Zach Cregger’s Weapons has only been in cinemas a few days, but talk is already brewing about a potential follow-up.
Early word points to a prequel that would rewind events to focus on one of the horror film’s most unsettling characters — the one quietly pulling the strings.
Spoilers for Weapons below.
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Prequel talks in early stages
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that New Line and Warner Bros. are in discussions with Cregger about expanding a cut section from his original script into a full-length film. The original draft reportedly included a chapter dedicated to this character’s backstory, removed for length rather than quality.
The thinking now is that the material could form the foundation of an origin story, though no deals have been signed and no timeline is set.
Spoiler zone: Meet the witch behind it all
In Weapons, it’s eventually revealed that the mysterious “Aunt Gladys” is the big bad of the piece — a dying witch posing as young Alex’s aunt. With the power to subjugate and “weaponise” people by using their personal items and hair, Gladys manipulates events from the shadows, her true nature hidden beneath a gaudy red wig and smeared lipstick.
Amy Madigan’s performance turns her into both a grotesque figure of menace and a strangely magnetic presence, and it’s easy to see why the studio might want more.
ALSO CHECK OUT – ‘Weapons’ Review: This Suburban Nightmare is One of the Year’s Best Horror Films
Box-office momentum fuelling the talks
Released in Australia August 7 and in the U.S. August 8, Weapons blasted past forecasts with a $43 million domestic debut over its opening weekend, then broke the non-inflation-adjusted August Monday record for a horror title with $5.2 million. That pushed it to $48 million domestic and $83 million worldwide through that Monday.
At the time of writing, the film has already crossed $91 million globally — an especially strong result for just a few days in, considering its reported $38 million production budget. In today’s horror climate, those numbers tend to fast-track discussions of sequels and spin-offs.
Timing may be tricky
While a prequel could be a juicy follow-up, Cregger’s schedule is already stacked. He’s currently in Prague prepping his Resident Evil reboot for Sony, set for release on September 18, 2026, and he has other projects lined up, including Henchman and Flood.
As Cregger himself said ahead of Weapons’ release: “On the other side of Resident Evil, I may not be able to make anything. You just never know. You can’t plan ahead. So, me talking about I want to do this movie and that movie and this movie — I sound like an idiot.”
