Predator: Killer of Killers is going to make history as the first animated feature film in the long-running franchise, which dates back to director John McTiernan’s 1987 action classic. Animated though it may be, director Dan Trachtenberg’s follow-up to 2022’s Prey isn’t going to pull any punches as it is going to be another bloody, R-rated adventure with the deadliest hunter in the galaxy.
See also: Amber Midthunder Would “Love To” Return For A PREY Sequel
The MPAA has given Killer of Killers an R rating “for strong bloody violence, some gore and language.” That checks out, given what we saw in the first trailer for the animated anthology, which you can watch right here in case you missed it. Far too often, animation is thought of as a medium to tell stories aimed at younger viewers. This seems as a nice reminder that it’s a medium to tell stories that is rather flexible and wonderful, opening up new opportunities for franchises like this one.
This new film will be headed straight to Hulu this summer and contains three different stories told across three different time periods. Trachtengerg co-directed the movie alongside Josh Wassung of the animation company The Third Floor. As for the specifics of the stories they cooked up? The synopsis for the movie reads as follows:
“The anthology story follows three of the fiercest warriors in human history: a Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, a ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, and a WWII pilot who takes to the sky to investigate an otherworldly threat to the Allied cause. But while all these warriors are killers in their own right, they are merely prey for their new opponent – the ultimate killer of killers.”
Trachtenberg has stayed rather busy since Prey was met with widespread acclaim upon its release in 2022. The filmmaker has not one but two different Predator movies coming out this year, with the live-action Predator: Badlands set to hit theaters in November. Disney and 20th Century Studios have a lot of faith that he can help steer this franchise into the future. Rightfully so.
As for what the future holds beyond these projects? That remains to be seen. What we know for sure is that Disney is high on these R-rated properties that were inherited when the studio purchased Fox in 2019. Last year’s Alien: Romulus was a smash hit for them as well, meaning they’re likely to double down on both franchises in the coming years. Assuming guys like Trachtenberg continue to steer the ship, that can only be a good thing.
Predator: Killer of Killers hits Hulu on June 6. For more, get the lowdown on a possible Alien and Predator shared universe.
