Adam Wingard Just Confirmed ‘Onslaught’ Is Part of a Secret Trilogy With ‘The Guest’
Fans of Adam Wingard’s earlier genre work have spent years hoping he would eventually return to the kind of scrappy, blood-soaked thrillers that first put him on the map. After a long stretch spent helming massive monster blockbusters, that hope finally started paying off with his latest project heading into theaters this fall.
That anticipation carried straight into San Diego Comic Con, where Wingard brought his upcoming film ‘Onslaught’ to a packed panel in Ballroom 20. Joined by stars Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall and Drew Starkey, with filmmaker Kevin Smith moderating, the panel gave fans their most detailed look yet at the project.
The biggest reveal came when Wingard confirmed that ‘Onslaught‘ is part of a loose trilogy alongside two of his earlier cult favorites, ‘You’re Next’ and ‘The Guest,’ and that the new film takes place in the same town as ‘The Guest.’ That confirmation puts an end to months of fan speculation that first started swirling the moment the trailer dropped.
Much of that speculation traced back to Dan Stevens, who starred in ‘The Guest’ back in 2014 as a mysterious ex soldier with a hidden agenda wreaking havoc on a small town. His return for ‘Onslaught,’ paired with a strikingly similar premise involving secret military experiments gone wrong, made the connection feel almost impossible to ignore even before Wingard confirmed it directly.
Rebecca Hall has also spoken about her role in the film, confirming to The Hollywood Reporter that she plays the villain behind Onslaught’s central threat, a character with ties to the same kind of covert military program at the heart of ‘The Guest.’ When asked directly whether the film functions as a sequel, Hall offered a careful answer, saying it is not really a sequel but that it does share elements with Wingard’s earlier film.
‘Onslaught’ follows a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers who break loose in the desert, forcing a hardened Army sniper to protect her young daughter from the escalating chaos. Arjona leads the cast in that central role, supported by Stevens, Hall, Starkey, Michael Biehn, Reginald VelJohnson, Eric Wareheim and UFC champion Alex Pereira in the villainous role of The Butcher.
Wingard wrote the film alongside his longtime collaborator Simon Barrett, the same writing partner behind both ‘You’re Next’ and ‘The Guest.’ That consistent creative partnership across all three films likely explains why the connective tissue between them feels so deliberate rather than coincidental.
Production notes have also pointed to shared behind-the-scenes details reinforcing the connection, with ‘Onslaught’ shooting in New Mexico, the same location where ‘The Guest’ filmed back in 2013. That kind of overlap, paired with the shared setting Wingard confirmed at Comic Con, gives longtime fans plenty to dig into ahead of release.
The Comic Con panel also promised never-before-seen footage that will not be shown publicly again until the film’s fall release, giving the San Diego crowd a genuine exclusive look at the project. A24 has scheduled ‘Onslaught’ for a September 4 theatrical release, giving fans just a couple more months to speculate before the full film finally arrives.
What do you think about Adam Wingard creating a secret trilogy?
With Wingard now confirming the trilogy connection directly and Hall offering her own careful hints about the film’s ties to ‘The Guest,’ ‘Onslaught’ looks positioned to reward longtime fans of Wingard’s earlier work while still standing on its own as a new story. What do you think this new trilogy connection means for the world Wingard has built, share your theories in the comments.
