Zach Cregger Teases Weapons Prequel Gladys, Says Script Is 'In Progress'

Zach Cregger provided an update on the planned prequel to his 2025 film Weapons at San Diego Comic-Con this week. The filmmaker shared the news during Collider's Directors on Directing panel.

Cregger confirmed the script for the project, tentatively titled Gladys, is currently in progress at New Line Cinema. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is in development, with Cregger and Zach Shields penning the script.

What will the Gladys prequel be about?

The film will focus on the origin story of Aunt Gladys, the mysterious character played by Amy Madigan in the original film. In Weapons, Madigan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role.

"First of all, I’m really excited about the Gladys movie, and I loved working with Amy," Cregger told the Comic-Con crowd. "I loved that character. For the movie Weapons, it really made a lot of sense not to dive into her backstory because the device of Weapons was to keep her very mysterious."

He elaborated on the premise, saying, "However, there’s an amazing story to be told about where Gladys comes from and how she became what we know her as. It’s got a lot of twists and turns and mysteries and crazy things, like Weapons does. I think it’s going to be great. The script is in progress now, but we’re taking that super seriously, and it’s moving in the right direction. So yeah, it’s being written, is the short answer."

What is the status of the Weapons prequel?

The project remains in the scripting phase. No release window or production start date was announced. While promoting the prequel, Cregger also screened footage from his upcoming video game adaptation Resident Evil and noted his next feature will be the sci-fi film The Flood, which he wrote for New Line.

The original Weapons, a horror mystery about children who vanish simultaneously, was a major success. It grossed $270 million globally against a reported $38 million budget. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 93% critics score. The film is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and YouTube TV.