Prequel to 2025’s Biggest Horror Hit Will Put the Spotlight on One Chilling Character

The 2025 horror hit Weapons might be getting a prequel, and it’s all about one of the film’s most chilling characters, Aunt Gladys.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. and New Line have already started talks with director Zach Cregger about telling her origin story. Gladys, played by Amy Madigan, comes into the main movie as the supposed aunt of a boy named Alex.

But she’s actually a witch who steals the energy of children to stay young. In Weapons, her presence is creepy and mysterious, but the film never explains her full backstory.

The Hollywood Reporter says that Cregger had originally written a section of the movie that focused on Gladys, but it was cut to save time. With the film doing so well, that missing chapter could now become its own movie. There’s no deal yet, and no release date, but the idea is out there.

Weapons opened in the US on August 8, 2025, and has made $81.3 million worldwide so far, with $48.8 million from the US and Canada and $32.5 million from other countries. Critics loved it. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 94% score from 284 reviews, with the site’s consensus reading, “Zach Cregger spins an expertly crafted yarn of terrifying mystery and thrilling intrigue in Weapons, a sophomore triumph that solidifies his status as a master of horror.” Metacritic gave it an 81 out of 100, calling it “universal acclaim.”

CinemaScore audiences graded it an A−, and PostTrak viewers gave it four out of five stars, with 65% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Are you watching?#WeaponsMovie – only in theaters August 8. pic.twitter.com/N5rBjpS4JE

— New Line Cinema (@newlinecinema) June 23, 2025

The story of Weapons follows the strange case of seventeen children from the same classroom who all disappear on the same night at the same time, apparently taken by an unseen force. The film stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, Cary Christopher, and Amy Madigan.

Right now, Cregger is busy with another big project. He’s in Prague preparing for his next movie, a Resident Evil reboot for Columbia Pictures. It’s set to hit theaters on September 18, 2026. The Hollywood Reporter says Cregger is getting $20 million for the job, a huge sum for a director who’s only on his third film.

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