How That Secret “Stranger Things” Cameo in “Predator: Badlands” Came to Be

The creators of Stranger Things have a special role in Predator: Badlands.

At an advanced screening of the sci-fi movie hosted by ScreenRant, Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg revealed the Matt and Ross Duffer, who created Stranger Things, have a brief cameo on the film.

“They were mixing Stranger Things at the same time that we were mixing Badlands. I was supposed to do an episode of Stranger Things and couldn’t because of Badlands and Killers happening at the same time,” said Trachtenberg, who also directed Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers.

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“So I roped them into [Badlands], ‘It’ll be so fun. Just have you guys cameo,’ ” he continued, adding, “They were freaking out. We had a lovely time.”

The Duffer Brothers voice Kwei’s ship, the Yautja computer voice, Trachtenberg explained.

Set to debut Nov. 7, Predator: Badlands follows Dek, a young Predator (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), and Elle Fanning’s robot character Thia as they set out on a mysterious mission.

The story is “set in the future on a remote planet, where a young Predator, outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary,” according to a synopsis.

“He’s still badass, but there’s something there that touches you emotionally too,” Trachtenberg said of the movie’s protagonist in a November 2024 interview with Empire. He added, “Creating a character you connect with but are also super-intimidated by has been challenging. But exciting.” 

Predator: Badlands is in theaters now.