According to director Dan Trachtenberg, Sarii’s presence in the film was heavily inspired by The Road Warrior, and “Mad” Max Rockatansky’s loyal dog companion from that film, known simply as “Dog.” So, giving Naru a dog was always part of the plan for Prey. What changed along the way was just how much Sarii would end up being in the film.

“We were trying to get Coco out of scenes but the opposite ended up being true, and we ended up including her more – even in some of the action set-pieces, because I just thought it’d be so fun,“ Trachtenberg said. “One of the great things about Road Warrior is the way Mad Max uses his doggy, so we wanted to have the same kind of fun in this movie as well.”
- SYFY Wire

MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981) dir. George Miller
PREY (2022) dir. Dan Trachtenberg

liquid dog

Dog the dog in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)