We recently attended a press conference that was hosted by Disney for the upcoming film, Prey. Director Dan Trachtenberg, producer Jhane Myers, and stars Amber Midthunder and Dakota Beavers each attended the event which was moderated by Collider’s Perri Nemiroff. During the 30-minute event, each participating member revealed tons of insight into the production and what fans can expect to see in the upcoming film. Prey is currently scheduled to release via streaming next month on August 5, 2022, exclusively on Hulu.
The official synopsis for Prey reads as, “the newest entry in the Predator franchise, 20th Century Studios’ Prey is an all-new action thriller set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. It is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior who has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains. So when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.”
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Prey is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, written by Patrick Aison (Jack Ryan, Treadstone), and produced by John Davis (Jungle Cruise, The Predator), Jhane Myers (Monsters of God), and Marty Ewing (IT: Chapter Two), with Lawrence Gordon (Watchmen), Ben Rosenblatt (Snowpiercer), James E. Thomas, John C. Thomas and Marc Toberoff (Fantasy Island) serving as executive producers. The film features a Native Comanche producer (Jhane Myers), and a cast comprised almost entirely of Native and First Nation’s talent, including Amber Midthunder (The Ice Road, Roswell, New Mexico), newcomer Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp (Sooyii), Michelle Thrush (The Journey Home) and Julian Black Antelope (Tribal). The movie also stars Dane DiLiegro (American Horror Stories) as the Predator.
Director Dan Trachtenberg’s Inspiration and the Film’s Lengthy Production
The first question was asked to director Dan Trachtenberg on why the film is being released now, and why he chose Prey to be his second feature film. “Because it just took this long to make this movie. I started developing this maybe a year after 10 Cloverfield Lane came out, and the last movie came out in theaters. Then, the Fox-Disney merger happened, and all of those things really delayed this from getting going. The main inspiration behind it was sort of a confluence of a couple of things. One was really wanting to make a movie that was primarily action-driven, mainly told visually, but not wanting to just be fun — just be a good time — to want to inject that with heart and emotion. So, the idea to pair an engine of a sports movie with an underdog story with an action movie was a part of the genesis of this. And then, it became, what if the story could focus on characters that normally are not the heroes of the movie that they’re in? So, whoever’s watching the movie could be linked to the experience that the characters go through.”
Producer Jhane Myers on Prey’s Accurate History
Hulu
“It was as historically accurate as we can get it because if you think about the time when this was a time there weren’t a lot of photographs and paintings. Just some of the paintings that were out were kind of slighted, like if somebody could only paint like in one style. So for me, that was amazing, because it gave us a little bit of leeway. But being a traditional artist, as well as a producer, and all my many hats I was able to really infuse it with all things Comanche.
Whether it’s the color of the earth paints that we use, whether it’s the designs, whether it’s the twisted fringe, whether it’s fighting style, whether it’s language, all of that just came together. So for me, it was a dream. I mean, there will never probably be another project unless we do a sequel, Dan, a sequel to the prequel that would ever cross my path where I could use everything that I grew up learning.”
On Why the Title Took a Different Direction
Trachtenberg answers: “I emailed the pitch of this to an executive at 20th Century. And it was in that initial pitch, I think, largely because I knew they were deep into either prep or production on the last Predator movie. And this felt like too good of an idea to hold on to. And I felt like the way in would be to, if I could pitch them that they function like Star Wars was at the time when they had the main trilogy, and then they had these other offshoots.
And then I thought, Prey has the exact same double meaning that Predator does. So the title can function just like Predator. And while it’s still being its own title, so that this movie could feel like its own movie which has sort of always been the drive for me in thinking about remakes or adaptations or sequels or like really hoping that you can make a movie that is a great movie on its own. And then when you include the I-P and all the links of franchise in it, it just makes it even better, that it’s not solely reliant on being that I-P to be a good movie. And that’s what I was hoping this could be.”
On Why Prey Went Back in Time
20th Century Studios
Trachtenberg was asked what motivated him to take the story back in time, instead of forward like the previous sequels. “Well, I would calibrate that to say it is the first time this Predator has been to Earth. And I think it came from the other direction. It didn’t come from, oh, I want to make a Predator movie.
It came from the things I spoke about earlier, in wanting to make this an emotionally engaging action movie, inspired by movies like Gravity, and 1917, Revenant of course, like real survival tales. And always loving the idea of doing period sci-fi, always sort of seeking that out. So, it was just a lot of things circling. And then remembering the end of Predator Two. And realizing, oh, there’s precedent for them being around in this time period.”
