Set in the future on a deadly remote planet, Predator: Badlands follows Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator outcast from his clan, who finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
The first film in the long-running Predator franchise that focuses on a particular kind of Predator species, the Yautja, director Dan Trachtenberg (Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers) continues to push the envelope as he evolves the series in manners we haven’t seen before, which our Peter Gray touched on as he spoke to Schuster-Koloamatangi about injecting his Predatorial character with the Polynesian spirit and how the film’s specific language changed his mannerisms and delivery.
Congratulations on this film. The fact you made this Predator feel so incredibly human…hats off to you!
Thank you, man. I appreciate that.
I wanted to ask you about language as a transformation, because I know that you’ve said that learning the language changed how you used your body. Did mastering the language shift how you thought or felt as Dek, almost like it rewired your instincts?
Yeah, definitely. I think language, in general, informs a lot about human behaviour, but seeing that (Dek) is not human, I didn’t want to approach it from that angle. If that makes sense. I was using his language more so to feel the Yautja presence. When you’re speaking in Yautja, your posture has to kind of be up to be able to hit the right notes in your throat, because it’s a lot of throat work. When I’m doing a scene, it literally changes the way your body reacts, which I was learning as I was rehearsing it and drilling it into me. It was really cool to kind of see that and use that as a way to motivate my character and find little aspects and little nuggets as I was discovering more and more. But yeah, man, language is such a thing embedded in our culture, so it was really cool.
And speaking of finding out about the characters, I know that Elle Fanning had said she asked “Why?” a lot on set. I was wondering, for you, was there a particular “Why?” she asked that unlocked something new for you about Dek or the story that you hadn’t really thought of before?
Oh, that’s a great question. Let me think about that for a second. Honestly, a lot of (what) she was asking was just getting down to the core of each scene. That was her intention. She was making sure that everybody was heading in the same direction in terms of what we were making. A lot of the time she would be kind of questioning the motivations of each scene, or of each character. It just layered the scene so much more and made it more authentic. Made it more real and grounded. I can’t think of a particular moment where it sparked (something).
I will say the buddy dynamic between the two of you was unexpected. And, obviously, New Zealand is probably the most beautiful part of the world. Beyond locational pride, for you, did you feel that there was something unique Kiwi in how you approached this role? Whether it was a certain attitude or a certain spirit when attacking Dek?
I don’t think I was approaching anything uniquely Kiwi. But I think being from New Zealand, and being Samoan and Tongan, having these cultural experiences really helped me to shape Dek. I’m Polynesian, right? We’re warriors! We have warrior spirits. And in New Zealand, the spirit is called Mana. Being grounded in that, and understanding that and bringing that to Dek, because they are literally warriors themselves. Their whole ancestry, as hunters, that’s how they earn their ranks. That’s how they move up in their society. So having those experiences and feelings I’ve always had, as a Polynesian, as a young kid growing up in New Zealand, always wanting to fight, not physically, but having the essence of a warrior. It’s something that I relief heavily on in building Dek. It was a blessing, man, to be able to bring this to the character.
As I said, I really didn’t know what to expect with the character. And looking into Dek’s eyes, it just completely flipped around what we knew about the character. So, congratulations again. I know that you grew up watching these movies with your dad, so it’s awesome that you get to be a part of it and everything. Can’t wait for everyone to see it and go on this journey, you absolutely deserve it.
Thank you so much, brother. I appreciate that.
Predator: Badlands is screening in Australian theatres from November 6th, 2025, before opening in the United States on November 7th.
