Weapons, the new horror film from Barbarian (watch it HERE) writer/director Zach Cregger, has made its way out into theatres. The film has been very well received, with JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray giving it a 9/10 review you can read at THIS LINK, and it’s also off to a strong start at the box office, having pulled in more than $81 million over its opening weekend. The reception has been so positive that Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema are already thinking of expanding this into a franchise and are talking to Cregger about making a prequel that would center on a certain character. During an interview with Vanity Fair, Cregger revealed that he gave the actor who plays that character two options for their character’s back story… and before we go any further, we have to drop a SPOILER warning here.
Cregger assembled a strong cast for Weapons, including Julia Garner (Ozark), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), Amy Madigan (Antlers), Austin Abrams (Euphoria), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie), and Cary Christopher (Days of Our Lives). Most details about the film have been successfully shrouded in mystery up to this point, but it has been said that it’s “an interrelated, multistory horror epic” that’s tonally in the vein of Magnolia, and the story revolves around the disappearance of elementary school kids in a small town. Here’s the official synopsis: 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 potential prequel would center on Madigan’s character, Aunt Gladys. It has been said that Cregger had written more for Aunt Gladys in the Weapons script, including a whole chapter on her back story, but he pulled it to keep the movie from going too long. And during a conversation with Vanity Fair, he revealed that he told Madigan she could pick between two different options for the character’s back story. He said, “I was like, ‘You can pick one of these two.’” Option one: Gladys was just a normal person using dark magic to cure her disease. “She had to adopt this methodology that she uses out of a place of emergency to keep herself alive. I won’t say any more than that.” Option two: Gladys was a non-human creature who was using her bizarre makeup and wig in a poor attempt to mimic humans. “That’s an interesting way to think about it. I like that a lot.“
It’s not clear which option Cregger originally intended for the character, which one Madigan preferred, or which they might choose to go with if/when the prequel moves forward.
If you have seen Weapons, let us know which of these two options you’d prefer to be the truth about Aunt Gladys and her back story.
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