Predator: Badlands – Why a PG-13 Rating Isn’t a Concern for the Sci-Fi Thriller

October 7, 2025

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Dan Trachtenberg’s upcoming sci-fi action thriller Predator: Badlands may not earn the R rating that is typical of the franchise, but it isn’t the cause for concern that many Predator fans fear. Set in the far future on what is being labeled “the most dangerous planet in the universe”, Predator: Badlands will turn the franchise on its head by focusing on one of the Yautja as the hero.

Concerns about whether the House of Mouse would corrupt the Predator franchise have existed since Prey was first announced in 2022, just three years after Disney acquired 20th Century Studios. So far, those concerns have been unfounded; both Prey and the 2025 animated anthology movie Predator: Killer of Killers generated near-universal acclaim with both critics and audiences.

However, Screen Rant learned on an exclusive Predator: Badlands set visit that the movie’s crew believes the movie can avoid earning an R-rating, which has naturally yielded concern that the movie will be toned down in order to appeal to a broader audience. Fortunately, there is a very clear path to a PG-13 rating that will still allow Trachtenberg to dial up the Predator action and violence.

Predator: Badlands Will Get Away With A Ton Of “Unrealistic Violence”

Dek shooting a bow and arrow in Predator Badlands

There are a few key differences that distinguish between a PG-13 and R rating, some of which are obvious. Elements like sexual content, nudity, language, and graphic depictions of drug use can push a movie into Restricted territory, but one of the quickest paths comes via intense, realistic, or graphic gore and violence.

The past Predator films have exclusively earned R ratings due to the prolonged and intense sequences of bloody violence. Beginning with John McTiernan’s 1987 original, each entry in the franchise has seen humans square off against the cosmic hunters who travel the universe seeking the deadliest opponents to turn into trophies, and predictably the end result has historically been gory.

The fact that Predator: Badlands will have very few human characters (if any) is the secret to it potentially achieving a PG-13 rating. Dan Trachtenberg will be able to maintain the level of action and violence that has marked the series because the violence will not be considered realistic.

All Mainline Predator Franchise Movies
Movie	Release Date	RT Tomatometer Score	RT Popcornmeter Score	Budget	Box Office
Predator	1987	80%	87%	$15-18 million	$98.3 million
Predator 2	1990	30%	44%	$20-$30 million	$57.1 million
Predators	2010	65%	52%	$40 million	$127 million
The Predator	2018	34%	32%	$88 million	$160.5 million
Prey	2022	94%	74%	$65 million	N/A
Predator: Killer of Killers	2025	95%	89%	$50 million	N/A

With mostly alien creatures and Weyland-Yutani synthetics making up the cast, even persistent violence should only lead to the bright green blood of the Yautja, or the white liquid lubricant of the synthetics. That means that the latest entry in the franchise doesn’t need to pull any punches when it comes to the Predator slicing up his enemies to still achieve a PG-13 rating.

The latest trailer for Predator: Badlands provided our best look yet at just how much deadly combat the Predator Dek will engage in as he does his best to survive the planet’s multitude of threats. While we’ve only seen a glimpse, it’s pretty clear that Trachtenberg is ensuring we get the full Predator franchise experience.

A PG-13 Rating Could Actually Be Great For The Franchise

The motivation behind earning a PG-13 instead of an R rating is obvious: to get the movie in front of a larger audience. Predator: Badlands is poised to get priority placement on premium screening platforms when it hits theaters on November 7th, and with the dynamite reception for both Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers driving interest well in advance of the release, the box office return should be rock solid.

In that regard, a PG-13 rating could actually be in the best interest of Predator fans. Since both Prey and Killer of Killers debuted on the Hulu streaming platform, we don’t actually have proof that a Predator movie can still be a box office draw. However, if Predator: Badlands thrives, then Trachtenberg and any other involved creators have a far longer leash to explore the Predator franchise outward.

Both Prey and Killer of Killers were major departures from the typical franchise formula, but they accomplished so much when it comes to building out the lore of the cinematic universe. Predator: Badlands is the boldest risk yet, but with the slow-simmering crossover with the Alien franchise, it could prove to be the most important for the future of both iconic sci-fi franchises.

Alien: Romulus was a major hit at the box office, earning $350 million on a budget of just $80 million, and with the rave reviews and solid viewership on the spinoff series Alien: Earth, we know there is a massive audience out there for the Alien side of things. Badlands is the ultimate measuring stick of whether the Predator half of the Alien vs. Predator combination will work.

Therefore, Predator: Badlands is the de facto key to pushing a true crossover franchise into existence. While Trachtenberg has assured us there are no xenomorphs in Badlands, the Weyland-Yutani presence in the movie indicates there is interest from Disney (and seemingly the framework of a story) to re-explore the cosmic sci-fi crossover that foundered in the early 2000s.