Predator: Wildlands | 10 secrets we discovered on set

After seven years away from the big screen, one of the most feared and beloved monsters in pop culture will return to theaters with Predator: Wildlands. At the invitation of Disneywe visited the film’s film set, in New Zealand, in search of answers about this project that promises to revolutionize the saga. Below, we have gathered 10 secrets that we discovered while filming the film:

1- Protagonist predator

The first big reveal of the visit to the set of Predator: Wildlands is that the film will star the creature itself. According to the filmmakers, the idea was born from the desire to do something new in the franchise. The result was the creation of Dek, a young man from the alien Yautja race who embarks on a hunt to call his own.

2- Inheritance of The Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes

Wildlands was filmed in New Zealand, a country remembered for being home to major franchises such as The Lord of the Rings. So it’s no surprise that many of the new Predator team members worked on the trilogy that adapted the Predator books. J.R.R. Tolkien. During the visit we met some of them, such as the art director Ra Vincentthe hair and makeup artist Susie Glassor aderecista Matt Cornelius and the costume designer Ngila Dicksonwho went on to win the Oscar by The Return of the King (2003)

In addition to The Lord of the Ringsthe new Predator also drank directly from another franchise. To make protagonist Dek relatable, the team decided to make the monster’s body a traditional practical suit, but use motion capture technology for the face. The idea came after the character designer Alec Gillis – present in the saga since the first film – watch one of the feature films Planet of the Apes and look for the Weta Digitalthe legendary visual effects company responsible for the simian adventures, to perform the same work with the alien hunter.

3- Yautja family cases

Dek’s journey begins on the planet of the Predators, called Yautja Prime by the team. There, our hero is despised by his own clan for being smaller and weaker than his older brother. However, after a traumatic event, he needs to flee his home and ends up on Genna, an alien planet inhabited by Kalisk, an “unkillable beast” that becomes the target of the protagonist’s hunt.

During the set visit, we were able to see the costumes, weapons and even behind the scenes of a fight scene for the Predator family. When describing the characters, Gillis said he had in mind that the father would be older and grumpier like David Harbour (Stranger Things) and the older brother would be an athletic young man like Dolph Lundgren (Rocky 4).

4- (Literally) heavy weapons and deadly tricks

During a visit to the film’s props section, Matt Cornelius revealed that all the weapons were designed to look too big and heavy for Dek, who is the smallest in the family. (I know I’m just an ordinary human, but I can assure you that they were indeed portentous, because I had trouble lifting the young Predator’s main sword when the team passed the weapon around so we could see it and take photos.)

It turns out that when he crashes on the planet Genna, the young Predator loses much of his weapons. As a result, he needs to improvise with the fauna and flora of the new planet. We could see a blade that he creates with the beak of a bird that looks like a pterodactyl, a whip made from bones and plants and finally Squirt, a creature that replaces the monster’s shoulder cannon by spitting explosive chemical elements.

5- Talking predator

A Yautja language was created to Predator: Wildlands. Recommended by Paul Loomsmenthe creator of the Na’Vi language of Avatarthe specialist Britton Watkins developed the Predators’ language based on the sounds and symbols shown in the franchise since the original 1987 film.

The whim is due to the need for the protagonist and his family to communicate, something we were able to see firsthand when the actor Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangiwho plays the character, said a few words to the press. Furthermore, the language appears both in the hero’s weapons, in instructions for use, and in costumes. “It’s very reminiscent of the world of elf armor (from The Lord of the Rings)”Afirmo I’m rejecting Dickson.

6- Connection with the Alien franchise

On the way to Dek on the strange planet he crosses paths with Thia (Elle Fanning), an android from Weyland-Yutaniprecisely the megacorporation of the franchise films Alien. According to the director Dan Tratchenbergthe idea was to give the Predator a sidekick who wouldn’t overshadow the protagonist, so instead of a human sidekick, they chose to make him an android – which, in turn, led to the reminder that the sister franchise features androids.

Despite the company’s inclusion, the producer Ben Rosenblatt ran to warn that “This isn’t an Alien vs. Predator movie, so there won’t be a xenomorph.”. Inclusive, Wildlands takes place in the distant future, a long time after everything that has already been shown in both franchises.

7- Hardworking Elle Fanning

During the set visit, we were unable to interview Elle Fanning, but everyone interviewed spoke about the actress and the verdict is one: the actress works hard. Firstly, she has a double shift in the production, playing both Thia and Tessa, another Weyland-Yutani android. Roles that made her sweat on and off the screen.

The makeup artist Susie Glass says that during a day off, the young woman went to another city to do hair and makeup tests that started at 1 am and lasted approximately four hours. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Predator’s interpreter, said that the actress asked constant questions about the script, which ended up making it better and sharper. All this and he also actively participated in the creation of his characters’ costumes.

8- Inspirations and departures from Star Wars

One thing that became clear during the set visit is that Star Wars It was a great inspiration for the production. One of the main examples is the dynamic between Dek and Thia, which Dan Trachtenberg says he presented to the studio as a kind of “Chewbacca and C3PO: The Movie”.

On the other hand, the filmmaker himself explained that the team also worked to avoid relying too much on Star Wars. He cited great care to ensure that the film’s visual identity was distinct from Star Wars productions. Furthermore, there was a concern about approaching Yautja culture without losing focus on history: “Many sequels are so fascinated by the world they’re building that they think you’re interested in how that world’s Senate might work.”.

9- Honor the Predator tradition

Despite all the excitement about taking Wildlands where no Predator has gone before, the team made a point of ensuring that the film will follow traditions established by previous films. To begin with, the film features the return of Alec Gillis, who not only worked on the monster’s look in the original film, but also worked on several other chapters of the saga.

Both actor Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi and stunt coordinator Jacob Tomuri They say they watched the previous Predator films to ensure that Dek’s fighting style is nothing like the monsters that came before. “When you see him on screen, you have to feel like he’s a Predator.”explained the protagonist.

10- Bloodthirsty for the whole family

An ingredient that cannot be missing in a film Predator is violence, and even in that Wildlands intends to innovate. The team promised that the film will continue to bring bloody action and horror elements, but the idea is that it will not end up restricted to adult audiences. “We hope the film is recommended for people over 12 years old, but appears to be for adults”said the producer Ben Rosenblatt.

Making the film available to all audiences is a personal practice for director Dan Trachtenberg, who says he is excited to show his films to his own mother – even though they occasionally include beheadings – thanks to a lesson learned from Terminator 2 (1991). You can better understand this story and learn other details about the project in our interview with the director, which can be read clicking here.