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The hunt may not be over for Arnold Schwarzenegger, as he could finally return to the Predator franchise after nearly four decades away.
Director Dan Trachtenberg, who is currently behind the upcoming Predator: Badlands film, revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that he’s been in talks with the original action legend about reprising his role as Major Alan ‘Dutch’ Schaefer.
Schwarzenegger, now 76, famously starred in the original 1987 Predator film, a brutal, suspense-filled action thriller where a team of elite commandos find themselves hunted in the Central American jungle by a deadly alien warrior.
Since then, the Predator universe has spawned nine feature films, including spin-offs, Alien vs. Predator crossovers, and the more recent prequel Prey, but the Austrian Oak has remained absent, until now.
Speaking at the Badlands panel, Trachtenberg teased fans by saying:
“I just had breakfast with him not too long ago, and I’m trying to cook up stuff for that guy.”
While no formal agreement has been made, the remark caused a stir with franchise loyalists, many of whom have long hoped for a return of Dutch, one of the most iconic action heroes of the '80s.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987 film ‘Predator’- Credit: 20th Century Fox
In another surprise, Trachtenberg also confirmed that Schwarzenegger gave permission for his likeness to be used in an epilogue scene for the upcoming film Predator: Killer of Killers. The sequence will show predator warriors carrying the coffins of several fallen human warriors, including Dutch himself, Danny Glover’s Mike Harrigan (Predator 2), and Amber Midthunder’s Naru from 2022’s Prey.
While some interpreted the scene as a final send-off for these characters, Trachtenberg’s comments suggest there could be more to come:
“We’ll see what the future holds, but there's still something exciting about Dutch out there.”
Fans will first get their next look at the Predator universe when Predator: Badlands hits cinemas on November 7. The film is expected to be a gritty, standalone survival thriller set in the post-apocalyptic American Southwest, and could serve as a springboard for Dutch’s return in future sequels or a flashback narrative.
Schwarzenegger has remained active in recent years, appearing in Netflix’s FUBAR, documentaries, and public service roles, but a return to the Predator franchise would mark a full-circle moment for fans of his classic action era.
