The blockbuster film Predator: Badlands, the ninth installment in the Predator franchise, made its world premiere in theaters and IMAX nationwide to much acclaim on Nov. 6.  

Rather than spending the day on red carpets, its director, Dan Trachtenberg, TFM ’03, chose to spend part of the day back where his career began: Temple’s campus.  

Joined by his brother and Predator: Badlands editor David Trachtenberg, TFM ’94, Dan participated in a Q&A moderated by Assistant Professor of Film and Media Arts Kartik Nair at The Reel.

The Q&A began with Nair acknowledging the honor and significance of Dan’s presence on campus and showing trailers from the three Predator franchise films directed by Trachtenberg, followed by questions and thoughtful discussion between Nair and the brothers, and it ended with questions from eager students in the audience.  

Dan waxed nostalgic. “I don’t even know if this building existed when I was here,” he said. “But I remember sitting in sessions like this, watching filmmakers talk about their work and hoping someday I’d get to do what they did,” he said. “It’s surreal to be back.”  

Predator: Badlands is the third film in the Predator movie franchise directed by Trachtenberg. Previously, he directed and co-wrote Prey, the fifth installment in the Predator franchise, released in July 2022. The film resulted in Emmy nominations for outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie and outstanding writing for a limited or anthology series or movie. Earlier this year, Predator: Killer of Killers, the sixth installment in the Predator franchise and the second directed by Trachtenberg, made a surprise premiere on Hulu and Disney+. 

Predator isn’t the only film franchise he’s worked with. In 2016, he released 10 Cloverfield Lane, a spiritual successor to Cloverfield (2008). The film received widespread critical praise and earned Trachtenberg a nomination for Outstanding Directing, First-time Feature Film from the Directors Guild of America Awards. Other notable directing credits include an episode of Black Mirror titled “Playtest,” the pilot episode of The Boys and an episode in the upcoming season of Stranger Things.  

For students attending Temple’s School of Film and Media Arts, it was a rare chance to get an inside look at the filmmaking process from a renowned auteur and a longtime film editor. During the Q&A, the brothers discussed the challenges of balancing action, humor and emotional depth while playing with the limits of genre.  

“We wanted the audience to fall in love with a character who’s usually the monster,” said David. “Finding that tonal balance between tension, comedy and heart was like a tightrope act. We tested scenes over and over, especially moments of quiet character connection and every time, those turned out to be the audience’s favorites.”

Dan explained how his visual filmmaking style is influenced by video games just as much as film itself. “I want to make movies that feel experiential. A lot of my shots are over-the-shoulder or from behind the character, like you’re playing along, he saidThat comes from gaming but it also comes from loving movies like Jaws and Big Trouble in Little China. It’s all connected.” 

Both brothers were glad to be back where they learned the skills that they would carry into two prolific, parallel careers in film.  

“To be here, seeing the buildings, feeling the creative energy—it’s very cool,” said David.