‘Prey’ Cast on ‘Predator’ Origin Story Bootcamp, Historic Use of Comanche Language & More (VIDEO)
The Predator franchise continues when Prey slithers onto screens this Friday, August 5 on Hulu. The prequel — set 300 years ago in the Comanche Nation — stars Amber Midthunder as a skilled warrior named Naru who fights to save her people from one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth. Prey features a cast full of Native American and First Nation actors, making history as the first feature film to receive a full Comanche language dub.
English and Comanche dialogue are both featured throughout Prey, but the full Comanche dub is a first for the industry. Director Dan Trachtenberg, producer Jhane Myers, and stars Midthunder, Dakota Beavers (Taabe), and Dane DiLiegro (the Predator) gave a peek into the landmark movie to Andrea Towers at the TV Insider and TV Guide Magazine studio, sponsored by Hollywood unBranded during San Diego Comic-Con 2022.
Myers is a Comanche/Blackfeet producer dedicated to increasing the visibility of Native Americans in visual arts. She recommends watching Prey “Once in Comanche, and once in English.”
Prey serves as an origin story for the insidious alien fans know so well. Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) has been “obsessed” with the Predator franchise since childhood and has dreamed of making “this particular kind of movie ever since then.” To bring the story to life, Midthunder and her co-stars partook in a four-week bootcamp before shooting began.
“It was running down mountains on wires, getting in rivers, and falling in mud and fighting things,” Midthunder said of her challenging stunts during filming, adding, “It was important to both of us that I do as much as possible, because it’s more interesting that way.”
And as for the Predator itself, DiLiegro said his character’s special effects were handled practically.
“I’m sure there were small elements of CGI, but that suit was completely practical,” he said. “We had six suits, there were four heads, and they all had different things. We went through all of those suits that got impacted with sweat and mud and dirt and all that. The heads were animatronic puppeteered by three different people at ADI. They did a tremendous job.”
Learn more about the historic film in the full video interview, above, before its world premiere.
Prey, Original Movie Premiere, Friday, August 5, Hulu
