During the press day for Prey, Director Dan Trachtenberg recalls how Amber Midthunder & Dakota Beavers were told they got the part.
How The Cast Of Prey Was Told They Got The Part
Prey is the newest film in the Predator franchise, but also technically the first ever Predator movie since it is set 300 years ago. This film takes the franchise back to its roots focusing on the hunt more than anything else. During the press conference for Prey, Director Dan Trachtenberg recalls with Amber Midthunder (who plays Naru) and Dakota Beavers (who plays Taabe) how he let them know they got the part in the film — and how it wasn’t as obvious as he thought it would be.
When it came to letting Dakota Beavers know that he was cast as Taabe, Dan facetimed him and asked him “What do you have time for?”.
Dakota responded that he had time for anything, but that wasn’t the answer that Dan was looking for.
Instead, he was hoping for the classic Predator line “I ain’t got time to bleed.”
For Amber Midthunder, Dan did things a little bit differently. He rattled off a series of questions trying to get her to say another classic line, but it took a lot longer than he expected it too.
Amber says she had a whole riddle thrown at her on facetime. Dan started with “If you had to get somewhere and you couldn’t use a car or a plane or a train, what would you do?”, to which Amber replied a hang glider — recalling that he must have thrown something in about having to go by air.
Dan then told her no, it has an engine and then she got very confused and asked if it was a hang glider with an engine. The correct answer was, you guessed it, “Get to the choppa!”
Dan Trachtenberg admits that while he thought this would be a fun, and obvious way, to let them know they were cast, it didn’t work out how he imagined it would. Still, both Midthunder and Beavers were thrilled to be cast.
Check them out in action when Prey streams exclusively on Hulu August 5th!
NEXT: The Predator Review
About Prey
The newest entry in the “Predator” franchise, 20th Century Studios’ “Prey” is an all-new actionthriller set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. It is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior who has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains. So when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people.
The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.
Prey comes to Hulu on August 5th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.