Horror fans were introduced to a new icon last summer when Zach Cregger’s Weapons became one of the year’s breakout hits. Amy Madigan’s Aunt Gladys was undeniably the star of the show, as the veteran actress stole every scene she was in with her chilling, unsettling turn as the film’s villain. Madigan even won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her efforts. It didn’t take long for conversations to start about a prequel movie revolving around Gladys’ mysterious past. Back in April, that project took the next step when Cregger and Zach Shields signed on to co-write the script. Few other details have been confirmed so far, but now Cregger has shared a notable update.
During an appearance at the Directors on Directing panel at San Diego Comic-Con (via The Hollywood Reporter), Cregger provided an update on Gladys‘ progress. “First of all, I’m really excited about the Gladys movie, and I loved working with Amy,” he said. “I loved that character. For the movie Weapons, it really made a lot of sense not to dive into her backstory because the device of Weapons was to keep her very mysterious. However, there’s an amazing story to be told about where Gladys comes from and how she became what we know her as. It’s got a lot of twists and turns and mysteries and crazy things, like Weapons does. I think it’s going to be great. The script is in progress now, but we’re taking that super seriously, and it’s moving in the right direction. So yeah, it’s being written, is the short answer.”
Unsurprisingly, Weapons fans are excited about the prequel. “Aunt Gladys getting a whole prequel sounds like it’s about to get completely unhinged,” wrote one user on X. “She was the scariest part of Weapons,” said another. “Inject it straight into my veins. Horror just found its next villain queen.” “More mysteries and twists? Sounds like another wild ride,” added someone else.
It is worth pointing out that for everyone who is excited about Gladys, there are others who are more skeptical, feeling it would be best to just let Weapons stand on its own. That viewpoint is understandable; prequels are notoriously difficult nuts to crack and have a rather mixed track record. It’s inherently risky to go back and flesh out a character’s backstory. There’s a lot of pressure on the creative team to craft a story that’s worth telling, as some viewers could be unsatisfied with whatever revelations are in store. In the case of Aunt Gladys, the mystery surrounding the character was part of her initial appeal, making her a more terrifying presence within the context of Weapons.
That said, Cregger isn’t making Gladys as a simple cash grab because the character became popular. The foundation for the prequel film is a cut chapter from Weapons, which would have focused on Gladys prior to her arrival at Alex Lilly’s house. Cregger scrapped it because he didn’t want to derail Weapons‘ pacing, but he’s always had an idea to explore more of Gladys’ past. It will be interesting to see what direction the story takes. In the wake of Weapons, there were several Gladys fan theories that popped up, as audiences tried to figure things out on their own.
Even more fascinating is that during the development of Weapons, Cregger provided Madigan with a pair of backstories to base her performance on. In one, Gladys is a normal person who resorts to witchcraft when she’s diagnosed with an illness. In the other, she’s a supernatural entity. Madigan didn’t tell Cregger which one she chose, but in all likelihood, Gladys is going to have to reveal this detail. There’s a big difference between those two options, particularly in the context of what kind of film Gladys is fundamentally trying to be. When working on the script, Cregger and Shields need to know if Gladys is a supernatural being or just a regular person who turned into something horrifying.
Cregger is still early in his career, put he’s already established a nice track record for himself. Barbarian and Weapons were very well-received, and his Resident Evil movie is shaping up to be one of the most exciting offerings of the fall. Cregger has cemented himself as one of the big names in the horror genre and has certainly earned the clout to make whatever film he wants. Again, there’s a risk in undoing the mystique around Gladys, but if Cregger has a compelling enough idea to make Gladys work, he should see it through.
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