“Predator: Badlands” Director Dan Trachtenberg Returns to Paramount With First-Look Deal
When we spoke to Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg last month, he was coming off helming the highest-grossing entry in the iconic franchise. His success in steering the franchise began with the prequel Prey, set 300 years before the events of John McTiernan’s original Predator (1987) on Comanche Nation territory, which earned him two Emmy nominations, including outstanding directing and outstanding writing for a limited series or anthology movie. He followed that up with the animated Predator: Killer of Killers, and then, the franchise-best Badlands. All of which proved he’s got formidable chops. Now, he’ll be taking those skills to Paramount, where he’s signed a three-year first-look deal to direct and produce feature projects with the studio, working alongside his producing partner Ben Rosenblatt.
This deal is a homecoming for Trachtenberg—his feature debut was 2016’s 10 Cloverfield Lane for Paramount, a sequel to Matt Reeves’ 2008 thriller Cloverfield.
“As a kid, I remember seeing the Paramount logo and dreaming of the epic adventure that would follow,” Trachtenberg said in a statement. “Now to have the opportunity to bring new huge and emotional stories to giant screens is literally a dream come true. Ben and I cannot wait to join Dana, Josh, Don, and the entire Paramount team in pursuing our shared vision of making Paramount once again the apex of cinema.”
Paramount’s enthusiasm matches his own.
“Dan has an extraordinary ability to deliver films that are both daring and deeply entertaining,” said Paramount co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg. “He has a rare instinct for tension, scale, and storytelling that connects with audiences worldwide. We’re excited to welcome him to the studio.”
Paramount’s new leadership has been making deals—recently, they’ve brought big-name filmmakers, TV creators, and producers on board, including Stranger Things masterminds the Duffer Brothers, Wicked and Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu, veteran filmmaker James Mangold (Logan, A Complete Unknown), Issa Rae (Insecure), and Barbarian creators Raphael Marguelies and JD Lifshitz.
For a director who once dreamed of what would follow seeing the iconic Paramount logo, Trachtenberg will now help build what comes after it.
Featured image: Dan Trachtenberg on the set of 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: BADLANDS film. Photo by Nicola Dove. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
