Zach Cregger to Direct ‘Weapons’ Prequel Focused on Aunt Gladys

Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” is already shaping up to be the year’s great horror breakout. I haven’t been shy in my admiration for the film, which might just be the best major studio film I’ve seen all summer.

Cregger’s film is the kind of zeitgeist grabber that has multiplexes buzzing in August. The R-rated shocker’s most talked-about supporting turn? Amy Madigan as Aunt Gladys, a character so odd and magnetic that there’s even talk of a potential Oscar campaign being set up for Madigan.

As with all successful non-IP originals in Hollywood, and there aren’t many, according to THR, Warner Bros. has quietly been nudging Cregger toward exactly that — a prequel diving into Gladys’ strange origin story.

The idea isn’t coming out of nowhere. “Weapons” is told in chapters, and one of them, reportedly focused squarely on Gladys, was cut for length. Cregger shelved it, but now that the film is a hit, the “lost” material is being eyed as the backbone for a prequel.

It’s a little disappointing that Cregger, who just delivered one of the year’s sharpest and most original studio films, can’t simply let “Weapons” stand on its own. Part of the film’s impact comes from its sense of mystery — the way certain characters, like Aunt Gladys, feel lived-in but not over-explained. A prequel risks losing that intrigue.

Nothing’s signed, and any potential prequel would have to wait: Cregger is already deep in pre-production on his “Resident Evil” reboot for Sony, a gig paying him a staggering $20M — not bad for a guy on only his third film after “Barbarian.”

Where does Cregger go after “Resident Evil”? His schedule is filling up. There’s his DCU movie “Henchman,” and “Flood,” a sci-fi script he’s already written. However, given Warners’ excitement, it’s a safe bet he’ll be back there soon with this Aunt Gladys prequel.

“Weapons” just claimed the best August Monday ever for a horror release, pulling in $5M. That follows an astonishing $43M domestic debut — a full $10M over tracking — all the more remarkable for an R-rated film with no major stars to lean on.