Zach Cregger has handed the Weapons prequel script to Zach Shields and stays on as producer

Well, here’s a twist for the horror crowd: the Weapons franchise’s upcoming prequel just lost its screenwriter, and not just any screenwriter, but the director and brain behind the first film. If you’re one of those people tracking every move on this project, you might want to pay attention—this is a bit of an oddball turn.

Zach Cregger Bows Out

So, exactly what's happened? Zach Cregger, the filmmaker who made such a splash with Weapons (2025), is no longer writing the upcoming prequel centred on Aunt Gladys. The confirmation came straight from Cregger himself, after a Deadline interviewer assumed he was still handling the script. Cregger set the record straight, making it clear he was only involved in hammering out the initial story with collaborator Zach Shields—now Shields has taken over script duties.

In Cregger's own words during that chat with Deadline:

Here's how Zach Cregger explained his writing approach: 'Oh, actually, Zach Shields is writing [Gladys]. I was developing the story with him, but he's writing it. I write in a way that is kind of like I leap before I look. So I'll start something, I'll get 30 pages, and then I'll be like, "Ehhh, no." And then I'll move on and write 50 pages of something else, and I'll be like, "Eh." Or I'll write half of a script, I'll love it, and then I don't know how it needs to resolve, and then it'll sit there torturing me for years.'

That’s about as honest a window into ‘writer brain’ as you’ll get from someone with a major studio gig. And, yes, he did literally describe his approach as 'broken'.

Read more: Zach Cregger is making Resident Evil once, and then never touching a franchise again

What We Know About The Gladys Prequel

The prequel—still in development at Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema—dives into the backstory of Aunt Gladys, the villainous, manipulative witch who made such an impression in the first film. The original Weapons raked in a massive $270 million worldwide (The Numbers), and Amy Madigan even picked up a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role. You don’t usually see that with horror, so it’s no wonder the studio wants to put her front and centre again.

Weapons scored a global box office haul of $270 million and secured Amy Madigan an Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress.

As for plot details: the studio’s keeping things close to the chest, other than confirming Amy Madigan will return as Gladys. The rest of the story? Apparently top secret for now.

Cregger might not be penning the script anymore, but he’s still on board as a producer, joining Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Miri Yoon. So he hasn’t completely stepped away from the universe he spun up.

The Weapons: Gladys prequel is set to hit UK cinemas on Friday, 8 September 2028—assuming everything stays on schedule and there are no more creative detours along the way.

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