Weapons is one of the most original horror films of the year. From the Magnolia-esque structure, the focus on how a tragedy affects a community, and the truly unhinged splashes of gore, it pushed the envelope in more ways than one. But when leaving the theater, it’s hard to think about anything else but the movie’s villain: Aunt Gladys, the sickly houseguest of the Lilly family who terrorizes the entire town, played in Joker-like makeup by Amy Madigan.
She’s clearly the breakout star of the movie, and now she may get her own turn in the spotlight with a movie totally dedicated to her, and how she ended up in Maybrook in the first place.
The Hollywood Reporter claims that Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema are already discussing an Aunt Gladys-focused prequel spinoff movie of Weapons with director Zach Cregger. According to THR’s sources, there initially was a Gladys origin story segment in the nonlinear plot of Weapons, but Cregger had to cut it for time. This movie would take that segment and blow it up to a full feature, hopefully showing Gladys’ occult origins and how she started her evil mission to lengthen her life by controlling others.
The only issue is that Cregger’s dance card is filling up quickly. He’s already hard at work on his Resident Evil movie, and then he apparently is working on a DC movie called Henchman, though DC has only just learned of it. But considering how Gladys has instantly become Cregger’s most beloved (or reviled) creation, it’s possible a prequel could get fast-tracked.
Horror prequels have become a bit of a trend recently. Prey, The First Omen, and Pearl have all come out in recent years, fleshing out the backstories of the original movies. Even Weapons star Julia Garner has experience with horror prequels, as she starred in Rosemary’s Baby prequel Apartment 7A.
If Cregger is able to make room in his schedule, this could become another instant classic alongside Weapons and, perhaps, even spark a full-fledged franchise exploring a world where witches roam from town to town, controlling those around them. The story of Maybrook may be complete, but there’s no way this town is alone.
