Predator: Killer of Killers
Short description
This animated action thriller follows three formidable combatants from different historical eras who become targets for an extraterrestrial hunter. The stories include a Viking mother leading her son on a quest for revenge, a ninja in feudal Japan fighting his samurai brother for a family inheritance, and a World War II pilot investigating a mysterious threat to the Allied forces. Each of these skilled warriors must face an opponent that views them as prey.
The film was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, following his work on 10 Cloverfield Lane, Prey, and Predator: Badlands. The screenplay was written by Micho Rutare. The voice cast features Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, Michael Biehn, Doug Cockle, and Damien C. Haas. The production involved 40 credited crew members and 35 credited cast members.
Released on June 5, 2025, the movie has received generally positive feedback. It holds a rating of 7.4/10 on IMDb based on 59,000 votes and a 7.8/10 on TMDB from 1,335 votes. Film critics gave the movie a rating of 7.6/10 across 111 reviews, which is consistent with the scores provided by the audience.
What's left behind the scenes
- One of the first projects to use Unreal Engine for animation (a game engine developed by Epic Games, i.e., a software environment where you can work with characters, logic, physics, and game graphics). The project shows the influence of Katsuhiro Otomo's anime "Akira" and the animated series "Arcane" (2021-2024). Director and screenwriter Dan Trachtenberg decided to use animation, believing it would be a better way to convey the atmosphere of the franchise than a live-action film. Some specialists who worked on "Arcane" participated in the project, such as animator Steven James Mayer.
- The first use of the word "Yautja" (the race's name) in an official project of the "Predator" franchise. The term itself first appeared in the expanded universe of comics, and in previous films, members of the race were simply called Predators.
- Director and screenwriter Dan Trachtenberg drew inspiration from Christopher Guest's "Best in Show" (2000), encouraging viewers to empathize with all three protagonists simultaneously.
- Concept art envisioned the return of Mike Harrigan (played by Danny Glover in Stephen Hopkins' "Predator 2" in 1990), but scenes featuring this character were cut during the film's editing.
- Torres, voiced by Rick Gonzalez, wields weaponry that previously appeared in the science fiction action films "Predator 2" (Stephen Hopkins, 1990) and "Prey" (Dan Trachtenberg, 2022).
- At the end of the film, Naru, played by Amber Midthunder from "Prey", is shown in a capsule. According to Dan Trachtenberg, she was taken from her time and "put into stasis." Naru is among the prisoners destined to one day fight in the Yautja arenas.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
