After Prey proved to be a massive hit on Hulu, it has reignited a chilling old debate. The film repurposes the classic Predator concept of "man in the woods fighting an inhuman, invincible monster and triumphing" by placing a highly-skilled, Comanche warrior woman in the ring with the Predator as she defends her people. This really exciting and promising twist on an old hit highlights the importance of the most crucial storytelling tactic: give the audience the same thing, only updated.
Also exciting and intriguing is how this new film reminds us of the brilliantly 2000s crossover film Alien vs. Predator, which saw the Predator facing off against the slew of antagonists that the pivotal, genre-defying action heroine Sigourney Weaver once obliterated. The Predator and Alien franchises were previously unconnected. The idea came from a comic book publication and was pursued cinematically by studios afterward. The crossover united the poster children of each franchise, the Predator and Xenomorph, but did little to bridge the themes, styles, and overtones of the films' heroes that made the original installations Earth-shattering popular and agelessly fantastic.
Update August 11, 2023: This article has been updated with new information regarding both the future of the Alien and Predator franchise.
A reboot has the opportunity to change all that, and fans have been calling one for a long time. Now that their attention has been restored and their hopes renewed, the internet is crying out afresh for attention on this subject. Here's why, yes, Alien vs. Predator absolutely deserves a reboot!
An Alien Vs. Predator Reboot Could Make Important Statements on Gender Dynamics
It's difficult to explain just how iconic Sigourney Weaver's tough and unapologetic, secure, but fearlessly vigorous Ellen Ripley was. To this day, the character is the gold standard for monster-hunting protagonists, especially strong women warriors. Predator, meanwhile, achieved the same status, but let's face it, it is mostly for the guys who want to enjoy two manly men engaging in the most intense bro-shake since the gladiator days of ancient Rome. It seems a direct product of the '80s wrestling and martial arts culture that bled so heavily into the decade's action films. Make no mistake, there is nothing at all wrong with this.
To turn our attention to the Weaver-led Alien franchise, meanwhile, is simply to note that this franchise had more intrigue, more intellectualism, and more problem-solving through scientific study, teamwork, and analysis. Not to mention its explosive emphasis that women are more than capable of harnessing the same mastery over violence, monsters, and humanity, as well as machine gun-pumping, cursing, hard-knocks, and villain-dissing one-liners that categorize all classic action films.
Also, whereas Predator sees the ruthless slaughter of all the protagonist's companions, leaving him the soul champion over the enemy, Alien Ripley, specifically in the hailed sequel, embraces empathy by saving a child happening into her care as well as her love interest.
Overall, the female-led Alien franchise has more heart but no less blood, gore, and action than Predator. There was a difference between the male-led franchise and the female-led franchise. This dichotomy wasn't something Alien vs. Predator overtly capitalized on, but it could ratchet up the significance of breaking traditional gender stereotypes in a reboot to significant social and narrative effects through both action and humor. With Prey giving the Predator franchise its first female protagonist, this could be a good way to continue the franchise moving forward.
The Unexplored Adventures of Machiko Noguchi
One of the coolest things about the first AvP was the fact that the sole human survivor, Alexa Woods (played by Sanaa Lathan), was branded as a hunter by the surviving Yautja. She is even recognized as the strongest warrior to survive the contest by the Elder Predator, who gives her a ceremonial spear as a sign of respect. Not many people pick up on this, but this story bit is picked up straight from the books, specifically from the Machiko Noguchi Saga told across three separate novels: Aliens vs. Predator: Prey (1994), Aliens vs. Predator: Hunter's Planet (1997), and Aliens vs. Predator: War (1999).
While the novels are great on their own, the comic book adaption of those stories offers a rich visual of the adventures of Machiko. She begins her story as another corporate lackey for the Weyland Yutani Corporation, sent with a team of colonizers to take over Ryushi, which is rich in resources, but it has already been nested by the Yautja with a clutch of Alien eggs. Everything goes to hell when the Aliens begin to hatch, as the presence of humans wasn't accounted for in the Yautja hunting. Both colonizers and Yautja see their numbers dwindle until only Machiko and a single hunter are left standing.
Exploring Machiko's story is the best course of action for the franchise. The character is fierce, powerful, and unrelenting. Machiko embraces the Yautja way by becoming a hunter and leaving the corporation behind. Donning the Yautja ceremonial hunter garments, she travels to planet Bunda to stop the massacre where rogue Yautja are hunting humans for sport. She's later led to the planet Blior as muscle for hire after a wealthy hunter dares her to compete in one of the most hostile planets in the universe.
Bring The Predators To The Future
One interesting dynamic an Alien vs. Predator reboot could take is the setting. The Predator films up until Prey all took place in the present day, while the Alien franchise is specifically in the future and remained that way until Alien vs. Predator. While the Xenomorphs have been brought to the present day, it might be time to bring the Predators to the future. An AVP reboot set in the future would show a new group of humans with advanced weapons, meaning the Predators would also need upgrades to their weapons.
Showing the Predator in different time periods proved to be a big hit with Prey and something we want to see more of. The future is just as viable a time period as the past, and it would be great to see Predator face off against the Marines from Aliens.
An AVP Anime Exist But Was Never Released
There is always interest in lost media. Interesting what could have been. While most of the time, this takes the form of scripts that never became reality, other times. There are tangible copies of a finished work that fans would love to see. Look no further than how high the demand is to see the unreleased Batgirl movie Warner Bros. Discovery scrapped in August (the same weekend Prey was released, interestingly enough).
Former 20th Century Fox licensing director Joshua Izzo revealed that a 10-part Alien vs. Predator anime was completed but never released. This was due to 20th Century Pictures being acquired by Disney. This happened in 2017, and at the time, Fox was in an interesting place with both Alien and Predator as a franchise. Ridley Scott was working on Alien prequels, with Alien: Covenant having just been released, while Shane Black's The Predator was being filmed with development on Prey beginning. It was clear they were pursuing multiple avenues to keep both brands alive and despite Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem being a box office bomb and the crossover being dismissed by filmmakers like Ridley Scott and James Cameron, they still had an interest in it.
The anime is reportedly gathering dust, and currently, there are no plans for Disney to release it. Why Disney has not is unclear. Prey was a big hit and relaunched the Predator franchise, and there is talk of a Prey sequel in the works. Fede Alvarez is working on a new Alien movie set for release in 2024, while Noah Hawley is working on an Alien television series for Hulu.
With how popular anime is and is growing among casual audiences, it feels like they are sitting on a potentially big hit. There is a chance if the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes continue as they become low on material for their streaming platforms, they decide to release it, likely on Hulu. This is what happened with Zack Snyder's Justice League, as Warner Bros. needed material for their HBO Max streaming platform after the COVID-19 pandemic dried up many of their potential projects. This could be the perfect time to test the waters and see if the Alien vs. Predator franchise is worthy of continuing.