone are thankfully still alive and active, we recently lost the magnificent Carl Weathers.   

As a movie fan, Carl Weathers’ death depresses me, but as a Black movie fan, it's especially upsetting. With Andre Braugher's death still fresh on my mind, Weathers’ death makes for yet another devastating loss.    

But, the beauty of film and television is that Carl Weathers’ legacy will live on through his work. So, here are 9 excellent roles from the one and only Carl Weathers.  

Apollo Creed (Rocky)  

The braggadocious, showboating Apollo Creed from the first Rocky movie is played to perfection by Carl Weathers as we both dislike him for disrespecting our underdog hero, but also admire him for his undeniable charisma. 

Sure, in a lot of ways, Apollo Creed in the first film is really just a caricature of Muhammad Ali, but at the same time, he had the kind of depth that would allow him to grow in the sequels. 

Stream Rocky on MAX 

Apollo Creed (Rocky IV)  

Some like to debate whether Rocky III Or Rocky IV is the better Rocky movie, but for my money, it will always be Rocky IV, and it's because of Carl Weathers’ sterling performance.    

Yes, Apollo Creed dies in this film, which is especially hard to watch now given the circumstances. But, the man in this sequel is so far removed from the man in the first Rocky, that it really does make his demise to Ivan Drago hit all the harder.  

Stream Rocky IV on MAX 

Dillon (Predator) 

When ranking the Predator movies, I think most people would agree that the first Predator is the best Predator. Yes, there are a number of reasons why that is the case, but Carl Weathers is definitely one of them.   

Throughout the film, we slowly learn his role in just why the men are actually in the jungle in the first place. And in a way, Carl Weathers’ Dillon is very much a sympathetic character, as we’re both kind of against him, but also understanding of why he does just what he does, given his position. Also, you just gotta love that midair arm wrestling scene. My man was seriously JACKED back in the day.    

Rent or Buy Predator on Amazon Prime 

Sergeant Jericho “Action” Jackson (Action Jackson) 

Blaxploitation films have seen a bit of a comeback as of late, but they were kind of on the decline by the 1980s. Still, one such movie that tried to keep the subgenre alive was Action Jackson, where Carl Weathers played a detective who got the raw end of a deal, but still got to kick some serious ass all the same.  

In a perfect world, Action Jackson would have been the star-powering vehicle that would have propelled Carl Weathers into the stratosphere like his contemporaries, Schwarzenegger and Stallone. But unfortunately, the film just didn’t land with the same impact as something like Commando or First Blood. It’s a shame, too, since Action Jackson, while flawed, is a damn fun time, and it’s mainly because of Carl Weathers’ strait-laced, and yet winking performance.    

Rent or Buy Action Jackson on Amazon Prime  

Chubbs Peterson (Happy Gilmore)  

We all knew Carl Weathers was a tough guy, but it took Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore for us to realize that he was also hilarious. In the film, he plays Adam Sandler’s golf coach, who just so happens to also have his hand bitten off by an alligator.  

Happy Gilmore is obviously one of Adam Sandler’s best movies, but it can’t be understated just what an impression that Carl Weathers left on the film with his “sturdy” wooden hand and coaching methods. He made another appearance as Chubbs in the film Little Nicky since Chubbs died in Happy Gilmore, and that’s how I choose to think about Carl Weathers right now. Mamboing up in Heaven.   

Stream Happy Gilmore on Peacock  

Combat Carl (Toy Story OF TERROR!) 

There’s a character named Combat Carl in the original Toy Story movie, and he’s blown up by Sid. But that’s of course not the Combat Carl that I’m referring to here. The Combat Carl that I’m referencing is in the special Toy Story OF TERROR!, where we get both Combat Carl, as well as a smaller version called Combat Carl Jr. 

In an undeniable meta reference to Happy Gilmore, Combat Carl had his hand bitten off by an iguana, and he talks in the third person as if he’s the Rock or something. What’s great about this role is that Carl Weathers can play both the tough, military type, but also extremely vulnerable. He also delivers one hell of a PSA about coughing into your shoulder. Because only YOU can prevent spreading germs!   

Stream Toy Story OF TERROR! On Disney+  

Carl Weathers (Arrested Development)  

It’s really interesting how Carl Weathers was able to pivot in his career from being an action hero to somebody who could openly poke fun at himself. And that’s what Carl Weathers did in Arrested Development, where he played Tobias’ acting coach, as well as somebody who was always looking for ways to fill his plate, in more ways than one.  

What’s great about this character (which is probably my favorite from Carl Weathers) is that you never feel bad about him like you do Tobias. Even though this silly version of Carl Weathers playing himself is just as down and out as Tobias (even telling Tobias to hold onto his bones to get a “good stew going," ), we get a sense that he’s a survivor who can make a lot out of a little. Man, the comedic timing on this man was simply impeccable.  

Stream Arrested Development on Netflix 

Greef Karga (The Mandalorian) 

Honestly, even though Greef Karga may be the last live-action role that we’ll ever get to see of Carl Weathers, it’s still one hell of a role to go out on. On the show, which he found “challenging," Carl Weathers' character went from being a leader of the Bounty Hunters’ Guild, to a High Magistrate in the course of multiple seasons. And through it all, we got a sense that Carl Weathers was having the time of his life.

Not only did he appear on the show though, he also directed some episodes, namely two of my favorites in “Chapter 12: The Siege,” and “Chapter 20: The Foundling.” In this way, Carl Weathers was an integral part of The Mandalorian. I mean, his character was the reason why Din Djarin even met up with Grogu in the first place, and if that’s not worth something, then I don’t know what is.  

Stream The Mandalorian on Disney+ 

Bonus: Jax (Mortal Kombat X DLC) 

Lastly, upon compiling this list, I actually never put two and two together, but when you get the DLC outfit for Jax in Mortal Kombat X, it comes with Carl Weathers’ voice, which is fitting since he looked like his counterpart in Predator. 

The reason why this is so cool is because Mortal Kombat, especially as of late, has been pulling from a lot of different movies with their DLC, such as Rambo, The Terminator, and RoboCop. So, to sort of have Carl Weathers’ character from Predator as a version of Jax is just plain cool. And I’ll definitely be picking him from now on whenever I go back to playing Mortal Kombat X, which I do every so often. 

Carl Weathers will forever be legendary, and for that reason, he’ll never be forgotten. Rest easy, Mr. Weathers. And remember, it's all in the hips. 

We all watch action movies for the... well, action. But we also watch actions for the memorable lines that they produce. The lines that we trade back and forth with friends for a laugh, or to make a point. Great lines in action movies can even be more quotable than those in comedies. So here are our choices for some of the best quotes from action movies that never get old. 

"I feel the need... the need for speed!" - Top Gun

Maverick (Tom Cruise) and Goose (Anthony Edwards) in Top Gun are a classic action movie duo. As best friends and work buddies, they do everything together and nothing sums up their friendship better than this line, as the adrenaline courses through their bodies after a flight in their F-14 Tomcats and they do the cool double high five thing. 

"100% pure adrenalin" - Point Break

The Kathryn Bigalow-directed cult classic Point Break wasn't the easiest film to get made, but it's turned into a stone-cold classic. It has some of the most quotable lines from any movie of its era and the line Bohdi (Patrick Swayze) delivers to Johnny (Keanu Reeves) tops the list. 

"Get to da choppah!" - Predator

You know a quote has made the big time when it becomes one of the biggest memes around, and "Get to da choppah!" from Predator has certainly achieved that. The Arnold Schwarzenegger quote is so meme-able, in fact, that it has surpassed the movie that it comes from in popularity and gets tacked on to lots of different Schwarzenegger faces across the internet. 

"When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too." - The Equalizer

Robert McCall, the protagonist in The Equalizer franchise is as thoughtful as he is dangerous. When you've got an actor like Denzel Washington delivering the lines, you know they will be cool and quotable, just like this gem from the first movie. 

"The name is Bond, James Bond." - James Bond Series

James Bond has given us some of the most iconic lines in action movie history. "Shaken, not stirred," and all his quips after baddies get their comeuppance are classics. Nothing is more iconic though, than the way he introduces himself. It may be the most legendary line in all of cinema.  

"I'll be back." - The Terminator

Arnold Schwarzenegger has used the line "I'll be back" in at least eight of his films, but it all started with that confrontation at the police station in The Terminator (1984).  It has also been used in multiple movies in the Terminator franchise, said by other characters. It's incredible that the line almost didn't happen that way when Schwarzenegger suggested "I will be back," instead. Thankfully director James Cameron didn't let him change the script and movie history was born. 

"You've never seen me very upset." - Mission: Impossible

This is one of those lines you feel like anyone could use in everyday life. The Mission: Impossible series has grown into one of the most successful franchises of all time, but it's way back in the very first one that provided the series' most iconic line. 

"Warriors, come out and play." - The Warriors

One of the biggest cult classics of all time is undoubtedly The Warriors (1979). While it's filled with quotable lines, none are more so than this one, which comes towards the end, as the titular gang makes it back to their home turf at Coney Island only to find Luther (David Patrick Kelly) and his rival gang, The Rogues, waiting for them. Clink, clink, clink...

"You've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?" - Dirty Harry

Clint Eastwood's character "Dirty" Harry Callahan is one bad man. He carries a lot of firepower and he's not afraid to use it. He proves that in the very beginning of the first film in the series, Dirty Harry asks a would-be bank robber how lucky he feels. 

"Welcome to the party, pal." - Die Hard

Everyone's favorite Christmas action movie is Die Hard. In a lot of ways, it defines the modern breed of action movie, and a big part of that is all of John McClane's (Bruce Willis) quips, like the one he utters after shooting up Powell's (Reginald VelJohnson) car.

"Yeah, I guess I'm back." - John Wick

All John Wick (Keanu Reeves) wanted to do was live his life in peace after leaving the underworld. Unfortunately, his plans didn't work out. When asked if he was getting back into the game, he reluctantly replied with this now-iconic line.

"They drew first blood" - First Blood

It's the line that basically launched a franchise. When cornered in a cave, John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) tells his former commanding officer Col. Trautman (Richard Crenna) why he's doing what he's doing. We get our first glimpse into what drives the now-iconic character. 

"I have a bad feeling about this." - Star Wars

The most iconic franchise of all time deserves one of the most iconic catchphrases of all time and Star Wars has it. "I've got a bad feeling about this" is said in every Star Wars film and is part of most of the canon outside of film as well. Naturally, it was first uttered by the biggest character in the series, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the very first movie as they first approach the Death Star. 

"I would like to have seen Montana." - The Hunt For Red October

The Hunt For Red October is one of Sean Connery's best movies, but it's Sam Neill's character Vasily who has the best line. After explaining early in the movie that he wants to settle in Montana after the crew arrives in America, it's what's on his mind when he meets his demise. 

"Say hello to my little friend!" - Scarface

In the decades since Tony Montana (Al Pacino) first yelled this line at the police bringing him down, it's become one of the most quoted lines from any action movie ever. It works for so many occasions, not just police raids. 

"Hasta la Vista, Baby." - Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Arnold Schwarzenegger is always good for a great catchphrase and in Terminator 2: Judgment Day that line is something he learns from young John Connor. It's a way Connor hopes will make him more laid back. It doesn't make the terminator more relaxed, but it does work to make him sound pretty cool. 

"Game over, man. Game over." - Aliens

The great Bill Paxton was taken from us way too young, but not before he delivered this no iconic line from Aliens. When everything seems to be lost, and the alien is closing in on the remaining people left, Paxton's character Hudson delivers this line with a level of fear that everyone watching feels. 

"Khaaaaan!" - Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

It's the line that has launched a million memes. Who doesn't know this iconic line from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan? The answer is nobody. William Shatner's James T. Kirk will live well into the far future, and this one line will always be a part of that legacy. 

"Go ahead, make my day." - Sudden Impact

In the fourth Dirty Harry movie, Sudden Impact, Clint Eastwood, as Dirty Harry Callahan, utters one of the most famous, and quoted, lines in movie history. The line was written by John Milius, a well known script doctor who also wrote some of the most famous lines in Jaws and The Hunt For Red October. 

"Welcome to the Rock" - The Rock

Sean Connery is responsible for an endless amount of great lines. Even in movies that aren't among his best reviewed, like The Rock, he still delivers. After he and Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) land on Alcatraz Island, Connery's Mason welcomes him to the island Mason called home for a time. 

"Never change the deal." - The Transporter

Frank (Jason Statham) is the best getaway driver in the world in The Transporter and as a driver-for-hire, he has three rules. No names, never look in the package, but #1 and most importantly, "Never change the deal." The man is not only a great driver, but he's true to his word and if you hire him, you better be too. 

"I'm dropping the hammer!" - Days Of Thunder

Director Tony Scott teamed up again with Tom Cruise after Top Gun for Days of Thunder, which was pretty much Top Gun in a race car. The action sequences are amazing, and the dialog produced one true classic when Cruise's Cole Trickle decides to go for it on a practice lap. 

"I expect and demand your very best. Anything less, you should have joined the Air Force." - Crimson Tide

Crimson Tide has a lot of great dialogue between submarine captain, Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) and his XO, Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington), but it's a line very early in the movie that sums up how the naval captain feels about serving on a submarine. He wants and expects only the best. 

"I hate snakes." - Indiana Jones and The Raiders Of The Lost Ark

There isn't much that stresses the great Indiana Jones out in Raiders of the Lost Ark, except one thing. Little does he know that later in his adventure he will face hundreds of snakes when he jumps in the prop plane at the beginning and finds one harmless snake in his seat, and lets the pilot know how he feels about the reptiles. 

"Put... the bunny... back... in the box." - Con Air 

In Con Air Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) is a paroled prisoner on his final flight back home after serving an 8-year-sentence. He's bringing home a present for his daughter, a stuffed bunny. It's the most important thing to him on the "con air" flight and everyone knows it when he explains where the stuffed animal needs to go. 

"I Live My Life a Quarter Mile at a Time." - The Fast And The Furious

It can't be argued that the Fast and Furious franchise isn't one of the biggest of all time. It also can't be argued that it hasn't produced some iconic lines, none of which are more famous than when Dominic Toretto explains to Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) how he lives his life. It's not day to day or hour to hour; it's a quarter mile at a time. 

"That Woman Deserves Her Revenge." - Kill Bill

There is one thing on Beatrix's (Uma Thurman) mind in Kill Bill: revenge. Bill (David Carradine) wants to stop her, but another member of their former crew, Budd (Michael Madsen) has other thoughts. He thinks she's justified in her anger. It sums up the whole movie in one sentence.

"You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes." - The Matrix

What if I told you that the line most people think is the most famous line from The Matrix isn't actually in The Matrix? That's right, Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) never says the line that has been made famous in memes. He does, however, utter the famous line about what the red pill can do for someone.

"The action is the juice." - Heat

When Heat first came out in 1995, it was the epitome of cool. Tom Sizemore's character, Michael Cheritto, was part of the very cool crew led by Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro). When Neil asks Michael if he's up for the bank robbery, Michael says yes, and tells him why: it's what he lives for. 

"You know you drive almost slow enough to drive Miss Daisy." - Bad Boys

We've all been there. There is nothing worse than getting impatient with a slow driver and in 1995's Bad Boys, Michael (Will Smith) lets his new partner Marcus (Martin Lawrence) have it when he gets fed up with what he thinks is slow driving. It's a line that would have been way out of place if the original casting ideas hadn't changed.  

"What a lovely day." - Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road was an instant classic and while there isn't a whole lot of dialogue (who needs it?), there is one very famous line yelled by Nux (Nicholas Hoult) as the army or cars scream across the desert in one of the coolest car chase sequences ever filmed. 

"You're the disease, and I'm the cure." - Cobra

In the mid-'80s, Sly Stallone made a lot of cool movies, with a lot of cool lines. One of the most under-appreciated movies is Cobra, which he wrote based on the original script for Beverly Hills Cop, believe it or not. The best line in that script explains the main character's entire ethos. 

You can't have a great action movie without great dialogue and this list proves it. 

It seems like we see wrestlers-turned-actors showing up in major action movie franchises and massive comic book movies more than ever, but the truth is, this isn’t a new trend. In fact, some of the great Best Picture winners have featured in-ring technicians and brawlers show up in some capacity for decades at this point. 

If you’ve ever wanted to know about movies featuring professional wrestlers then you’ve come to the right place because we’re about to break down films big and small, blockbusters and cult classics, and everything in between.

Rocky III (1982)

Rocky III was bigger and badder than the previous two installments in Sylvester Stallone’s all-time great boxing movie franchise, and some of that is thanks to Hulk Hogan’s brief yet iconic performance as Thunder Lips, the wrestler Rocky Balboa (Stallone) faces in an exhibition match early on. And while Mr. T is an actor more than a wrestler, the man behind Clubber Lang would go on to appear at WrestleMania three years later.

The Princess Bride (1987)

Andre the Giant was one one of the most legendary wrestlers to ever step into the ring, but there are some out there who probably know the “Eighth Wonder of the World” from his work in Ron Reiner’s 1987 fantasy comedy, The Princess Bride. 

Spider-Man (2002)

You can’t tell Peter Parker’s origin story without including Bone Saw McGraw, and luckily fans didn’t have to live in that reality in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies, as the first entry in the franchise saw the late Macho Man Randy Savage take on the role of the over-the-top and notorious wrestler.

The Longest Yard (2005)

There are movies with one or maybe two wrestlers, but the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler featured some of the WWE superstars of that era with the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Bill Goldberg, and the Great Khali on both sides of the inmates vs. guards football game.

Road House (1989)

The late, great Terry Funk left us in August 2023, but he leaves behind a lasting legacy, both in the ring and in Hollywood. Perhaps his best known performance is that of Morgan, a bouncer who’s given the boot from the Double Deuce and proceeds to make James Dalton’s (Patrick Swayze) life a living hell. He even does a mean "Gorilla Press" early in the movie.

Predator (1987)

Jesse Ventura has worn a lot of different hats throughout his life: professional wrestler, conspiracy theorist, author, the 38th governor of Minnesota, and actor. He has made quite a few movies over the years, but his most notable flick has to be John McTiernan’s Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Can you imagine that great action movie without Blain Cooper?

The Wrestler (2008)

By its very title, it’s safe to assume Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler was going to see Mickey Rourke step into the ring with a lot of real-life grapplers before everything was said and done. And he did. The list of wrestlers includes everyone from Ernest “The Cat” Miller to Necro Butcher (pictured above) and future AEW stars Claudio Castagnoli and Chuck Taylor to name only a few.

Highlander (1986) 

Highlander, a movie about immortals, swords, and all other kinds of fantasy elements, starts off with an absolutely bonkers match involving none other than the Fabulous Freebirds, one of the most impactful stables in American wrestling. They’re only around for a few minutes, but this definitely counts for something.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Dave Bautista has gone on to become one of the most versatile action stars in Hollywood, but the former WWE Champion made his first big splash as an actor with his portrayal of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy. Since then, Bautista has appeared in several of the best Marvel movies to date.

They Live (1988)

Before Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, and pretty much everyone else not named Hulk Hogan or Andre the Giant tried their hand at acting, Roddy Piper gave a career-defining performance in 1988’s They Live, one of the best John Carpenter movies. This sci-fi action thriller not only features one of the best one-liners with the “Bubblegum” moment, it also features an epic fight scene.

The Mummy Returns (2001)

At the peak of his WWE career, The Rock decided he wanted to be a movie star, a process that essentially started with his portrayal of the Scorpion King in 2001’s The Mummy Returns. Though he wasn’t in the Brendan Fraser sequel all that long (except for that CGI abomination in the final act), it did lead to bigger and better things.

The Marine (2006)

John Cena is now known more for his acting than wrestling, but that wasn’t always the case. Back in 2006, the future Fast & Furious star and the man behind Peacemaker got his start with The Marine, a WWE-produced action thriller that would go on to spawn multiple sequels with everyone from The Miz to Becky Lynch and Shawn Michaels to Bo Dallas.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Remember the Nazi who had the misfortune of stepping into a propeller during a fight with Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Raiders of the Lost Ark? Well, that’s none other than Pat Roach, a wrestler who found a tremendous amount of success on the big screen after hanging up his boots.

The Godfather (1972)

Prior to playing Luca Brasi, the Corleone family’s towering enforcer who ends up sleeping with the fishes in The Godfather, Lenny Montana had a rather successful in-ring career as a professional wrestler. Over the course of his nearly 20-year career, Brasi won multiple championships in various promotions under the National Wrestling Alliance.

Major Payne (1993)

Bam Bam Bigelow, a wrestler who took his larger-than-life persona and talents all around the world, showed up in the 1993 Damon Wayans comedy, Major Payne. He only shows up briefly as a biker hired to scare off Wayans' character, but it makes for one of the funniest spots in the movie.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze is mostly remembered for its lighter tone compared to its predecessor, as well as that Vanilla Ice cameo, but it also features an appearance by Kevin Nash as Super Shredder near the film’s climax. This was years before “Big Daddy Cool” changed the wrestling industry with the inception of the NWO.

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Blazing Saddles, one of Mel Brooks’ best movies, is full of great characters like Cleavon Little’s Sheriff Bart, Gene Wilder’s Jim the Waco Kid, and Harvey Korman’s Hedley Lamarr. But did you know one of the most absurd villains in this Western parody was a professional wrestler? It’s true, as prior to taking on the role of Mongo, Alex Karras, who also had a hall of fame NFL career, wrestled off-and-on for various American promotions. 

John Wick (2014)

There are a lot of John Wick characters who haven’t survived a run-in with Keanu Reeves’ titular assassin, but Kevin Nash’s Francis isn’t one of them. The bouncer was one of the few employees of Viggo Tarasov to survive the franchise’s first installment.

Ed Wood (1994)

Tim Burton’s Ed Wood is a wild movie with an incredible cast and one remarkable group of actors. In addition to Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Bill Murray, and Sarah Jessica Parker, the 1994 biopic also features George “The Animal” Steele as Tor Johnson, a professional wrestler hired for parts in Bride of the Monster and Plan 9.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

John Cena’s portrayal of Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad is honestly one of the best things about James Gunn’s 2021 R-rated comic book movie. He’s crass, he’s annoying, but there’s no denying his charisma and ability to dispense enemies with just about everything that comes out his hands.

Mr. Nanny (1993)

Is Mr. Nanny a great movie? No! But is it a movie that has to be watched whenever it airs on cable? You bet. Hulk Hogan is the star of the show in this 1993 family-friendly comedy no matter if he’s battling young kids with all their schemes or Tommy Thanatos (David Johansen) with his metallic head. This one is WILD.

The Champions of Justice (1971)

The Champions of Justice, or Los Campeones Justicieros, takes some of the most famous masked luchadors in the history of Mexican wrestling and puts them together as a team of crime fighters (motorcycles and all). Together, Blue Demon, Mil Máscaras, and various other superheroes take on an evil Mayan princess in this B-movie classic.

Man on the Moon (1999)

The 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic, Man on the Moon, retold several of the late comedian’s biggest moments with Jim Carrey losing himself in the role. You know who else did a great job in Miloš Forman’s movie? None other than Jerry “The King” Lawler, who portrayed himself to recreate the epic “feud” between him and Kaufman that included that unforgettable David Letterman moment. 

Friday (1995)

Friday just wouldn’t be the same without the towering Deebo bringing fear to the neighborhood, and that now iconic presence is all thanks to the late Tiny “Zeus” Lister Jr. The actor, who also appeared in movies like The Dark Knight, The Fifth Element, and No Holds Barred, will always be remembered for this role.

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz’s 2019 drama, The Peanut Butter Falcon, is a wonderfully tender movie about a young man with Down syndrome (played by Zack Gottsagen) with one dream: to become a wrestler. And he finally gets his wish in a magical scene that features some wonderful heel work by Jack “The Snake” Roberts’ character and a heartfelt performance by Mick Foley.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max: Fury Road is anchored by scene-stealing performances by Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, and Hugh Keays-Byrne as the brutal Immortan Joe, but let’s not forget former WWE superstar Nathan Jones’ performance as Rictus Erectus. He’s massive, he’s deadly, and he has great comedic timing, which brings a lot to one of the best action movies of all time.

MacGruber (2010)

MacGruber, the movie and not the Peacock original series of the same name, is a ridiculously silly movie that is all-around a lot of fun. On top of Will Forte and Kristen Wiig, the action comedy also features a whole stable of WWE wrestlers, all of whom die in the most absurd way possible.

The Rundown (2003)

The Rundown isn’t the best Dwayne Johnson movie, but it’s also not his worst. This 2003 buddy action comedy, which also features Seann William Scott and Christopher Walken, showed audiences that the wrestler’s electric charisma could translate to strong on-screen performances.

Ready To Rumble (2000)

If there was a wrestler on the WCW roster when Ready to Rumble was in production, there’s a good chance they show up in this 2000 comedy starring David Arquette and Scott Caan. Goldberg, Diamond Dallas Page, Booker T, Curt Henning, Sting, Rey Mysterio Jr., and countless others pop up.

Blade: Trinity (2004)

Nearly 20 years before taking over WWE creative, Triple H had a sizable role in 2004’s Blade: Trinity, the third and final installment in the Wesley Snipes-led comic book franchise. In the movie, which also starred Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds, the multi-time WWE Champion made his acting debut as a vampire named Jarko Grimwood.

Warrior (2011)

A movie about MMA featuring a professional wrestler with a professional wrestler in one of the major supporting roles sounds crazy, right? Well, that’s what happened in the 2011 sports drama, Warrior, which saw Kurt Angle portray the formidable Koba, Brendan Conlon’s (Joel Edgerton) opponent before taking on his younger brother, Thomas “Tommy” Conlon (Tom Hardy) in the final act.

The Waterboy (1998)

The Waterboy, Adam Sandler’s 1998 football comedy, has a brief, yet unforgettable cameo by Paul Wight as Captain Insano in one of the movie’s funniest scenes. Wight, who was wrestling as The Giant in WCW at the time, would use the gimmick during a 2023 AEW appearance.

With more and more wrestlers stepping out of the squared circle and jumping onto the silver screen, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see some of the big names show up not only at some of the upcoming WWE events but also the 2024 movie schedule.

Since spooky season is upon us, plenty of moviegoers are streaming their favorite horror movie. Those with a Hulu subscription were treated to a great new installment earlier this year in Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey. The movie has been wildly successful, leaving fans to wonder when Prey 2 might start development. And the film’s director Dan Trachtenberg recently explained why another Predator sequel hasn’t started development yet.

Upon its release, Prey was praised by critics and fans alike. Prey was even honored with a number of Emmy nominations, so it seems like it would be a no brainer for Hulu to bring a sequel to life. Dan Trachtenberg spoke with ComicBook about the concept of a sequel, and trying to avoid the traps of typical disappointment follow-up movies. He responded honestly, offering:

Points were made. While I’m sure another Prey movie could be filmed, the question is whether or not it should be. Trachtenberg doesn’t want to make a follow-up flick as a crash grab, and instead wants to make sure it can be a truly special moviegoing experience. We’ll just have to see if another story is formulated that convinced those in power to move forward with the Predator reboot.

Between Prey and No One Will Save You, Hulu is quickly becoming a hub for horror content. And I have to assume that the powers that be would like to see the same Emmy-nominated success with another Predator flick. But it’ll seemingly have to pass a quality test for Trachtenberg to dive back into that world for another installment.

Prey has been praised as one of the Predator franchise’s best offerings, with many online claiming it’s the best one since the 1987 original. The prequel setting offered something wholly unique to the rest of the property, and the movie was celebrated for its portrayal of indigenous people. Lead actress Amber Midthunder was also universally acclaimed, and fans want to see the final girl back on the screen.

Prey is streaming now on Hulu. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

I have always been firm believer in the phrase, “A hero is only as good as his or her villain.” I also believe that some of the best movies of the 1980s are home to some of the greatest heroic characters in cinematic history. By that logic, the antagonists from that decade would have would also have to be pretty top notch, to say the least.

Well, the 30 great ‘80s movie villains below certainly make a great case for that bold claim. Take a look at the heinous jerks, power-hungry criminals, and coldblooded killers from the unforgettable decade, below.

Ace Merrill (Stand By Me)

Part of the reason why 1986’s Stand By Me — Rob Reiner’s adaptation of the coming-of-age novella, The Body — is one of the most beloved Stephen King movies is that its darker moments never rely on a supernatural threat. That was handled perfectly enough by Kiefer Sutherland’s performance as Ace Merrill, who is remembered today as one the quintessential examples of how unmercifully sadistic a childhood bully can be.

Audrey II (Little Shop Of Horrors)

A 1960 B-movie by Roger Corman inspired a hit Broadway show that director Frank Oz made into one of the greatest musical horror comedy movies — 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors, in which Rick Moranis’ Seymour Krelborn comes across a weeeiiiirrrrd plant that soon becomes a sensation. 

The catch: Audrey II (named after his co-worker and crush, played by Ellen Greene) is really a “mean, green mother from outer space” with an insatiable craving for human flesh and an even meaner singing voice (courtesy of The Four Tops’ Levi Stubbs) that could consume the entire world if it grows large enough.

Betelgeuse (Beetlejuice)

Before playing one of the greatest ‘80s movies heroes (and becoming the best live-action Batman actor in the process), Michael Keaton first collaborated with Tim Burton in the title role of the spooky 1988 classic, Beetlejuice. The future Academy Award nominee actually had a lot of influence in the creation of the kooky, conniving bio-exorcist — from his rapid-fire speech pattern, bizarre wardrobe choices, and moldy skin — making him a villain hard to dislike and even harder to forget, despite only 17 minutes of screen time.

Biff Tannen (Back To The Future)

Making Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Brown’s (Christopher Lloyd) troublesome adventures in the time travel movie classic, Back to the Future, and its sequels even more difficult is Biff Tannen — easily the best-known role of comedian Tom Wilson. Initially a typical, ‘50s-era high school bully, by Part II, he evolves into a dynamic antagonist of various sides who, in an alternate 1985, becomes a powerful, ruthlessly corrupt business tycoon with the unwitting help of his older self.

Chet Donnelly (Weird Science)

Has cinema ever shown us a more fearsome example of how horrible older siblings can be than the late Bill Paxton as Chet Donnelly from 1985’s Weird Science? From little things like stealing breakfast from his brother, Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), to shoving a shotgun in Gary’s (Anthony Micheal Hall) face, the dull-brained, militaristic terror is easily the biggest jerk from John Hughes’ movies and his comeuppance at the end — Lisa (Kelly LeBrock) turns him into some frog-like blob — is less than he really deserves.

Christine (Christine)

It is every teenager’s dream to have their own car, but when Keith Gordon’s Arnie gets his own set of wheels in John Carpenter’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Christine from 1983, it proves to be a nightmare… for everyone else in his life. The titular, red Plymouth Fury (named after George Romero’s ex-wife) turns out to have a mind of her own, the ability to heal herself of any damage, and grows so protective of her driver that she will do anything to keep him all to herself. 

Chucky (Child's Play)

Anyone who suffers from an irrational fear of dolls must have felt a refreshing sense of validation upon the 1988 release of one of the best scary doll movies, Child’s Play, in which a single mother (Catherine Hicks) discovers a friendly-looking gift for her young son (Alex Vincent) is possessed by the soul of a nasty serial killer. Academy Award nominee and deeply underrated actor, Brad Dourif, gives a memorably menacing performance as the voice of Charles “Chucky” Lee Ray that is key to why the franchise still continues to this day with Syfy’s hit Chucky TV show.

Darth Sidious (Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi)

If this was a list of villains from the best ‘70s movies, we would have given praise to the original Star Wars movie’s Darth Vader, but when it comes to classics from this decade, the most fearsome foe from George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away is his boss, Darth Sidious. Otherwise known as Emperor Palpatine, the Sith Lord (whom Ian McDiarmid first appeared as in 1983’s Return of the Jedi) may appear old and decrepit, but behind those yellow eyes is a mighty, nigh unstoppable force of deadly, tyrannical manipulation — not to mention, the lightning that emits from his fingertips is pretty devastating. 

The Duke (Escape From New York)

One of the first and most iconic acting roles by Isaac Hayes (the Academy Award-winning composer of the iconic movie theme song from Shaft) is a really bad mother— shut your mouth — known as The Duke from John Carpenter’s dystopian 1981 cult thriller, Escape from New York. The ruthless criminal, who has established himself as the most powerful inmate in the maximum prison that once was Manhattan, sees the accidental arrival of the President (Donald Pleasance) as his ticket to freedom and compromises the anti-heroic Snake Plissken’s (a badass Kurt Russell) rescue mission by barbaric means.

Gozer (Ghostbusters)

The moment that really confirms 1984’s Ghostbusters as a classic horror-comedy movie (with emphasis on the horror) is certainly not when Slimer first appears, but in the final act when the crew must take on the demonic Gozer (Slavitza Jovan, but later played by Olivia Wilde in Ghostbusters: Afterlife). The terrifying, omnipotent “prehistoric bitch” takes way more than a proton pack to defeat, but at least has enough respect for its human adversaries to give them the choice of what will be bring forth their planet’s destruction, resulting in the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man’s attack on New York.

The Gremlins (Gremlins)

Many can relate to the idea of giving your child a seemingly cute and cuddly pet that turns out to be a terror, which producer Steven Spielberg, writer Chris Columbus, and director Joe Dante exaggerated to a nightmarish levels in the Christmas horror movie classic, 1984’s Gremlins. If only the Mogwai’s three rules were followed, it could not have given rise to the titular, green, grinning, goblin-like creatures that give Billy’s (Zach Galligan) small town a horrifying holiday.

Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare On Elm Street)

Growing up, parents always said not to be afraid of bad dreams because they cannot hurt you, but what if that was not the case and staying awake was the only solution? Such is the concept of writer and director Wes Craven’s 1984 supernatural slasher favorite, A Nightmare on Elm Street, in which Robert Englund gives his most iconic performance as Freddy Krueger — a grotesque boogeyman with the power to slay people with his razor-clawed glove from within their subconscious.

Hans Gruber (Die Hard)

You would never believe that the late Alan Rickman had never been in a movie before giving his stunning, seminal performance in 1988’s Die Hard cast as Hans Gruber. The bloodthirsty, but admirably sophisticated, German thief is a polar opposite to Bruce Willis’ reluctant, blue collar hero, John McClane, making him the perfect adversary for, arguably, the greatest action movie ever made and one of the genre’s finest villains.

Ivan Drago (Rocky IV)

While the original from 1976 is a classic Best Picture Oscar winner, the fourth installment of the Rocky movies from 1985 might be the most iconic in the Sylvester Stallone-led boxing movie franchise. A good chunk of credit should be given to Dolph Lundgren as the cold, hulking, Russian rival athlete, Ivan Drago, who takes competition deathly seriously, based on his signature catchphrase, “I must break you,” and his absolute lack of remorse for incidentally killing Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in the ring. 

Jack Torrance (The Shining)

One of the reasons why Stephen King did not care for The Shining (to put it lightly) was the casting of Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, as he believed it would let on his eventual descent into madness from the moment we first see him. However, the Academy Award winner’s bombastically unhinged performance was one of the top reasons why Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation is so beloved to this day and why the good dad gone bad is, arguably, the best Stephen King movie villain yet. 

Jason Voorhees (Friday The 13th Sequels)

In 1980’s original installment of the Friday the 13th movies, the killer stalking Camp Crystal Lake was a vengeful mother named Pamela Voorhees (Betsy Palmer), who would easily go down in history as one of the greatest female horror villains of all time. Yet, the one who would go down as one of the most iconic horror movie villains in general and became the (hockey-masked) face of the subsequent franchise was her son, Jason Voorhees, who started off slicing teens with his machete to avenge his mother, but did not really need much of a motivation as the series went on.

Johnny Lawrence (The Karate Kid)

In the ‘80s, one of the go-to actors to play the designated superficial, bullish jock in a coming-of-age movie was William “Billy” Zabka and earning him that reputation was his role as Johnny Lawrence in 1984’s The Karate Kid. Years later, the character — introduced in the classic movie as Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) brutal martial arts rival — would be seen in a whole new light when Zabka reprised the role in the Cobra Kai cast on the YouTube original series that became a Netflix exclusive.

The Joker (Batman)

There have been many different, unique portrayals of The Joker — the top dog of Batman’s rogues gallery — with some favoring Mark Hamill’s enduring animated iteration or Heath Ledger’s unpredictably manic, Oscar-winning interpretation in 2008’s The Dark Knight. However, when 1989’s Batman came out, it seemed like nothing would be able to surpass Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier — a Gotham gangster whose chemical accident turns him into a Clown Prince of Crime with an ingenious balance of cartoonish lunacy and chilling wickedness.

Judge Doom (Who Framed Roger Rabbit)

There are many reasons why modern audiences struggle to call Robert Zemeckis’ astonishing blend of live-action and animation, 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a great movie for kids, definitively. One of the most pressing is the way Christopher Lloyd fully channels his bad side — and abstains from blinking his eyes — as the ominous Judge Doom, who only gets much, much scarier when we discover his true identity.

Khan Noonien Singh (Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan)

Ricardo Montalban first appeared as a genetically engineered Augment known as Khan — or, as William Shatner’s Captain James T. Kirk pronounces it, “KHAAAAAAAAAN!” — in an episode of the original Star Trek series in 1967. However, his grand return to the role as the titular antagonist of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is one of the most legendary performances in the franchise’s history and key as to why the 1982 sequel is still widely considered the best Star Trek movie to date.

Lord Humungus (The Road Warrior)

George Miller’s Mad Max movies have had their fair share of great villains, from Toecutter in the 1979 original to Immortan Joe in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road — both of whom were played by Hugh Keays-Byrne. When the franchise fully entered its influential, dystopian-era stage with 1981’s The Road Warrior, Mel Gibson’s anti-hero was tasked with taking on the Marauders’ hulking leader, Lord Humungus (Kjell Nilsson), who kind of looks like if Jason Voorhees was a medieval exotic dancer, but is nonetheless a memorably imposing figure off post-apocalyptic tyranny.

Mama Fratelli (The Goonies)

The deadly traps that the thrill-seeking youngsters from the Goonies cast encounter while searching for buried treasure are scary enough, but if there is anything more terrifying in director Richard Donner’s 1985 cult classic, it’s the matriarch of the menacing Fratelli family. Given her reputation for playing particularly “grouchy” characters, to say that Academy Award nominee Anne Ramsey gives one of her most intimidating performances as a woman trying to beat a group of children to the site of hidden loot is really saying something.

Mola Ram (Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom)

Harrison Ford’s intrepid fortune hunter, Indiana Jones, has made enemies with many dastardly personalities, but I do not believe a single one of them comes close to being as haunting as Amrish Puri as Mola Ram. What better proof is there than the terrifying scene from 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when the Thuggee cult leader reaches into a man’s chest, pulls out his still-beating heart, and lowers him into a fiery pit as a sacrifice to his ruthless deity. 

Mother Alien (Aliens)

In the franchises’ decades-long history, the Alien movies have shown us various breeds of the Xenomorph — each one horrifying, but also undeniably picturesque, in its own way — but the one that might take the cake, however, is the (literal) mother of them all. Then again, we cannot blame this queen for her main goal in James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, Aliens, which is to protect her children from Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley, who is on her own mission to rescue the young, orphaned Newt (Carrie Henn).

The Predator (Predator)

The Xenomorph may be cinema’s definitive depiction of extra-terrestrial evil, but the most badass of them all would have to be the titular creature played by the late Kevin Peter Hall in director John McTiernan’s 1987 sci-fi hit, which is still the best of the Predator movies in most people’s eyes. As Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch would demonstrate in the third act of the testosterone-fueled, jungle-set action thriller, it does not take brawn, but brains to defeat the hulking beast, who admirably maintains a code of honor when hunting his prey.

Principal Richard Vernon (The Breakfast Club)

I pray for anyone who ever felt like their principal relished in making his students’ lives miserable when they were in high school, because that would mean that they actually knew someone like Richard Vernon. 

Paul Gleason, an actor who seemed to relish playing unlikable characters with brilliant focus, may have hit his peak in that regard in 1985 with his performance in John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club cast as a nearly sadistic principal with no sense of respect or concern for his youthful peers. I hope the custodian, Carl (John Kapelos), managed to talk some sense into him and save him from being a dangerous embarrassment to the public school system.

Rene Beloq (Raiders Of The Lost Ark)

Out of all of the memorable Indiana Jones movie villains, my pick for the all-time best would be Rene Beloq, played by Paul Freeman in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. As a fellow fortune-hunter, the charismatic Frenchman is a perfect match for Harrison Ford’s hero — having a similar goal, but going about it in a more despicable manner by partnering with the Nazis and being willing to kill and manipulate to get his hands on any great fortune.

Roy Batty (Blade Runner)

There really is not a “good guy” in director Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking — yet commercial unsuccessful — adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? from 1982, considering how there is nothing admirable about Rick Deckard’s (Harrison Ford) occupation in “retiring” Replicants from a moral standpoint. Furthermore, as an artificial being who wants nothing more but to live longer and freely, I think that Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty is actually one of Blade Runner’s more sympathetic characters, which is what makes him such a unique example of antagonism.

The Terminator (The Terminator)

One of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most iconic characters would come to be known as a great hero in the early ‘90s with the release of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but that is a far cry from his original depiction in 1984. The titular antagonist of James Cameron’s breakthrough, The Terminator, may look like an ordinary (yet extraordinarily ripped) man, but is really a futuristic machine that does not negotiate, feel any emotion, and refuses to cease until his target — Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the unwitting mother of a dystopian war hero — is dead.

The Thing (The Thing)

Imagine not being able to trust if someone you know personally is really who they say they are or if they are a shapeshifting, otherworldly creature in disguise. That is the concept of, arguably, the best of John Carpenter’s movies, 1982’s The Thing, which more faithful adapts John W. Campbell  Jr.’s horror novella “Who Goes There?” into a master class in suspense in which its alien antagonist pits an Arctic research crew against each other, challenging them figure out who is still human.

For anyone who wants to get in the business of playing bad people on the silver screen, they should consider ‘80s movie villains their heroes.

Comic books are often a prime medium for delivering crossovers that wouldn’t be possible to pull off in live-action movies and/or TV shows, ranging from the worlds of Star Trek and Green Lantern coming together, to the Transformers and Back to the Future mythologies colliding. Next month, we’re even getting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Stranger Things miniseries from IDW Publishing and Dark Horse Comics. However, Marvel has an upcoming crossover comic starring Wolverine and Predator that’s too good not to be adapted into a movie someday.

In 2020, the Predator franchise comic book rights moved from Dark Horse to Marvel as a result of Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox, and Wolverine has, of course, been a Marvel mainstay since being introduced in the pages of The Incredible Hulk #181. Now it’s been announced that Predator Vs Wolverine will launch on September 20, with Benjamin Percy writing the four-issue miniseries and being accompanied by artists like Greg Land, Andrea Di Vito, Ken Lashley, Kei Zama and more. Check out the cover for the first issue, illustrated by Marco Checcheto, below straight from Marvel:

Predator Vs Wolverine chronicles Logan’s conflict with a member of the Yautja species that stretches back to his early days as Weapon X. This Predator considers Wolverine to be the greatest prey in existence, but as anyone familiar with the adamantium-clawed mutant knows, he’s the best at what he does, and what he does isn’t very nice. As such, readers will see these two come to frequent blows across the decades in locations like the Canadian wilderness and the streets of Madripoor. After explaining why he was a good fit to write Predator Vs Wolverine, Benjamin Percy said this about the miniseries’ premise:

It wasn’t mentioned if any of Wolverine’s X-Men teammates will appear in Predator Vs Wolverine, but frankly, I’m fine if he doesn’t team up with someone like Cyclops or Jean Grey against this extraterrestrial menace. Wolverine is more than capable of holding his own in a fight like this between his claws, enhanced senses and healing factor. However, with the Predator boasting its own impressive physical capabilities and advanced technology, it may be able to overcome ability to heal fast and put him in the ground for good. Ok, the chances of Wolverine permanently dying in this miniseries are slim, regardless of whether Predator Vs Wolverine is in continuity or not, but nevertheless, this feels like a match made in heaven.

As stated earlier, 20th Century Studios is now under the Disney umbrella, so a Predator Vs Wolverine movie qualifies as more than a pipe dream idea. Granted, it likely wouldn’t be Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine since Deadpool 3’s looking to be the final hurrah as the character… although he once said the same about Logan, so anything’s possible. In any case, with the Alien vs. Predator movies having already established crossover precedence, perhaps years down the line, the Mouse House will give the green light to bring Predator and Marvel together, even if it’s not a direct adaptation of the story Percy is writing.

As far as these characters’ separate film endeavors are concerned, we’ll see Jackman playing multiple versions of Wolverine when Deadpool 3 opens November 8, 2024 on the schedule of upcoming Marvel movies. Hulu subscribers got to revisit the Predator franchise last year through the prequel Prey, but there’s no word on if another movie is in development.

Prey was one of the surprise hits of 2022 that many who saw it can’t stop buzzing about. The film acts as a prequel to the 1987 action classic Predator which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. Prey not only got stellar reviews from critics, but it also offered an incredible breakthrough performance by star Amber Midthunder. Now, the actress is teasing a potential sequel in the works at Hulu, and we could not be more excited. 

Midthunder recently attended the BAFTAs where she spoke to Variety about the film. She was asked whether a sequel to Prey was being produced by Hulu, and the actress seemed very interested in the prospect. While Midthunder remained coy when it came to any official details, she did offer promising insight about the possible film. She revealed:

This is certainly some promising news. Predator fans were very enthused by Prey’s addition to the franchise and the previously established lore that the film built upon. I’m sure another prequel film would delve even deeper into the title creature’s origin, and maybe bring back some fan-favorite characters from the original film. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Midthunder certainly seems excited and willing to participate in another Prey film, because when she was asked if she’d want a sequel she excitedly said:

Well, this is definitely a great sign. Midthunder was incredible in the film, and to see her again in such a badass role would be such a treat. For those unfamiliar, Prey follows a Comanche warrior (played by Midthunder) who protects the tribe from an alien predator that feasts on humans for sport. The predator in question is the title alien from the franchise. While the Predator films have had a number of iterations in the franchise, Prey is certainly a stand-out, and it seems to satisfy even the most ardent fans.

The role certainly opened doors for Midthunder, who was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for her performance in the movie. The actress is also set to perform in a live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series for Netflix alongside Daniel Dae Kim. This is a much-anticipated project after a widely reviled live-action film also adapted from the celebrated animated series. Maybe Midthunder is just what the series needs for it to be a success amongst fans. 

Prey is available now for Predator fans with a Hulu subscription. You can also revisit the original Predator film which is streaming now for those with an Amazon Prime subscription. For more information on other films coming to streaming in the near future, make sure to check out our 2023 movie release schedule. 

Alien. Predator. Alien VS. Predator. It’s strange to think, but at one point, these two series weren’t so intrinsically interlocked. But now that we’ve gotten multiple comic books, video games, and even movies, well, it’s hard to separate the two from each other as series. In fact, besides old-school stuff like Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, it’s hard to think of a more quintessential match-up between two franchises than Alien vs. Predator.  

I mean, hell, I’m STILL waiting on my Robocop vs. Terminator movie crossover, and yet, we’ve already gotten two, count ‘em, two AVP movies. Plus, when I ranked all of the Predator movies, one of those crossovers was actually pretty good!    

That being said, both franchises really are their own separate thing. If we’re not counting the two Alien vs. Predator movies, there are six Alien movies, and five Predator movies. But, which series is the overall best of the two? Well, you’re about to find out.

Oh, and major spoilers up ahead for both series.  

First Appearance 

Every monster needs a grand opening. So, which series has the better one? 

Alien’s First Appearance 

The Xenomorphs made their very first appearance in 1979’s Alien, which could be considered one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, as well as one of the best horror movies of all time. Not too shabby. In the first Alien, we only get one adult Xenomorph, and it’s terrifying, creeping through air ducts, and unleashing its horror one kill at a time. It certainly made a memorable first impression with its somewhat sexual, H.R. Giger design, and it’s still terrifying to this day.   

Predator’s First Appearance 

A Predator made its first appearance in 1987’s Predator, and he faced off against the baddest movie star on the planet at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger. We actually didn’t get to see the Predator through most of the movie, and instead, just saw a sort of motion blur as it camouflaged itself with the forest. When we did see him, though, he was certainly memorable both with his mask on, and also without it. If I have any complaint, though, it’s that I just wish he looked scarier. But, if it came down to a one-on-one challenge between the aliens vs. predators, which we would eventually get, then just from this movie alone, I’d pick the Predator. He seems to have all the toys.  

First Appearance Winner-Predator 

Though the Xenomorph in Alien made an impressive first showing, it’s arguably Ridley Scott’s creepy atmosphere that is the true star of that film. The Predator is more of the focus in its own first movie, though, so it gets the win this time.  

Sequels And Prequels 

Almost all profitable first movies get sequels, but which series has the better batch? 

Alien’s Sequels And Prequels 

As mentioned earlier, there are multiple Alien sequels, including the excellent Aliens (Plural), the underappreciated Alien3, the pretty awful Alien: Resurrection, and the enjoyable, Alien: Covenant, which we gave a pretty decent review. There is also the somewhat prequel, somewhat offshoot, Prometheus, which, because of its sequel, Alien: Covenant, is now firmly a part of the Alien timeline. And, when it comes down to it, I’d say that all of the Alien movies outside of the two AVP films are either pretty good, or excellent. Well, besides Alien: Resurrection. That movie can burn in a fire.   

Predator’s Sequels And Prequels 

There are four Predator sequels if we’re not counting the crossovers, and well…they’re at the very least different from one another. We get the pretty good, Predator 2, which brings the combat to the city, the somewhat mediocre, Predators, the awful The Predator, which got a much better review here than I would have given it, and the excellent prequel/offshoot, Prey, which wasn’t as good as the original, but was pretty close. Overall, it’s a lopsided series, but none of them are as good as the first movie, unfortunately.    

The Sequels And Prequels Winner-Alien

Honestly, I tend to think that James Cameron’s Aliens is the best movie in the series, so, whenever a sequel surpasses the original, it always wins in my book. 

Variety of Species 

There are many different KINDS of species when it comes to both series, but which one has the best? 

Alien Species 

Okay, so, apart from the adult Xenomorph, there’s the Facehugger, which does exactly what it sounds like, the Chestburster, which also does what it sounds like (and is kind of cute, honestly), the “Dragon,” which was found in Alien3, and was like a dog, the gooey newborn form found in Alien: Resurrection, the silly Predalian (a Facehugger on a Predator), the Deacon, which was found in Prometheus, and is like a Xenomorph, but not quite, and the Neomorph in Alien: Covenant, which is also similar to a Xenomorph, but in white.     

And finally, you have the Queen, which is the most badass of them all. They’re all pretty cool, and I especially like all of the life cycles. It shows growth.  

Predator Species 

Here’s the thing about Predators. While there are definitely different kinds of Predators, they’re pretty indistinguishable when comparing them to one another. One may be beefier than another, or have a different armor, like the Lost Tribe Predator, or the Elder Predator, but if you were to show me a line-up of different Predators and ask, “What kind of Predator is that?” I’d probably just shrug and say, “I don’t know. A Predator Predator?” because I’d honestly have no idea. Most of them look pretty identical to me. 

Species Winner-Alien 

Almost all of the different species in the Alien franchise look unique, and that’s why it wins in this category. 

Lead Human Characters  

Sure, we all come for the monsters, but which series has the best human characters? 

Alien’s Lead Human Characters

Sigourney Weaver, who is still unsure about doing Alien 5, is basically the human face of the series, appearing in the first four Alien movies as Ellen Ripley. But, there are also other interesting faces in the series, some of them being androids, like Ash (Ian Holm), and David (Michael Fassbender), and the others being Colonial Marines, or explorers. Unlike a lot of horror series, though, the human characters are usually pretty engaging in this franchise, and they’re not just something to be chewed up by the aliens. They matter!   

Predator’s Lead Human Characters 

As mentioned, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the main human face in the original, but you know who replaces him in the sequel? Danny Glover. Now, look. I love Glover as much as the next person, but he’s no Schwarzenegger, that’s for sure. Honestly, besides Amber Midthunder in Prey, the rest of the human characters are mostly forgettable, with the Predators being the star attraction. 

Lead Human Characters Winner-Alien

The humans matter in the Alien series. In the Predator series? Not so much.  

Outside Media 

The movies are great and all, but what about all the outside media? Which series is superior? 

Alien’s Outside Media 

There are actually a couple of great Alien video games that don’t feature Predators in them, including, Alien Trilogy, and Alien: Isolation. Alien: Colonial Marines was a mess, though. There were also some cool novels, like 1993’s Aliens: The Female War, and the graphic novel, Alien: The Illustrated Story. But, a lot of the series' greatest moments were in fact paired with Predator, like the Alien vs. Predator Arcade Game, and comic, as well as the shooter that also lets you play as a Marine, so yeah. There’s that.  

Predator’s Outside Media 

Predator doesn’t really have any good games without the Aliens, unfortunately. You have the Friday the 13th-like game, Predator: Hunting Grounds, but it’s not very fun. You then have the abysmal Predator NES game, and yeah. It’s bad. There are some pretty good comics, though, like 1996’s Predator: Big Game, but honestly, Predator is also at its best when the Xenomorphs are near. 

Outside Media Winner-Alien 

I’d hate to give another one to Alien, but Alien: Isolation is just too good. 

Overall Series Winner-Alien 

In all my time doing these vs. battles, I’ve never had one as lopsided as this one, but Alien is definitely the superior series. But, what do you think? For more news on aliens AND predators, make sure to swing by here often!