‘Predator 5’ May Be Set Hundreds of Years Ago in Pre-Colonial America

The surprise announcement that Fox was working on a fifth Predator film came with very little information about its plot — beyond the fact that the movie would not be a direct continuation of the previous film, 2018’s The Predator, directed by Shane Black. Given how little is known about the Predators, there is a lot of things the movie could be.

According to AVP Galaxy, it appears that the film will actually be a period piece, set hundreds of years before any of the previous Predators. Their sources indicate “Predator 5 will be set in the past (finally!) where it will focus around Native Americans before the territories were taken by the American settlers, featuring a First Nations cast.”

In addition to their sources, they also point to a press report from 2019 that claimed Dan Trachtenberg was working on a project called “Skulls” for Disney/Fox and Davis Entertainment, the company that’s produced every Predator movie to date. At that time, the project was described as the story of “a Comanche woman who goes against gender norms and traditions to become a warrior.” As AVP Galaxy notes, that sounds a lot like the Predator 5 synopsis they’ve heard — and Predator 5 will be directed by Trachtenberg.

In Trachtenberg’s tweet about the news, he even wrote that “this was meant to be a surprise” and that he had been working on the project for “almost 4 years.” That doesn’t necessarily confirm that they previously announced movie under a totally different title to keep its true identity a secret, but it certainly would make sense.

Trachtenberg previously directed 10 Cloverfield Lane, which was also developed and shot in secret and announced with a surprise trailer just a few months before its release.

The idea that Predators have a secret history on Earth dates back 30 years, to the end of Predator 2. After Danny Glover’s character (spoilers!) defeats the Predator in battle, he’s confronted by a whole group of additional Predators. Their leader hands Glover an antique pistol with the inscription “Raphael Adolini - 1715” as a kind of trophy for his victory.

That would certainly suggest the Predators have been visiting our planet since at least then. If this plot description for Predator 5 is accurate, don’t be shocked if the Adolini pistol makes a return appearance in the movie.

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