Dan Trachtenberg, Director of Predator Badlands (2025), Signs First-Look Deal with Paramount

In the last four years, Dan Trachtenberg has made a name for himself as one of the most exciting new genre filmmakers, thanks to his galvanizing contributions to one franchise in particular. This franchise is “Predator,” a 39-year-old alien action-horror series owned by 20th Century Studios. He has directed the three most recent “Predator” films, which were critically lauded for their originality. Now, it appears that he’ll be lending his talents to another major cinema company in the years to come.

A Three-Year Directing/Producing Deal

On Feb. 5, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Trachtenberg has signed a three-year deal to give Paramount Pictures the first look at whatever projects he intends to direct and/or produce. Under this deal, he will continue his long-time collaboration with Ben Rosenblatt, the producer who co-produced (or, in the case of “Prey,” executive-produced) all four of Trachtenberg’s films.

Both parties have expressed great excitement for the prospects of this new agreement, as well as great mutual respect for each other. The Hollywood Reporter article quoted Trachtenberg as reminiscing about what Paramount meant to him during his childhood:

“As a kid I remember seeing the Paramount logo and dreaming of the epic adventure that would follow.” Therefore, he said, this deal is “literally a dream come true. Ben and I cannot wait to join… the entire Paramount team in pursuing our shared vision of making Paramount once again the apex of cinema.”

For their part, Paramount co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg succinctly summarized Trachtenberg’s greatest gift as a filmmaker: his “extraordinary ability to deliver films that are both daring and deeply entertaining.” They added: “He has a rare instinct for tension, scale, and storytelling that connects with audiences worldwide. We’re excited to welcome him to the studio.”

Trachtenberg’s Career Thus Far: An Overview

This new deal with Paramount Pictures actually marks a return of sorts for Trachtenberg, whose directorial debut, the post-apocalyptic alien horror film “10 Cloverfield Lane” (2016), was distributed by this company. This is the second “Cloverfield” film (the “Cloverfield” franchise is unique in that each of its three films is a standalone installment), following 2008’s “Cloverfield” by Matt Reeves.

Six years later, Trachtenberg’s sophomore film was “Prey,” the seventh “Predator” film and the first one to be a period piece: it takes place in the 18th century, in the land of a Comanche tribe that must learn how to defend itself against the formidable alien hunter. This film was critically acclaimed and enjoyed a very successful Hulu release, paving the way for Trachtenberg to revitalize the franchise two more times in quick succession.

His next two “Predator” films were both released in 2025: “Predator: Killer of Killers,” which is a mature animated anthology film that tells a story spanning many historical eras, and “Predator: Badlands,” the first film in the series to feature a Predator (or Yautja) as its protagonist. Both films matched the critical success of their predecessor, and “Predator: Badlands” became the highest-grossing film in the franchise (a distinction previously enjoyed for over 20 years by 2004’s “Alien vs. Predator”).

What Will He Do Next?

Of course, Trachtenberg likely won’t be making any more “Predator” movies for the next few years, since this franchise doesn’t belong to Paramount. Therefore, it’s anyone’s guess what kind of project(s) he and Rosenblatt will tackle next. All of his films have been science fiction flicks featuring aliens and world-building, and he’s also directed episodes of the TV series “BlackBoxTV Presents,” “Black Mirror,” “The Boys,” and “The Lost Symbol,” all of which have elements of either sci-fi, superheroes, and/or horror.

If there’s one thing that Trachtenberg’s three “Predator” films showed us, it’s that he’s a director with a potentially limitless capacity for fresh storytelling – in that case, the ability to deliver breathtakingly unique stories while remaining within the confines not only of the same fictional universe, but the same broad narrative formula as well. We can certainly hope that his spate of Paramount films, of whatever setting and genre, will be just as electrifyingly novel.