Predator: Badlands Ending Fight Originally Differed, VFX Team Reveals

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Be warned, this contains spoilers for Predator: Badlands! The story of Dek, a young Predator trying to prove his worth, culminated in a deeply moving battle – and the ending almost played out very differently. The latest film in the Predator series focuses on Dek, the first Yautja protagonist, who travels to the perilous planet Genna to participate in a hunt and demonstrate he’s more than just the weakest member of his clan.

Following their escape from the planet with the help of the synthetic Thia, the story of Predator: Badlands concludes with Dek, Thia, and the creature Bud traveling to the Yautja homeworld. Dek intends to demand his father, Njohrr, provide him with a cloaking device in exchange for bringing back a valuable trophy. When Njohrr again refuses, Dek kills his father’s bodyguards and Njohrr himself, using a sandstorm created by his ship to develop a unique form of camouflage.

Although the final fight between Dek and Njohrr was a spectacular conclusion, it wasn’t originally envisioned that way. In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Sheldon Stopsack and Karl Rapley from Weta FX explained how the ending scene was created. Rapley revealed their initial idea was for a quick, simple standoff resembling a samurai duel.

Karl Rapley described a scene where Dek arrived to find his father, and a brief fight broke out. Dek threw some sand, uncovering his father’s cloak, and as they moved forward, the father’s arm fell off – which Rapley thought was a really exciting moment!

He explained that as they developed the film further, the character of the Father naturally evolved into the primary source of conflict. The Animation Supervisor also remembered Trachtenberg noticing from early audience feedback that this part of the story wasn’t impactful enough, and that they needed to emphasize it more.

As a fan, I learned that Weta really wanted to make Father a formidable opponent for Dek. The goal was to force Dek to truly use everything he’d been taught while trapped on Genna, so he could ultimately defeat and outsmart him. They were super impressed with the stunt team from Predator: Badlands – they came up with amazing choreography for Dek taking on the guards and fighting Father. Eventually, those performers actually came to Weta’s studio in Wellington to film the scene using motion capture, which really helped to make it feel bigger and more epic.

We experimented with visual effects – like jet engines stirring up sand to reveal the ship – and while planning those shots, we used wide angles to create a dramatic, almost Western-style sunset feel. It was a really fun and rewarding challenge.

Stopsack remembered being at the same test screening as Trachtenberg and noticing the audience really wanted to see more of Dek’s story. He said there was a clear desire for a larger conclusion to his arc. Surprisingly, the VFX Supervisor shared that the final fight scene wasn’t planned from the beginning – it was actually added relatively late in the production process while they were already working on the newest Predator movie.

He admitted the studio was worried about starting such a big job so late in the filmmaking process, as it could result in the visual effects not being polished enough. Visual effects companies, especially WETA, are very careful to avoid this. Stopsack explained they have open and honest discussions with directors about the time needed to do the work properly, and to ensure the filmmakers can still provide input. This prevents the film from feeling rushed, which ultimately leaves everyone dissatisfied.

Originally, this scene was intended to be quick and impactful, and we shot much of it on a real set. While we still used a lot of blue screen, we aimed to capture footage that felt grounded in a physical environment. As the scene expanded, we lost access to the original set. This created a challenge: we needed to make numerous computer-generated shots feel authentic and like they belonged in the same real space where we initially filmed.

Building on the existing blend of filmed footage and early computer graphics, Weta Digital aimed for a visually seamless result. This included digitally recreating shots like a close-up of Father leaving his home before the final fight in Predator: Badlands, and surprisingly, recreating the exact same shot entirely with digital effects just moments later.

Although the team aimed to maintain a realistic look, VFX Supervisor Stopsack explained that Weta largely replaced the original footage of Njohrr’s home on Yautja Prime with their own creations. He assured viewers that the final result still looked seamless, but noted that only a few shots actually used any of the original footage. This allowed the team complete control over the lighting and all other visual elements.

He mentioned that creating the sandstorm during the final fight – caused by Dek’s ship – was particularly challenging. They thought it was a brilliant way to impact Njohrr’s cloaking ability and give Dek a significant advantage. However, after coming up with the idea, they struggled to figure out how to actually make it happen, starting with simpler, safer approaches.

Everyone has their own ideas about what looks good, and we were initially thinking about improving the visual effects through technical means – things like using advanced volumetric effects and refining the compositing process. We wanted to have a solid base to fall back on. However, one of our effects artists created an amazing test that was raw, energetic, and visually striking. It looked so good that we immediately decided to focus on that style and fully commit to it.

The Weta team took a remarkably complex approach to creating the sandstorm, building unique simulations for each shot. They used volumetric effects to ensure everything looked realistic and blended together seamlessly. The director pointed out that if viewers re-watched the scene closely, they’d notice the way the light flickered on Dek and Father during the storm, emphasizing that this wasn’t a trick done in post-production, but a result of their commitment to a believable, physically accurate simulation.

Although they originally planned a more restrained visual style for the fight scene, Stopsack explained that Trachtenberg loved what they did and actually asked them to intensify the sandstorm, making it look even more chaotic. He wasn’t particularly focused on clearly seeing Dek and his father during the fight itself.

Sheldon Stopsack explained that the film’s visual style is very satisfying for the team. He praised Dan’s artistic choice, noting that many filmmakers focus on clearly showing the conflict between heroes and villains. However, Dan intentionally chose a different approach, opting for shadowy silhouettes and a chaotic, unclear visual style instead.

As Rapley mentioned earlier, the final fight in Predator: Badlands between Dek and Njohrr shows how Dek applies what he’s learned throughout the film. He notably uses his surroundings to his advantage – throwing sand at his father and taking cover in the sandstorm – and also draws on the survival skills he picked up with the Genna tribe.

Beyond simply drawing on his experiences on the harsh planet, Dek and his father’s final battle provides a satisfying conclusion to his story by having him defeat Njohrr in a way that mirrors how he defeated his brother, Kwei, at the beginning of the film. After winning and taking his father’s cloaking device, the post-credits scene in Predator: Badlands hints at a future conflict with his mother and her tribe, potentially leading him to combine all his experiences into a distinctive fighting style.

Courtesy Of Weta FX

It’s not surprising that director Trachtenberg initially envisioned a more traditional sword fight for the ending of Predator: Badlands, considering his previous film, Predator: Killer of Killers, featured a detailed samurai character. However, Trachtenberg consistently incorporates feedback from early viewers and builds upon his own creative work to offer something new and exciting for fans of the series.

Be sure to dive into some of our other Predator: Badlands coverage with:

  • Our Predator: Badlands Review
  • Our guide on how Predator: Badlands connects to the Alien franchise
  • Dan Trachtenberg teasing what’s next for the Predator franchise after Badlands
  • Dan Trachtenberg on how he was inspired by Star Wars‘ C-3PO and R2-D2 for the film
  • Dan Trachtenberg on abandoning a Tarantino-esque Predator movie set in World War II
  • Dan Trachtenberg revealing which original Predator character he wants to bring back
  • Dan Trachtenberg on the sneaky Stranger Things cameo in Badlands
  • Dan Trachtenberg explaining how Badlands breaks the franchise’s planet-based trend
  • Dan Trachtenberg explaining why there are no human characters in Predator: Badlands
  • Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi revealing the surprising level of practicality behind the film

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2025-11-29 01:41