In 1990, before the concept of shared cinematic universes was all the rage, Predator 2 featured the skull of a Xenomorph from Alien in the Predator’s trophy case. That small moment led to Alien vs. Predator crossover comics, which in turn paved the way for two Alien vs. Predator movies. A crossover of that magnitude may not have been possible if 20th Century Fox hadn’t owned both franchises.
These days, 20th Century Fox is now called 20th Century Studios under Disney’s ownership. While there hasn’t been an Alien vs. Predator crossover in years, chatter among fans online has led to another potential crossover: Predator/Planet of the Apes. It’s an intriguing concept, especially since 20th Century Studios is bringing out Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes next month. Predator’s big-screen comeback is further down the road.
But if you’re not sold on the idea, we’ve compiled this list of the five reasons why a Predator/Planet of the Apes crossover film should happen.
It could revitalize both franchises
While the Planet of the Apes reboot films have been riding high since Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011, the Predator films haven’t been as lucky. There hasn’t been a theatrically released Predator movie since The Predator was a box-office disappointment in 2018. The Hulu original film, Prey, was well-received as a Predator prequel in 2022, but it didn’t get a theatrical release.
At this point, the Predator movies need a shot in the arm more than the Planet of the Apes films do. With the right story and a proper promotional push, this could be a cinematic showdown on par or better than the recently released Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
There’s a precedent for Planet of the Apes crossovers
During the early ’90s, Malibu Comics had the rights to Planet of the Apes and another 20th Century Fox film, Alien Nation. That led to a crossover comic book miniseries, Ape Nation, which envisioned the world of both franchises. Instead of Alien Nation‘s Newcomers arriving on Earth in the 20th century, they settled centuries later when the apes were the dominant life form.
Malibu Comics was eventually purchased by Marvel, which was in turn sold to Disney in 2009. Ape Nation has long been out of print, but Marvel currently publishes comics for both Predator and Planet of the Apes. As much as we’d like to see a Predator/Planet of the Apes movie first, there’s a precedent for trying out the crossover in the comic book realm. It’s also a lot cheaper to do it that way than committing to a big-budget movie.
Humans are the wildcard
Humans have been the main characters in every Predator film to date, while the Planet of the Apes reboot series shifted the focus to the apes themselves. But the conflict in both franchises featured human against either apes or Predators. A Predator/Planet of the Apes movie could move past that while still giving human characters a vital role to play.
Keep in mind that the vast majority of humans in the Planet of the Apes timeline have regressed and lost the ability to speak. The apes also enslave many humans. So, if a Predator comes along and starts killing the apes, would humans side with their masters? Or would they embrace a killer from beyond the stars for giving them freedom?
It’s the ultimate test of strength
The biggest reason why the Predators keep coming back to Earth isn’t just that they love hunting humans. It’s not even really about humans at all. The Predators are always looking for a challenge, and some humans have managed to defeat their kind in the past and the present.
If the Predators keep visiting Earth during the time period of Planet of the Apes, it seems inevitable that they would shift their focus from humanity to the apes. The strength of an ape may exceed a normal Predator’s. When combined with the now superior intellect of the apes, any Predators that challenge them would be in for a real fight … which is just how they like it.
It’s not restrained by any previous crossover story
The Alien vs. Predator movies failed to catch on like their pre-crossover films for many reasons. But anyone who has read the Alien vs. Predator comics can tell you that the movies failed to live up to the promise of those stories. A Predator/Planet of the Apes movie doesn’t have to fall into the same trap. There are no pre-existing crossover stories between the two properties to compare it to.
It may be challenging to write a crossover script without the road map of a previous adaptation, but it could also be very freeing. As long as the resulting crossover has the best aspects of both franchises, it has a better chance of being a good or even a great movie in its own right. Of course, there’s always a chance that Hollywood could bungle this crossover as well. But we’ll never know unless someone takes this idea and makes it a reality.
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