See ‘Prey’ Alternate Opening With Commentary from Director Dan Trachtenberg (VIDEO)
For the first time ever, fans will be able to buy Hulu‘s Prey in 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD. The hit Predator prequel, which premiered in 2022, is getting a physical media release thanks to popular demand. And TV Insider has the exclusive first look at the Prey alternate opening that will be seen in the release’s special features.
Fans can get their physical copy of Prey starting Tuesday, October 3 (see the cover art for the physical copies below). The release will feature over two hours of all-new bonus features, including the alternate opening, “Hawk Hunt,” above. The alternate opening is presented with commentary from director Dan Trachtenberg, who explains the original idea for the Prey opening scene and how and why it changed.
Set 300 years ago in the Comanche nation, Prey switches between Comanche and English dialogue, and in an historic first, featured a dub entirely in Comanche. The alternate opening dialogue between Naru (Amber Midthunder) and Taabe (Dakota Beavers) is entirely in Comanche.
“Early on in the process, we thought the whole movie might be shot in Comanche,” Trachtenberg explains. “And then, it became just the opening. So this [alternate opening] scene would have played out entirely in Comanche and then transitioned into English when she gets into her teepee, but that all evolved, of course.”
The scene opens tracking a hawk in the sky. Naru’s arrow then sneaks into the frame from the bottom right as she takes aim at the bird. As the camera pans back, we see Taabe also taking aim. The bird is shot down as other members of the tribe approach.
As Trachtenberg explains, the original idea was to have this opening start multiple moments before the hawk is seen. It would begin with an “entirely CG shot of an ant eaten by a fish grabbed by a hawk, and then the hawk shot out of the sky.” But that idea was going to be too expensive. “We actually repurposed that idea to include later on in the movie in the snake, mouse, predator scene.”
Prey follows Naru as she struggles to prove she’s a worthy hunter to her tribe. When an alien invader threatens her land and people, she takes matters into her own hands by turning the extraterrestrial predator into the prey. Trachtenberg says in his commentary that the opening scene was changed in part because Naru came across more “angsty” than ambitious.
Catch this opening scene and more special features when Prey becomes available on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 3, and check out the cover art for the physical copies below.
Prey, Streaming Now, Hulu
Prey Best Buy 4K UHD SteelBook ($40.99)
Prey 4K UHD + Blu-ray ($34.99)
Prey Blu-ray ($27.99)
Prey DVD ($22.99)
