If Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have their way,Weaponsmight just be getting a follow-up from writer/director Zach Cregger.
The filmmaker’s followup to his 2022 surprise hitBarbarianhas cemented him as a horror filmmaker to watch, with the movie earning an impressive box office return and winning over critics to the tune of a 94% Fresh rating onRotten Tomatoes.
Now,The Hollywood Reporterhas reported that, according to its sources, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. are courting Zach Cregger to create a prequel film aboutWeapons' Aunt Gladys, based in part on material he had created for the character that didn’t make it into the film.
What This Means For Zach Cregger & Weapons Fans
ScreenRant’sWeaponsreviewhighlighted the pros and cons of its chapter-based storytelling, but it’s clear that the structure Cregger opted for boasts major spinoff potential. Sources toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat Cregger wrote a chapter for Aunt Gladys (played by Amy Madigan) that was ultimately cut from the film.
The fact that some story already exists for the character means that, if Cregger were interested enough in jumping back on board theWeaponstrain, coming up with a feature-length screenplay may not be as daunting a proposition as, say, breaking new story ground for a sequel.
But even if Cregger is convinced to make Aunt Gladys the center of his next project, the film won’t be in theaters for quite some time. The director has just started shooting hisResident Evilreboot, which will surely take up quite a bit of time for the self-proclaimed game franchise fan.
Our Take On The Potential Weapons Prequel
In this writer’s opinion, it may be more interesting to see Cregger continue down the road of telling original stories than to watch him revisit the world ofWeaponsanytime soon.
Part of Cregger’s quick rise to notoriety has been the fact that he has kept audiences surprised; jumping right back into familiar territory, even with a compelling story, might provide short-term gains while altering Cregger’s current trajectory.
As it stands, theBarbarianfilmmaker’s career path isn’t unlike that of modern horror maestro Jordan Peele. After coming up in comedy, Peele released three stellar, yet unrelated horror films inGet Out, Us,andNope(with amysterious fourth on the way) cementing his reputation as a unique filmmaker with an eye for gripping and unexpected stories.
Despite the fact that Cregger is jumping into the franchise world withResident Evil, he otherwise has achieved something similar thus far. Cregger doesn’t need to follow in anyone’s footsteps, of course–including his own, which aWeaponsprequel may essentially see him attempt.
