2025 has already been an incredible 12 months for director Dan Trachtenberg, and it might have been much more spectacular if a chance associated to Stranger Issues had labored out. Trachtenberg simply launched his fourth characteristic movie, Predator: Badlands, serving as his third Predator film following Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers.
The latter really launched on Hulu in July, giving Trachtenberg two main Predator film releases for 2025. Whereas the animated Predator: Killer of Killers was well-received, attaining 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, it was a streaming unique. It was the identical case for Prey, Trachtenberg’s first live-action Predator entry.
Trachtenberg’s third film for the franchise lastly bought a theatrical launch, which is already paying off, contemplating Predator: Badlands‘ field workplace success. Whereas Trachtenberg remains to be celebrating the discharge of his newest characteristic movie, he practically had one other profession spotlight for 2025 with Stranger Issues‘ ultimate season.
Dan Trachtenberg Was Supposed To Direct A Stranger Issues Season 5 Episode
When Stranger Issues‘ fifth and ultimate season was nonetheless in growth, Dan Trachtenberg was tapped to direct one of many eight episodes. If it labored out, Trachtenberg would have joined the Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, and Frank Darabont because the administrators behind Stranger Issues season 5. Nonetheless, as a result of scheduling adjustments following the Hollywood labor strikes, Trachtenberg needed to prioritize Predator: Badlands over Stranger Issues.
Regardless that Trachtenberg wasn’t capable of direct an episode for Stranger Issues season 5, he was capable of incorporate a chunk of the hit Netflix collection into his newest Predator film. Predator: Badlands options Stranger Issues cameos, with collection creators Matt and Ross Duffer voicing Kwei’s ship within the film. Regardless of not with the ability to work collectively on Stranger Issues, Trachtenberg was nonetheless capable of collaborate with the Duffers.
Why Dan Trachtenberg Would Have Been A Excellent Match For Stranger Issues
Stranger Issues season 5 might be launched in three components, with the collection finale closing out 2025 on New Yr’s Eve. Sadly, that ends the possibility for Trachtenberg to work on the present, no less than the unique collection, which is a disgrace as a result of he would have been a outstanding match for Stranger Issues.
As confirmed by his three Predator films, Trachtenberg has nailed down the sci-fi style with tales that lean into motion and journey. That mentioned, regardless of the huge settings and franchise lore in his storytelling, the characters stay the guts of the story. The identical could be mentioned about Stranger Issues, so it might have been thrilling to see Trachtenberg take the helm of one of many Netflix present’s ultimate episodes.
What’s extra, Stranger Issues has at all times been thought-about a coming-of-age story via its younger group of characters. Predator: Badlands notably focuses on a Yautja protagonist named Dek, who’s the runt of his clan that units out on an journey in an try and show himself as a worthy warrior. In some ways, Badlands is a coming-of-age story, reiterating how excellent Trachtenberg would have been for Stranger Issues had the chance labored out.
