Are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover returning to the 'Predator' franchise?

At the latest edition of the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg revealed a new extended cut of his animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers, in which the ending adds a scene not in the original version that premiered on Hulu and Disney+ Hotstar. In the first version, it was hinted that the clan of Predators that showed up in the anthology takes the victors from the previous battles with these extraterrestrials, and puts them in suspended animation aboard their spacecraft.

The original cut of Predator: Killer of Killers showed Naru, the protagonist from Trachtenberg's Prey, in suspended animation. Yesterday, during the screening of the extended cut of the anthology at SDCC, everyone discovered to their surprise that Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch Schaefer (from the first Predator) and Danny Glover's Mike Harrigan (from Predator 2) are also in the same state, triggering speculation as to their appearance in future Predator movies.

It remains to be seen whether we'll get to see any of the franchise's favourite human warriors or elements from Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers in future instalments, especially in Trachtenberg's upcoming live-action feature Predator: Badlands (releasing in theatres on Nov. 7), which will not only have a Predator protagonist for the first time in the franchise's history but also a connection to the Alien franchise in the form of an android character manufactured by the Weyland-Yutani corporation.

After the original Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, director Dan Trachtenberg recently got us excited in the Predator universe again with two stellar entries in the 'Yautja' franchise in the form of the live-action feature Prey and the animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers (streaming on JioHotstar in India). He is back with another live-action Predator project gearing up for release, a futuristic spin-off in which a Predator character becomes a protagonist for the first time in franchise history.  

All about 'Predator: Badlands'

The Predator lead of Predator: Badlands is Dek, an extraterrestrial member of the Yautja race, described as the "runt of the litter" — someone with a disadvantage — by Trachtenberg. Played by New Zealand-born actor Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, who is of Samoan & Tongan heritage, the character is being compared to dystopian and fantasy fiction heroes such as Mad Max and Conan the Barbarian, by Trachtenberg, in an interview with Empire magazine.

“He’s a thing of few words, pretty blunt. He cuts straight to the point. Literally and figuratively,” adds Trachtenberg, who has by now proved himself to be a filmmaker with plenty of ideas, someone capable of taking the franchise in exciting directions. In Badlands, Trachtenberg's idea is to make audiences root for Dek, unlike the previous films, which pitted a human protagonist against a Yautja creature.

“In most sci-fi universes, the ‘creatures’ are either bad guys or sidekicks. Here, it’s: ‘What if you were with the creature on this crazy mission to prove itself, seeing everything through its eyes?’” It’s a fascinating idea."

What's next in the 'Predator' franchise?

Trachtenberg teases that after the release of Prey and the positive reception it got, he thought of three ideas, two of which became Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands. The third one, however, is yet to be made. "So, there are other awesome ideas and time periods it’d be exciting to explore, and all that’s been part of our discussion for [what’s next].”