Dan Trachtenberg may be headed to Marvel. The director who brought the Predator franchise back to life is in talks with Marvel Studios to direct one of its upcoming movies, The Cosmic Circus reported on Thursday, citing sources.
According to the report, the project is a movie that centers on a single character instead of a team, and it is part of Marvel’s slate after Avengers: Secret Wars, the next era fans have been calling the Mutant Saga. Which movie Marvel has in mind is still unknown, and Marvel Studios has not announced anything.
Why Trachtenberg Makes Sense
Trachtenberg has spent the last few years doing for Predator what studios hope directors can do for any aging franchise. He directed Prey in 2022, a period take on the Predator that became a hit for Hulu, then followed it with the animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands in 2025. All three come from 20th Century Studios, so he has been a Disney filmmaker for years.
Before Predator, he directed 10 Cloverfield Lane and an episode of Black Mirror. He is also already developing another Disney film, an original movie inspired by Sleeping Beauty.
His track record with lean, character-focused genre movies lines up with what a solo Marvel film would need, and his work on Predator showed he can reinvent a property without losing what fans love about it.
Which Character Could It Be?
That is the big question, and for now it is only a guessing game. The Cosmic Circus floated a few possibilities based on the solo focus and Trachtenberg’s sci-fi background, including Nova, Blade or a spinoff for one of the mutant characters who may not make the cut for the new X-Men team. None of those are confirmed.
Blade has been the most stubborn project on Marvel’s list since it was first announced in 2019, cycling through directors and writers without making it to cameras. Nova has been in development as a movie, with Michael Waldron writing. Either would be a big swing for a director known for action built on a single hero against impossible odds.
Marvel’s Next Era
Marvel is already lining up its post-Secret Wars films, starting with a new X-Men movie directed by Jake Schreier. Bringing in a director with Trachtenberg’s record would be a strong signal of where the studio wants to take its solo films next.
Until Marvel confirms a deal, this stays a report. But with Avengers: Doomsday in theaters December 18 and Secret Wars to follow, the studio’s next chapter is starting to come together behind the scenes.
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