Director Dan Trachtenberg aims to take the Predator franchise back to its roots with Prey, releasing on Hulu on August 5. Only this time, the Predator will find a new worthy adversary among the Comanche tribe.
The film takes place 300 years ago in the Great Plains, where the Predator arrives on Earth for the first time to hunt. The iconic character lands in Comanche territory, where he’ll encounter their fierce warriors, including Naru (Amber Midthunder), a hunter embarking on the rite of passage, Kuhtaamia.
The Prey filmmakers were committed to the authenticity of its Indigenous peoples, both in the portrayal and casting almost entirely of Native and First Nation talent. In addition to extensive research, production had another invaluable asset on the team for accurate representation: producer Jhane Myers, an acclaimed filmmaker and member of the Comanche nation.
For Myers, working on Prey allowed her to bring her culture to the project; along with her love of horror. So much so that she considers herself also among the horror tribe. “I love it. I love that you’re my type of person, so that’s perfect. Because I’m not your average fan. People look at me like, ‘Oh, you like horror?’ So we’re the same tribe. I appreciate that.”
(L-R): Dakota Beavers as Taabe and Amber Midthunder as Naru in 20th Century Studios’ PREY, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Being part of the Comanche nation meant that Myers had a deep well of knowledge to pull from when approaching the film’s authenticity, even when it came to capturing the centuries-old setting.
“It was great because, being a producer, I don’t always get to produce things in my own culture. I’m an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation, as well as I’m Black Feet. Those are both Plains tribes. When I first heard about this project, I was excited because it dealt with my culture. I was born in Comanche land, with 19,000 other Comanches. For me to work on this, people think it’s really hard. But it wasn’t hard for me because I could bring that authenticity. I could reach back out to my community. I even would, because this is set 300 years back, we needed some older words, I would call my grandpas. They’re not my blood grandpas but my traditional grandpas. I would call them. One guy was like, ‘I’m outside fixing my mailbox.’ I said, ‘Well, how do you say this? What did your grandpa call this?'”
(L-R): Cody Big Tobacco as Ania, Dakota Beavers as Taabe, Stormee Kipp as Wasape, Skye Pelletier as Tabu, and Tymon Carter as Huupi in 20th Century Studios’ PREY, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Myers continues, “We had such an influx of people, from beginning to end, in front of and behind the camera. We had an intern program where a lot of First Nations people got an opportunity to work on a film set in all the different departments to see what they liked. So for me, this was just a joy to work on.
“I mean, I never really get to use all my talents on something. Sometimes they bring me in, ‘Oh, we just want you to do this,’ or, ‘Oh, can you advise on that?’ This time, the whole book was open, thanks to Dan [Trachtenberg]. I thought, ‘This is great because I have a fierce creative side and know all about my culture.’ And what I don’t know, I have people willing to back me up. It was fabulous.”
That dedication extends beyond the screen, too. When Prey arrives on Hulu, the streaming service will offer a full Comanche language dubbed version of the film, a history-making first.
Stream Prey on Hulu beginning this Friday, August 5.
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