Less is often more when it comes to monster movies, be it how little screen time the shark gets in “Jaws” or the way “Predator” leaves viewers to wonder how, exactly, Billy’s death at the hands (er, claws?) of the Predator played out. One need look no further than Dan Trachtenberg for the proof. His imagined version of this scene would ultimately pave the way to “Prey,” as he relayed to Empire:
“‘Predator’ came out when I was in third grade. I was not allowed to see it, and rightfully so! But I was in the van on the way to a karate tournament with a bunch of sixth graders. And they described the entire movie to me, including a beat where Billy, the Native American scout (Sonny Landham), carved into his own chest and fought the predator on a waterfall. And then I saw the movie, and that scene is not really in it! But that always captured my imagination. I always wanted to see that movie, you know. And that is also a part of the genesis of [‘Prey’].”
After wowing the masses with his feature film directing debut on 2016’s “10 Cloverfield Lane,” Trachtenberg stealthily began development on “Prey” under the code name “Skulls.” He would succeed in keeping a lid on the project’s connection to the “Predator” movies for the next four years, even after Disney finalized its purchase of 20th Century Fox’s media assets in 2019. Sadly, though, the charade couldn’t last forever, and the truth about “Prey” was leaked online in November 2020.
Source : https://www.slashfilm.com/891550/the-predator-scene-that-inspired-prey-wasnt-even-in-the-original-movie/