The filmmakers behind Predator: Badlands chose to capture the movie’s alien world on camera by using real-world terrain. Most of the film was shot in New Zealand during production from August to October 2024, with its diverse landscapes providing a mix of volcanic ground, dense forests, lakes, and mountains that helped shape the visual identity of the movie.
The main production base was Auckland, where several interior scenes were filmed on sound stages, including corporate spaces connected to Weyland Yutani and the interior of Dek’s crashed ship. The South Head Peninsula near Helensville appears early in the film during the crash landing on Genna, with its exposed cliffs, dunes, and wide coastal stretch helping establish the planet as harsh and empty.
Rotorua provided much of the alien atmosphere, featuring geothermal terrain that appeared in sections where Dek first moves through the planet’s toxic surface. The towering trees of Whakarewarewa Forest were used for early hunt sequences, allowing the Predator movement to feel physical rather than digital.
Tongariro National Park supplied the film’s most dramatic highland visuals, with volcanic ridges and open slopes appearing during a tense pursuit where Dek and Thia are chased across mountain terrain. The limestone formations around Mangaotaki appeared in quieter middle stretch of the story when Dek and Thia stop to regroup.
New Zealand offered multiple ecosystems within a relatively small filming radius, making it possible for the production to create a full alien world without constantly relocating or building everything digitally. The mix of forests, volcanic slopes, valleys, and geothermal land gives Genna a grounded visual identity, even though the story takes place far from Earth.
FAQ:
– Q: Is Predator: Badlands set on Earth? A: No, the film takes place on a distant alien planet called Genna.
– Q: Where was the Predator ship wreckage filmed? A: The interior of the Predator ship was filmed on sound stages in Auckland, New Zealand.
– Q: Did they use real locations or CGI for the alien planet? A: Director Dan Trachtenberg used a “location-first” approach, filming extensively in New Zealand’s volcanic and geothermal regions to minimize the need for green screens.
Source: https://www.highonfilms.com/predator-badlands-filming-locations