Weapons Director Talks the Exciting Possibility of a Sequel Story

Weapons, the sophomore directorial effort by up-and-coming horror filmmaker Zach Cregger (who made his outstanding debut with Barbarian in 2022), has been 2025’s most smashing success of this genre. With its thoroughly chilling mystery premise, layered characters, and masterful nonlinear storytelling, this exemplary entry into the missing-child horror subgenre has become a critical darling and instant box-office hit. No sooner has it come out than Cregger is already sparking hopes for a follow-up.

Distant but Strong Promise

On August 8, the same day that Weapons hit theaters, Cregger spoke about the franchise to Variety. Naturally, the interview was primarily concerned with the current film, but when asked whether he could envision doing “another story set in this world”, the director replied strongly in the affirmative. In fact, he asserted that he had already conceived a new idea for the Weapons universe. However, despite expressing great excitement for this project, Cregger also admitted that it wasn’t destined for the immediate future:

“I’m not going to do it next, and I probably won’t do it after my next movie, but I do have one and I’d like to see it on the screen one day.”

A Villain-Origin Tale?

Arguably, the stand-out performance of Weapons was Amy Madigan’s sinister turn as Gladys, though this wicked aunt is also the only major character who doesn’t receive her own chapter in the film’s uniquely structured narrative. If this left you feeling a bit shortchanged in regard to such an awesome villain… Well, the promised follow-up may remedy that completely. New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. have begun discussions with Cregger to the effect that the next Weapons movie may be a prequel, adapting Gladys’s planned but discarded chapter into a feature-length origin story.

Now, it’s worth keeping in mind that the Weapons franchise’s prequel prospects remain wholly speculative at this stage. After all, it’s hardly been a week since this franchise was born. Amy Madigan, for one, has tempered expectations. “It’s not that I discount it,” she says, “But in this business, nothing’s real till it’s real.” 

Three Films Hence?

In any case, Cregger’s next project will be a new installment in the Resident Evil franchise, scheduled to be released in September of 2026, and it’s possible that his third film will come from a science-fiction script called Flood, which he’s already penned. Therefore, Weapons fans will almost certainly have to wait a while for their return to Maybrook.