Zach Cregger's Weapons has been performing very well at the box office after an overwhelmingly positive critical response, so it probably won't come as much of a surprise to learn that the studio is mulling over the idea of a follow-up.
THR has heard that a prequel that would focus on Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) is "on the table" at Warner Bros., though we don't know if there are plans in place to develop it just yet.
"Multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros. and New Line, home of Weapons, are already talking with Cregger about making a prequel exploring the origin story of the strange aunt who suddenly arrives in town."
Weapons plays out from the perspective of several characters, including teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), distraught parent Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), and Alex (Cary Christopher), the only child left in Gandy's classroom, who is forced to do the bidding of his sinister aunt.
Originally, Aunt Gladys was going to be one of these POV characters, with a chapter dedicated to revealing a little more of her backstory. However, Cregger ultimately decided to cut it to keep the running time down.
"Now with the movie’s wild success, that lost chapter would be expanded into a full-length story. Sources say no deals have been made, nor is there any timeline."
Cregger will next tackle a Resident Evil reboot, and has several other irons in the fire, including his sci-fi film, Flood, and a (potential) DC Studios project focusing on Batman's villains, Henchman. So, even if the studio does decide to move forward with the prequel, who knows when Cregger would be free to direct it.
From New Line Cinema and Zach Cregger, the wholly original mind behind Barbarian, comes a new horror/thriller: Weapons. When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
The film stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, with Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan.
Cregger directs from his own screenplay, and also produces alongside Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, with Michelle Morrissey and Josh Brolin executive producing. The filmmaker’s creative team behind the camera includes director of photography Larkin Seiple, production designer Tom Hammock, editor Joe Murphy and costume designer Trish Sommerville. The music is by Ryan Holladay, Hays Holladay and Zach Cregger.