We know Elle Fanning plays a Weyland-Yutani Robot Synthetic named Thia in Predator: Badlands already, but during an interview with Empire Magazine, director Dan Trachtenberg reveals she actually plays 2 characters in the movie! The second character currently remains tightly under wraps...
Alongside Dek on his blood-spaked voyage is Elle Fanning playing two characters – one Trachtenberg is keeping schtum about, the other is Thia, a lifelike robot 'synth' manufactured by Weyland-Yutani, the tech conglomerate featured in the Alien movies.
... However, since we've been obsessively tracking all news on Predator: Badlands since its inception, we know the second character Elle Fanning plays goes by the name of Tessa! Tessa is Thia's twin sister – and given Thia is a Weyland-Yutani Synthetic, we can deduce that Tessa is also, a Weyland-Yutani Synthetic.
Early casting calls for Predator: Badlands revealed information about the Thia / Tessa character:
...The other sister, Tessa, has a militant intensity when it comes to achieving her family’s goals and mission objectives. She will not let anything get in her way, not even her twin sister.
So, while Thia will be more comedic and lighthearted, expect Tessa to be more serious and militant – much like the personality shifts witnessed by Andy in Fede Alvarez's Alien: Romulus pre and post software update.
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Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands released in theaters on November 7th, 2025! See how well the film performed at the box office, here! Be sure to also browse the Predator Lore database for information on the film's different Yautja and characters, the planet Genna, how it connects to Alien, where in the Predator movie timeline the film takes place and more!
Predator: Badlands is making bank on streaming platforms!
The Dan Trachtenberg Yautja flick is headlining streaming charts for on-demand purchases!
Alternative designs for the Genna Vulture in Predator: Badlands by Dane Hallett!
The Genna Vulture is that winged Pterodactyl-looking creature in Predator: Badlands which almost eats Dek before Thia comes to his rescue.
Abe – The missing Synthetic in Predator: Badlands mystery, solved!
Abe was a Weyland-Yutani Synthetic in Badlands who was compared to Michael Fassbender's David. Sadly the character didn't make it into the final cut of the film.
