Following earning glowing reviews and an impressive $43.5 million opening weekend,Weaponshas been the talk of the town since its debut. It continues a winning streak for Warner Bros., which turned its year around witha series of impressive box office openings, including two for original horror films with the success ofSinnersand now Zach Cregger’s genre effort.Weaponswill likely dominate the box office in the weeks ahead and, with a success such as this one, talk of a follow-up is inevitable. As it turns out, those talks have already begun and a direction has been determined should Cregger be interested.
PerThe Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. and New Line have had talks with Cregger about a prequel toWeaponsthat would focus on the origins of Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan), the orange-wig-wearing scene-stealer who is equal parts kooky and terrifying whenever she appears on-screen. The prequel would focus on her origins, something that was going to be explored in the film, given the chapter structure of the movie, which concentrates on particular characters in a veryMagnoliakind of way. According to reports, Aunt Gladys had her own chapter in the original screenplay, but Cregger cut it to trim the film’s length. Given the character’s popularity with audiences, Cregger could turn that cut chapter into a full-length feature film. As of now, no deals have been struck between the studio and Cregger, but conversations are very active.
Zach Cregger Has a Busy Schedule Ahead
While prequel conversations are definitely happening, the matter of when Cregger would have time to do it would be the main obstacle holding things up. The in-demand writer and director is very busy, having to even miss theopening weekend ofWeaponsbecause he was in prep for his next film. The director was far away in Prague for pre-production on Columbia Pictures’Resident Evilreboot, a project that is estimated to generate $20 million for Cregger.
AfterResident Evil, Cregger has other options to explore beyond the world ofWeapons. He recently discussed a project calledHenchman, an original idea that would have him working with Warner Bros. again and would be of interest to theDC Studios branch, should they be inclined to pick up the project. In addition toHenchman, Cregger also has a sci-fi effort namedFloodthat he has already completed, so the world is Cregger’s oyster. A fine place to be in for a director who is currently at the top of his game.
The industry was buzzing about Cregger following the success ofBarbarian,and now that buzz is at an all-time high due to the success ofWeapons. Where Cregger ends up will be completely up to him, but the industry and audiences are certainly paying attention to someone who has become one of the best emerging voices of talent in a relatively short amount of time.
