Predator: Badlands May End Up Being The First PG-13 Predator Movie, But Don’t Expect It To Be Any Less Gory And Gruesome

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The *Predator* movies are known for their extreme violence. When a Predator defeats an enemy, it’s not subtle – think dismemberment, evisceration, and collecting body parts as trophies. Some longtime fans worried that the new movie, *Predator: Badlands*, might be toned down for a wider audience with a PG-13 rating. However, the filmmakers have made sure it remains as brutal and gory as previous installments.

What To Expect From The Gore In Predator: Badlands

I first heard about the intended rating for *Predator: Badlands* last summer while visiting the movie set in Auckland, New Zealand, with a group of journalists. At the beginning of the day, producer Ben Rosenblatt – who also produced the well-received *Prey* in 2022 – gave us a detailed overview of the film. When asked about the level of violence and gore, he explained their careful approach to those elements.

Our aim is to use only non-human blood in the film – either alien or synthetic blood. As you saw with the purple blood during the action scenes, we’ve created different types, like the classic white synthetic milk and the green blood of the Yautja. Since there are no human characters, we won’t be using any red human blood.

Rosenblatt’s point, though not directly said, is that *Predator: Badlands* is exploiting a technicality in the movie rating system. Generally, excessive violence only receives a higher rating if it includes blood and gore—but only if it’s human blood. The film features 120 minutes of characters killing monsters and robots, often covered in colorful fluids, and still receives a PG-13 rating because this isn’t considered disturbing enough for younger audiences.

The story works well for *Predator: Badlands* because the film doesn’t include any human characters. This new movie takes place far in the future of the *Predator/Alien* universe and is the first to focus on a Yaujta – a Predator – as the main character. Dek, played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, is smaller than most Yaujta and must prove himself within his warrior-based culture. He gets the chance to do so when he’s stranded on a dangerous alien world and forced to fight for survival.

Dek will be fighting many terrifying enemies alongside Thia, a broken android played by Elle Fanning, and the battles will be brutal. However, as Rosenblatt pointed out, the blood won’t be red.

We believe this situation will work in our favor, and to answer your question about our level of effort, we’ll push ourselves as much as possible within the given limitations. We expect to create some impressively disturbing content, but we’ll be using colors beyond just red.

Why Predator: Badlands Is Aiming For A PG-13 Rating

Despite knowing the new *Predator* movie, *Badlands*, will feature a lot of violent content, many are still wondering why the filmmakers chose this direction. As producer Ben Rosenblatt described the film to journalists, it became clear what to expect. When asked directly if *Badlands* would be rated R, like its predecessor *Prey*, he responded with a clear answer.

That’s a great question, and we’re excited to see how it all turns out. Ideally, we want the movie to have the impact of an R-rated film, but be accessible to a wider, PG-13 audience. That’s the goal – to reach more people with this story.

While R-rated movies don’t always perform poorly at the box office—the success of films like *Deadpool* proves that—the age restrictions that come with an R-rating can limit who can see a movie in theaters. The creators of *Predator: Badlands* clearly wanted to avoid those limitations.

Rosenblatt explained that the positive reaction to *Prey* heavily influenced their decision-making. Although the 2022 *Predator* film received an R-rating and premiered on Hulu, its producer and director, Dan Trachtenberg, highlighted the widespread positive feedback. They aimed to replicate that same enthusiastic response with the live-action sequel.

Dan and I both aim to create films set in worlds we’re enthusiastic about, but that are accessible to a broad audience – something even our mothers would enjoy. We want to deliver all the elements that dedicated Predator fans crave, while also attracting viewers who, like with ‘Prey,’ might stumble upon it and appreciate its unique style – a blend of intense action and a more artistic, cinematic feel, like a Terrence Malick film set within the Predator universe.

As of today, *Predator: Badlands* hasn’t received an official rating from the MPA. It remains to be seen whether they’ll achieve their goal of a PG-13 rating, or if the film’s violence will be considered too strong. We’ll know for sure soon, but fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the *Predator* franchise to theaters on November 7, 2025.

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2025-10-09 01:22