Weapons stands out as one of the best horror movies of 2025, and for good reason. Its central hook follows the disappearance of 17 children who, at 2:17 a.m., leave their homes, never to return. It’s a film that left us astonished with bated breath. It’s hyper-focused and self-aware, best enjoyed in a packed movie theater, and it even dominated the box office, bringing in $42.5 million in its opening weekend.
And now, it appears a Weapons prequel is on its way.
Speaking to Fangoria about the film’s physical release, Weapons director Zack Cregger also discussed previous rumors and reports around the possibility of a prequel focused on the film’s villain, Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan). In August, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery had asked Cregger for some sort of follow-up and that a prequel was being discussed. But at the time, it was unclear if this was something the director actually wanted to do, or simply Hollywood seeing dollar signs and demanding more content.
“It is real, and I’ve been talking to Warner Bros. about it,” Cregger told Fangoria. “There’s a story and I’m pretty excited about it. It’s not bullshit. I was ready. I had it kind of in my pocket before the movie came out.”
Focusing on Aunt Gladys, the scenery-chewing witch at the center of Weapons‘ big mystery feels like an obvious way to stretch this film into a franchise. Then again, it does run counter to what Cregger told Vanity Fair in August, which is that he gave Madigan two possible backstories for her character and let her decide, without ever telling him her choice. Based on this latest news, it seems Cregger always had his own vision for Aunt Gladys’ origin story, even if he didn’t reveal it to the actor who played her in Weapons.
Before you get too excited, however, there’s a good chance that we’ll be waiting a while until we get to see it ourselves. The director is instead heading into a familiar franchise with plans for a Resident Evil movie coming in 2026. That said, considering the speed at which Cregger seems to be pumping out new horror flicks, it certainly seems like we won’t have to wait too much longer for his Aunt Gladys prequel.
