The next phase of the “Predator” franchise was previously announced as they’ll be making a follow-up to director Dan Trachtenberg‘s “Prey” with “Badlands.” However, its been said the new movie is going to be set further into the future and won’t be a direct sequel to “Prey” (But one is also in the works).

A big casting update has been shared by Deadline, as they have announced that Elle Fanning (“The Great”) is in talks to take the lead role in the new sci-fi actioner.

The studio is in negotiations with a popular actress like Fanning could suggest that 20th Century Studios may attempt to release the film in theaters after “Prey” headed to Hulu/Disney+.

20th Century Studios is also about to release Fede Alvarez’s “Alien Romulus” which is said to be a standalone story set between the events of Ridley Scott’s original “Alien” (produces the film) and James Cameron’s “Aliens” as the filmmaker hopes to find a balance where “Romulus” invokes a balanced tone of both those movies. “Romulus” was originally meant to be a Hulu exclusive until the studio changed its mind after how well-received “Prey” was (the studio missing out on box office dollars on that one).

There is the potential that “Alien Romulus” and “Badlands” future settings could eventually lead audiences to a new, more faithful take on “Aliens vs Predator,” where a boring/dull Earthbound setting is avoided to go completely off-world as seen in the video games and comics books which the crossover originally took place. Some of the more common occurrences where humans, androids/synthetics, predators/yautja, and xenomorphs interact with each other happen on off-world colonies/mining operations connected to Weyland-Yutani.

SOURCE: DEADLINE