Prey took audiences by storm upon its release on Hulu in July 2022. The latest installment in the beloved Predator franchise – a prequel directed by Dan Trachtenberg – proved a roaring success with critics and fans alike. We follow Comanche warrior Naru as she stalks the North American Plains in pursuit of the sinister (but ever-iconic) Predator, facing perils from both space and Earth. It’s a thrillingly action-packed sci-fi adventure, praised particularly for its cultural accuracy. In fact, Prey made the unprecedented move of offering a completely Comanche language dub – voiced entirely by the original cast.
“There’s never been a feature film at the time of its release [with] a full Comanche dub or a full Native language dub,” says Prey producer and Comanche cultural expert Jhane Myers of this history-making version of the film. “It shows that Native language belongs in film, it shows that it can be done.”
Myers, a member of the Comanche and Blackfeet nations herself, joined as creative producer and acted as an Indigenous cultural consultant in the development of Trachtenberg’s Predator entry. Offering insight into everything from the Comanche language to Naru’s medicinal concoctions seen throughout the film, she sat down with IGN ahead of the film’s Blu-ray release to discuss the process of capturing Naru and her tribe with care.
Combat was a massive part of reflecting 18th century Comanche culture accurately. In an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip provided to IGN (which can be viewed via the player above or the embed below), Myers, Trachtenberg, and star Amber Midthunder describe the cast’s extensive training ahead of filming. Under the guidance of Indigenous trainer Kevin Starblanket, Midthunder and crew learned traditional Comanche combat and tracking techniques, including the use of Comanche sign language and the ability to fight from horseback.
There’s a particularly heart-pounding scene in which Naru’s brother Taabe (Dakota Beavers) battles the Predator atop a horse acquired from a camp of hostile French fur trappers. Myers highlighted the importance of paying homage to the historical Comanche use of horses. “When I first read the script there were no horses,” says Myers during our interview. “We were one of the first tribes to have horses. That’s what made us so powerful because we were mobile.”
“Every day was so physical,” Myers recounts of the four to five weeks of the cast’s combat training. In addition to learning to use traditional weaponry like a bow and arrow or a lance, Midthunder and the actors playing Naru’s fellow hunters also needed to learn other techniques prescriptive of traditional Comanche combat styles. “They had to train tactical, they had to be able to sneak up on people, they used their sign language to communicate with each other,” says Myers.
She describes one particular moment during one of Trachtenberg’s visits to the training ground – a space created from moving boxes set up to mimic trees and other obstacles of the forest – where the cast put their newfound stealth skills to the test as Trachtenberg, Myers and Starblanket discussed the progression of their training. “They were able to sneak up on us without Dan ever even seeing it or hearing it. He was just blown away,” says Myers. “They were stealth. They were exactly who they were going to play on screen.”
The cast’s chemistry resonates on screen as they face the lethal Predator, and Midthunder herself moves with a compelling gravity that undergirds the significance of her role in the film. “She’s our first Native woman superhero. She’s the first Native woman to ever carry a [blockbuster franchise] feature film,” says Myers. Beyond its place as a riveting entry into the Predator franchise, Prey is such a massive milestone for Indigenous representation in genre film (and film in general). Hopefully, Prey’s well-deserved success opens many more doors for Native stories and talent in the future.
“This shows that we have a place everywhere,” Myers says. “Even in space and sci-fi.”
Prey is now available on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD, with over two hours of all-new bonus features.
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