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 having a good run at the box office. 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 the Aunt Gladys character, played by Amy Madigan (Antlers). Madigan commented on the possibility during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying that “nothing’s real ’til it’s real.” Beware of SPOILERS as we go on.
Cregger assembled a strong cast for Weapons, including Madigan, Julia Garner (Ozark), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), 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.
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. Option one: Gladys was just a normal person using dark magic to cure her disease. Option two: Gladys was a non-human creature who was using her bizarre makeup and wig in a poor attempt to mimic humans.
Madigan wouldn’t tell Entertainment Weekly which option she went with, but she did say, “I used a lot of different bits of information, but I wouldn’t say it’s one or the other. I think it’s a combination of a lot of things. People ask that question, ‘Is she real or is it this or that?’ I said, ‘Good, you guys figure it out ’cause I can’t answer that.’” As for the possibility of a prequel, “It’s not that I discount it, but in this business, nothing’s 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.“
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