Zach Cregger's Weapons was a major success story, both financially and critically. One of the best horror movies in recent memory, the film became a sensation and resulted in Amy Madigan winning an Oscar for her performance as the villainous Aunt Gladys. That character was so popular that she's getting a spinoff, and the filmmaker's most recent update should please fans who are feeling unsure about the developing upcoming horror movie.
While some fans were bummed when Cregger revealed he wasn't writing the Gladys spinoff himself, the Barbarian filmmaker's latest comments may help to relax naysayers. In a conversation with Men's Health about his Resident Evil movie, he offered a thrilling update about the Weapons spinoff's script. In his words:
The script is in process, and the first draft is written. It’s awesome. We’re still working on it though.
Well, that's exciting. While Cregger isn't the writer behind the Aunt Gladys movie, the fact that the first draft has been completed is super exciting. It's still unclear when this film will actually see the light of day, but the fact that it's moving forward even with the Weapons director working on other projects is pretty awesome. Fingers crossed that we don't have to wait too long before filming begins.
Obviously, the Weapons director will still be involved in the forthcoming horror flick, even if Zach Shields (Krampus, Godzilla King of the Monsters) is the one writing the screenplay. In the same interview, Cregger confirmed another key detail about the Gladys movie: that Amy Madigan will be back in her Oscar-winning role. In his words:
It would be Amy. I’m not going to do a Young Gladys.
Given how truly iconic Madigan's performance was, this makes a great deal of sense. Weapons might have cut out Aunt Gladys' backstory, but we'll be getting it with her developing spinoff. And it just wouldn't be the same if another actor took over the role. So while we're getting a new writer for the spinoff, the leading actor is (thankfully) staying the same. We'll just have to see if the Grey's Anatomy alum manages to get more attention at Awards Season after reprising her role.
Shortly after Weapons (which is streaming with an HBO Max subscription) hit theaters, the public fell in love with Amy Madigan's character. She was equal parts terrifying and funny during the movie's 128-minute runtime, and Aunt Gladys soon became a Halloween costume and bona fide horror icon. Add in the fact that the actress won an Oscar, and it makes sense that the studio might want to put more focus on her, especially her mysterious backstory.
Weapons is streaming now on HBO Max, and Cregger's new Resident Evil movie hit theaters September 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully, once that project is released, the filmmaker will be able to put his focus on the Aunt Gladys spinoff.
