Interview: ‘Prey’ Filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg Discusses His Original Takes on Established Properties

I really do think that Dan Trachtenberg is one of the unsung filmmakers in Hollywood. Not only did he manage to make the (so far) only truly satisfying Cloverfield sequel with 10 Cloverfield Lane, he managed to both turn it on its head while also giving the audience what it wanted. Recently, he did the same with an even tougher property in the Predator films. Making a prequel of sorts with Prey, Trachtenberg continues to take intellectual property that could be simply money grabs and make personal movies out of them. It’s something else, let me tell you. Recently, I hopped on Zoom with him to discuss just that. Today, our discussion comes your way.

In my review of Prey, I had this here to say about Trachtenberg’s work:

Director Dan Trachtenberg and writer Patrick Aison know how to do a lean and mean Predator flick. Prey has the feel of a stripped down version of what’s already worked, with stakes and style. Aison mostly has television credits under his belt, but Trachtenberg is someone who folks have long waited to see more from. 10 Cloverfield Lane showed what he could do with a smaller scale thriller, and he’s at it again here. With a short running time and an effective build up to a wonderfully visceral sequence of carnage, Trachtenberg raises the stakes with aplomb. Bonus points for this being a solid dog movie, too, which is always a plus.

Below, you can see my chat with Trachtenberg. We talk about both Prey and 10 Cloverfield Lane, as I think they each showcase what he does so well. It’s interesting to hear about the how and the why of making personal movies with big IP. Not everyone can do it, to be sure, but Trachtenberg truly can. If you haven’t seen Prey yet, it’s on Hulu and will surely impress you…

Here now my is my interview with Prey filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg. Enjoy:

Prey is available to watch on Hulu!