The anticipated release of Prey, the latest installment of the Predator franchise, is finally here. After having been screened at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con a few weeks back, the feature film is now available to watch through streaming. Given that the story takes place in the heart of the Comanche Nation, viewers can choose to watch an alternate version of Prey that features Comanche dubbing. That way the audience has the opportunity to fully immerse themselves when experiencing Naru (Amber Midthunder) and her tribe's survival journey against the technological alien attacking their home.
In an effort to preserve the Comanche Nation's native tongue, a Numic language from within the Uto-Aztecan family, filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg (the same mastermind behind 10 Cloverfield Lane) worked side-by-side with producer and member of the Comanche and Blackfeet nations, Jhane Myers. As the film was being developed, Myers would tweak aspects of it to make sure it held true to her cultural heritage. Prey's production also includes a primarily Native American ensemble in its forefront and multiple people from the Native American community were involved behind the scenes.
Given that some of you might be interested in watching Prey in Comanche, here is a brief guide to help you navigate the language selection.
Where Can I Watch Prey in Comanche?
The dubbed version of the film is available to watch through Hulu and Disney + on August 5. When you hit play on this title through these streaming platforms, the film will automatically start in English. To alter the audio settings to Comanche through Hulu, you will actually have to select the separate Comanche dub streaming option under the movie tab on the app, rather than going through the audio settings of the English version. If you are watching Prey through Disney +, it'll be in a similar place under the Extras tab for the English version, not under audio settings.
Is Prey Available In Theatres?
Unlike the previous Predator movies and most franchise films of recent times, Prey's worldwide release didn't follow the same pattern as other major productions on the Disney+ platform. Instead of spending a few weeks in theaters before arriving on streaming, Trachtenberg's take on the franchise skipped the big screen after its screening at Comic-Con.
Despite not landing in theaters, the film was made with the intention of giving the audience the same masterful cinematic vision as the previous films did. And while we would have loved to see this story play out in theaters, the decision to have it on streaming as opposed to the big screen was important for the option of watching the film in Comanche. The ensemble cast came back after the English cut was finalized to dub the film in Comanche. Here is what actor Dakota Beavers had to say to Variety about the process of learning and speaking Comanche in Prey:
“I wanted to make sure that the language was spoken as correctly as I could get it. Luckily, one of the Comanche translators is a good buddy of mine, so I could just sit down there with him. And so that was a big importance to me, just to keep that there for the future generation to learn".
Why You Should Choose to Watch Prey in Comanche Instead of English
Although it is easier to comprehend the story in English for the majority of audiences, watching Prey in Comanche would enable viewers to honor the language and cultural heritage that is at the core of this narrative. Instead of only partially experiencing the Comanche tribe and setting present in the film, you get to have the chance to immerse yourself within the story and witness the way the film was originally intended to be.
Trachtenberg's original pitch mentioned that the whole dialogue would be in Comanche but unfortunately, the idea was sidelined later on. Yet, having a dubbed version available through streaming is already a worthwhile accomplishment. Unlike so many productions that feature Native American and First Nations characters, this is the first feature film to be completely dubbed in Comanche (and to have Comanche subtitles as well), which is an aspect that deserves the appreciation of fans that grew up watching the Predator franchise.
In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Myers spoke about the privilege of having a film like this in her native language saying, "The fact it's getting a full Comanche dub is incredible because being a Comanche, there's never been a movie in its entirety in my language. And there's never been a brand-new movie that's been released, like this on Disney+, that you have an option to watch it in Comanche because it's never happened for any Native language."
Here's what Myers told Collider's own Christina Radish when asked about what it was like for her to have this project come her way:
I was really excited. Everything had shut down with the pandemic, and then things started slowly happening again. I had interviewed for all these other producing projects, and then I heard about this one and heard that I could interview with Dan. I completely forgot about everything else. I was like, “I want this one. I want The Predator. I like the whole premise of the Comanche.” I grew up a little Comanche tomboy, and I probably still am. I really liked it. I liked the way that the film is not only wrapped within my culture, but it’s wrapped in unpredictability. I hate predictable films, and there are so many things that this film will take you through that are so unpredictable. One of the things is language. We actually have a huge language component, and not just the words that you’re gonna hear on screen, but when you watch it on Hulu, you’ll have the chance to click and watch the whole movie dubbed in Comanche, which is amazing. This has never happened for my tribe before. This has never happened on a brand-new film that’s coming out. I hope that this film sets the paradigm and changes things for our language and our culture.