Weaponsmay have only just hit theaters, butThe Hollywood Reporterhas reported that a prequel could already be in the works. Warner Bros. and New Line are allegedly already talking to writer/director Zach Cregger about making a prequel to the horror about Aunt Gladys.
Weaponsfocuses on a town where 17 children get out of bed at 2:17 am and all walk away and don't come back. Julia Garner plays Justine Gandy, the third-grade teacher who loses all her class but one student, with Josh Brolin as the father of one of the missing children, Alden Ehrenreich as a local cop and Benedict Wong as the school head.
The story is told in chapters based on different characters in the same town. The outlet reports that there was a chapter about Alex’s creepy Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan), but it was removed due to time constraints. Like Cregger’s previous film,Barbarian,Weaponsis set out in chapters which jump back and forth in time. This unconventional structure allows the plot to unfold in a unique way as each character has their own connection to the story.
Originally, Cregger had written a chapter dedicated to the mysterious Aunt Gladys.“It was a little bit of an origin before she came to town. But I realized that it was just giving too much away,”Cregger told io9. Ultimately, he removed this chapter, leaving the creepy aunt played by Amy Madigan a mysterious part ofWeapons. Much of the effectiveness of this film comes from the mysterious characters. So, a prequel explaining more about one of the film's biggest questions may do more harm than good toWeapons. Sometimes not knowing is the fun part.
According toVanity Fair,the writer/director instead spoke to the actress about Gladys and allowed her to create “her own mythology.” He presented Madigan with two origin stories for the character and let her form her own backstory.“They’re very different options. And was like, ‘You don’t have to tell me, but it is either this or that.’ I don’t know which one she picked.”
Now,Weaponsis one of the highest reviewed and most spoken about films of the year, Gladys’s backstory may get its own film.“Now with the movie’s wild success, that lost chapter would be expanded into a full-length story,”THR writes.“Sources say no deals have been made, nor is there any timeline.”
Cregger’s already working on his next film,aResident Evilrebootfor Columbia Pictures. The director is already in Prague for pre-production on the live-action version of the iconic zombie video games. It is slated for release on Sept. 18, 2026 and will starWeaponsactor Austin Abrams. He has also penned an original sci-fi calledFloodand previouslywrotea DC film about Harley and Joker. While neither has been greenlit, with the success ofBarbarianandWeapons,Cregger likely has carte blanche to make whatever he wants for the studio.
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