When Does "Predator: Badlands" (2025) Take Place?
"Predator: Badlands" is a science fiction film written by Dan Trachtenberg with Patrick Aison and Brian Duffield that released November 7th, 2025. So when is "Badlands" set?
It takes place on the fictional Alien vs. Predator timeline roughly in the year:
We know this because Thia and Tessa are extremely sophisticated androids constructed by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, a company seen as two separate companies: the Weyland Corporation and the Yutani Corporation from "Alien vs. Predator" (2004), which takes place in 2004 AD, to "Prometheus" (2012), which takes place in 2093 AD. It must be after their merger. In the expanded elements novel "Alien: Covenant - Origins" (2017), which takes place in 2103 AD, Indri Mithun says, ..."there are some among the Weyland contingent who still feel the need to assert themselves." and, soon after, "Most who survive such mergers quickly resign themselves to their new circumstances. But for a few, bad feelings can linger." This means the merger that creates the Weyland-Yutani Corporation hasn't happened yet in 2093 AD and is still recent in 2103 AD. So it is very likely after 2103 AD.
~2300 AD
We know this because Thia and Tessa are extremely sophisticated androids constructed by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, a company seen as two separate companies: the Weyland Corporation and the Yutani Corporation from "Alien vs. Predator" (2004), which takes place in 2004 AD, to "Prometheus" (2012), which takes place in 2093 AD. It must be after their merger. In the expanded elements novel "Alien: Covenant - Origins" (2017), which takes place in 2103 AD, Indri Mithun says, ..."there are some among the Weyland contingent who still feel the need to assert themselves." and, soon after, "Most who survive such mergers quickly resign themselves to their new circumstances. But for a few, bad feelings can linger." This means the merger that creates the Weyland-Yutani Corporation hasn't happened yet in 2093 AD and is still recent in 2103 AD. So it is very likely after 2103 AD.
More specifically, it is probably before the company is dissolved. During "Alien Resurrection" (1997), which takes place in 2379 AD, Dr. Mason Wren says, "Weyland-Yutani, Ripley's former employer." ... "Oh, they went under decades ago, Gediman, way before your time. Bought out by Walmart. Fortunes of war." So it is probably before 2359 AD.
"decades ago" = at least 20 years
and
2379 - 20 = 2359.
It is otherwise unplaceable, at this time.
[HOWEVER, co-writer and director Dan Trachtenberg said in an interview, 'it is the furthest into the future in both "Predator" and "Alien" '. and "I wanted to make sure we were doing our own thing, and selfishly, I'd also done so much "Predator" in different time periods that I was excited for this to be in the future, even past "Alien: Resurrection" '. The film "Alien: Resurrection" (1997) takes place in 2379 AD. This is, of course, epitext and therefore not conclusive.]
This The Astromech article by Jimmy Jangles establishes the terminus post quem point in the merger that creates Weyland-Yutani and
this ScreenRant article by Cooper Hood establishes the likely terminus ante quem point in the dissolution of Weyland-Yutani.
It is a chronologically late film in the Alien vs. Predator universe and can be watched either at its timeline point or entirely separately.
