There have been rumors of a “Weapons” prequel since right after the movie came out back in August and it appears that these leaks were right on the money. If you thought that Aunt Gladys’ (Amy Madigan) backstory felt a little underdeveloped, you weren’t alone. A common complaint amongst otherwise stellar reviews was a lack of insight into the motivation of Gladys. Apparently, there was an entire storyline about Gladys and her past that Creator/Director/Write/Producer Zach Cregger ended up cutting out during development of the movie. Cregger stated he had been considering the concept of an Aunt Gladys film before “Weapons” was released and even said “I had it kind of in my pocket before the movie came out.”
Given the massive success of “Weapons”, which has grossed over $260 million worldwide off of a $38 million dollar budget, Warner Bros. Pictures thinks now is the time to strike with another film. “Weapons” is Cregger’s second major success behind 2022’s “Barbarian”. Cregger has been able to capitalize on the hype for “Weapons” by leveraging his rising star to land the next “Resident Evil” movie, which sparked a bidding war that Sony Pictures eventually won. The studio has set a release date of September 18th, 2026 for that film, which means that we won’t see an Aunt Gladys prequel until at least 2027 or beyond.
A common complaint in otherwise stellar reviews was a lack of insight into the motivation of Gladys. Apparently, there was an entire storyline about Gladys and her past…”
Aunt Gladys memes have taken over the internet even though the actress who plays her looks a lot different than what we saw in “Weapons”. Madigan has been working steady in Hollywood since 1981 and is married to notable actor Ed Harris (who she has worked in 11 films with), but this is the most strangely popular role of her 44 year career. The character and her wild bangs were just the tip of the iceberg as she ruthlessly used her own relatives to extend her own life. It’s likely there would be multiple younger versions of Gladys outside of whatever scenes Madigan might film, but it’s highly likely that Cregger will opt to work again with one of the actresses who’s helped his new movie become such a massive success. It was confirmed by Deadline last month that New Line Cinema was in talks for a “Weapons” prequel, but no details about Creggers’ involvement and no confirmation of the persistent Aunt Gladys rumors… until now.
Cregger also has a sci-fi film with a completed script called “Flood”, so the timing for any Aunt Gladys sequels seems hazy at best. Madigan seemed hopefully for a prequel but is also realistic about the timeframe. The actress said: “It’s not that I discount it, but in this business, nothings real ‘til it’s real. I just had such a great time working with Zach and being inside that brain of his. That’s really the gift of how the movie came out. The other stuff has to do with all sorts of conversations that I would never be privy in and business things like that. But you know, I love Gladys, so I’ll leave it at that.”
It’s unlikely any of the other high profile stars of “Weapons” would join Cregger for a sequel, but anything is possible. Josh Brolin loved working with Cregger and Julia Garner’s character could somehow cameo towards the end of a prequel. Even a de-aged Benedict Wong could be worth the effort.
Gladys is actually based on another character who Cregger has a lifelong fear of – Lil the dancer (Kimberly Ann Cole) from “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” whose dance terrified a young Cregger but always stuck with the filmmaker.
It’s interesting that the one piece of imagery from Cregger’s childhood that was inspired by David Lynch decades ago helped create the most memorable moments from one of the biggest horror films in awhile, but Creggger seems like he might be just getting started if he’s already developed a feasible storyline for the character.
The big question mark in the Director’s schedule is the ‘Resident Evil’ movie, which according to Cregger is completely original and doesn’t feature existing characters from the universe. This could end up slowing down the creative process, but Sony is likely to do as much as they can to keep the release date and avoid delays.
What do you think? How long will an Aunt Gladys movie take? Will any of the other characters from “Weapons” return? Will Cregger take on too many projects, causing them all to suffer? Could Weapons have a sequel Down the road with a grown Alex? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
