Predators (also known as Yautja) are iconic horror antagonists, but “Predator: Badlands,” which earned solid marks in Looper’s review, flips the script by making one our hero. Dek must kill a seemingly unkillable beast in order to earn the respect of his father and find a place within his clan. Suffice it to say, this is the most time we’ve gotten to spend with a single Predator on the big screen, as he goes through his own hero’s journey. The character is surprisingly emotive, even within the myriad fight scenes. And it’s all thanks to a killer performance from New Zealand native Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi.
Schuster-Koloamatangi is a relative newcomer in the entertainment industry but managed to impress “Badlands” director Dan Trachtenberg, who also helmed the previous two installments in the “Predator” franchise, 2022’s “Prey” and 2025’s “Predator: Killer of Killers.” During a press event, Trachtenberg mentioned that they were looking to cast a stunt performer as Dek. Schuster-Koloamatangi decided to show up for the auditions despite being a straight-up actor, and he stunned Trachtenberg with his physical acumen and his acting chops.
“Dimitrius came up and the way he moved just had a great swashbuckle to it. He just was so cool,” the director said (via ComicBook.com). “We set up a little physical obstacle course. That’s how we cast him. Then he did some dramatic stuff from the movie and it was awesome.” Dek’s final look is a combination of practical and digital effects. Of course, every “Predator” movie looks different when you remove the special effects, but Schuster-Koloamatangi’s performance makes Dek feel like so much more than a movie monster.
Schuster-Koloamatangi learned how to speak Yautja
Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi blowing Dan Trachtenberg away with his mixture of physicality and dramatic acting ability is all the more impressive considering he’d only done one film at that point. The Auckland-born actor, who is of Samoan-Tongan heritage, has just seven credits to his name in total. His most notable role outside of Dek in “Predator: Badlands” is Tongan student Will ‘Ilolahia, the protagonist of the 2021 miniseries “The Panthers.” The Auckland-set show follows a group of students who start a revolutionary movement called the Polynesian Panthers.
There’s little doubt that Dek was his most demanding role to date. For starters, he had to learn an alien language, which influenced the way he carried himself throughout the film. When speaking with The AU Review, Schuster-Koloamatangi explained, “When you’re speaking in Yautja, your posture has to kind of be up to be able to hit the right notes in your throat, because it’s a lot of throat work. When I’m doing a scene, it literally changes the way your body reacts, which I was learning as I was rehearsing it and drilling it into me.”
That’s without mentioning the physical demands of the role. Schuster-Koloamatangi and his co-star, Elle Fanning, who plays the damaged synthetic Thia, had to work with an odd contraption combining a harness and wheelbarrow for the scenes where Dek is carrying Thia on his back. And that’s on top of all the prosthetics and contact lenses he’s sporting as a Yautja. It’s worth it, though, as “Predator: Badlands” stands amongst the best “Predator” movies. Hopefully it’s not the last time we see Schuster-Koloamatangi go on a hunt.