Marvel Resets Blade Timeline, Predator Sequel Lands 2025 Debut
The Predator is returning to theaters with Predator: Badlands, which will open on November 7, 2025.
The move comes after 20th Century Studios' historical Predator film, Prey, became a sleeper smash on Hulu in 2022. Dan Trachtenberg, who directed Prey, returns to direct Badlands, which stars Elle Fanning. Until today, it was unclear if the film will be streamed or released theatrically.
Walt Disney Studios
Predator replaces Marvel Studios' delayed Blade, which was withdrawn from Disney's release schedule. Blade has been experiencing delays and is now without a director, so this move is not surprising.
Marvel Studios unveiled Blade at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, but the project has faced a number of setbacks, including a pandemic, labor strikes, and the loss of two filmmakers. But the company is determined to make the film, which stars Mahershala Ali as the titular vampire hunter. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed his commitment to the project in July, telling Black Tree TV: "For the last few years, while we've been trying to crack that movie, the most important thing for us is not rushing it, and making sure we're doing the perfect Blade movie. Because there were some excellent Blade films years ago."
The script is currently being written by Marvel veteran Eric Pearson, who has written Black Widow and Thor: Ragnarok. Wesley Snipes played Blade in a trilogy of films from 1998 to 2004, and he had a surprising role in Deadpool & Wolverine this summer, which helped put the character back into the spotlight. (It even included a meta-joke in which Snipes' Blade stated that there will never be another Blade after him, to which Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool nodded knowingly.)
Marvel also announced the release dates for untitled projects on February 18, 2028, May 5, 2028, and November 10, 2028.
The Predator franchise began with the 1987 film, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. It has had its ups and downs over the years, with Prey reigniting the premise of an alien hunter who travels to Earth to face combat against the planet's most dangerous prey.