Fans of the Alien and Predator franchises have a lot to look forward to in 2025. Not only are we getting two new Predator films from Prey director Dan Trachtenberg with the live-action Predator: Badlands and the animated Hulu offering Predator: Killer of Killers, but we're also set to receive another major entry in the Alien universe from Fargo and Legion showrunner Noah Hawley with the FX show Alien: Earth. Although these projects are not officially connected yet, fans know that Alien and Predator have a long history as part of a shared universe, with the two iconic monsters crossing paths in numerous films, comic books, and video games.
Examining the latest promotional materials for Predator: Badlands and Alien: Earth may provide clues that Disney is laying the groundwork for a new crossover between Alien and Predator. Let's delve into the developments in these franchises and explore why we might see AVP return to the big screen sooner rather than later.
Evil Easter Eggs ----------------The first teaser trailer for Predator: Badlands has sparked speculation among fans about a potential new Alien vs. Predator film. The trailer revealed that Elle Fanning will play a Weyland-Yutani synthetic with a connection to a new Predator named Dek, who Trachtenberg confirmed will be the film's protagonist. While the presence of a Weyland-Yutani android in a Predator film doesn't automatically signal a major Alien crossover, it gains significance with the release of new promotional videos for Alien: Earth.
In the Gestation Complete teaser, there are multiple Easter eggs related to Alien lore. We see the black liquid mutagen from the opening of Prometheus, used by the Engineers to seed life on Earth. This leads to an egg sac that looks remarkably similar to one in Alien: Romulus. The creature that emerges resembles a facehugger but appears to be mutated. This specimen is contained on a ship resembling the Nostromo from the original film, but named the Maginot. The creature is designated "Species 37" (a possible Mass Effect reference?!) and marked as having unknown DNA by the ship's computer, MU-TH-UR. Given that the show is set two years prior to the events of Alien, this suggests that Species 37 may have been the initial clue that led Weyland-Yutani to the Xenomorphs, as the Nostromo's MU-TH-UR and Ash were already aware of it before landing on LV-426.
A related teaser called Crate features specimen containers, with a narrator stating that the ship “collected five different life forms from the darkest corners of the universe,” and that each one is a unique species. Although a classic Xenomorph crawls over the central crate, the introduction of five different species suggests a significant expansion of the alien creatures in this universe. Could one of them be related to the Predators? This aligns with Predator: Badlands being set on an alien world where the lead Predator Dek hunts extraterrestrial monstrosities. Perhaps Elle Fanning's android was searching for these specimens, or one of these monsters might mutate into something we'll see in Badlands or Killer of Killers. While we won't know for sure until the show premieres, the possibility of Predator DNA in Alien: Earth is intriguing.Alien and Predator’s Long, Intertwined History
Alien and Predator have been part of the same world for longer than many might recall. Although the first AVP film was released in 2004, the two iconic monsters first clashed in a 1989 Dark Horse comic series called Aliens vs. Predator. The following year, 1990's Predator 2 included an Easter egg referencing Alien with a Xenomorph skull on the Predator's trophy wall. Throughout the '90s, numerous AVP comics and video games further established the shared universe, long before the concept was popularized by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Despite this early start, the AVP films released in the 2000s, Paul W. S. Anderson's Alien vs. Predator in 2004 and The Brothers Strause's Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007, did not capture the audience's imagination due to poor critical and audience reception, despite their box office success. At the time, serialized superhero and science-fiction blockbusters were gaining traction, largely influenced by the Star Wars prequel trilogy, but not all franchises received the attention needed to sustain long-term interest. AVP was treated as a B-tier property by 20th Century Fox, despite the strong legacy of both Alien and Predator franchises. Ridley Scott's original Alien is considered one of the greatest horror films, James Cameron's Aliens is an iconic sequel, and John McTiernan's original Predator is a classic action film. The AVP films, however, did not meet the high standards set by these individual franchise entries. The 2010s saw further challenges with Ridley Scott's Prometheus series not continuing after the commercial disappointment of Alien: Covenant, and Shane Black's The Predator failing to rejuvenate the franchise. However, the success of Prey in 2022 and Alien: Romulus in 2024 has revitalized both franchises.
With the recent teases of upcoming projects, the prospect of a new AVP film feels more imminent than ever.
AnswerSee ResultsConverging for Carnage ----------------------We must also consider that a sequel to Alien: Romulus is currently in development, with director Fede Álvarez attached to return and expressing interest in directing an Alien vs. Predator film. Alien: Romulus was a significant critical and commercial success for Disney, relaunching the franchise while maintaining continuity with the Prometheus series through the Engineer-alike monster in the third act. Cailee Spaeny's Rain Carradine and David Jonsson's Andy are currently in stasis heading to Yvaga III, setting the stage for a direct sequel. With Predator: Badlands also set in space, there could be potential cameos or Easter eggs hinting at a connection to Romulus.
Álvarez recently suggested that the best approach for an Alien vs. Predator movie would be to surprise audiences:
“The best AVP will be the one that you don’t know is AVP until the other guy shows up,” the filmmaker recently told Collider. “You think you’re watching a Predator movie, and then they land in some place and there are creatures, and fucking hell, it’s a Xenomorph. That would get me. … Or vice versa, you’re in an Alien movie, and then suddenly a mysterious creature is there, and you can hear that sound, and you see the cloak, and you go, ‘Is that a fucking Predator?’”
The Alien Movies' Long History of Recycling Rejected Ideas
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Álvarez's enthusiasm for AVP offers hope that a new take on the crossover will succeed where previous attempts fell short. The earlier AVP films were limited by their contemporary Earth setting and struggled to engage audiences with their two-dimensional characters. A relaunch could disregard these films and start anew. With Predator: Badlands introducing a Predator as the lead character, Dek could potentially become the hero of a new AVP. Furthermore, a new crossover could explore the Predalien concept introduced in those films, perhaps even incorporating Engineer mutagen to create a terrifying hybrid of Alien, Predator, and Engineer.
With the upcoming projects, both Alien and Predator franchises are in a much stronger position than they have been in years. This resurgence makes the prospect of a proper crossover film between the two almost inevitable. Given the popularity of cinematic universes and cross-medium integration, a new AVP film seems more a matter of when, rather than if. With talented filmmakers like Álvarez and Trachtenberg now involved, these iconic monsters might finally get the epic big screen battle they deserve.
