Weapons fans, this one's for you. Zach Cregger – the filmmaker who delivered the chilling horror flick earlier this year – just confirmed that Aunt Gladys is officially getting her own prequel.

If you caught Amy Madigan’s unforgettable turn as the unnervingly composed occult expert (yes, the one that just earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), you’ll understand why. The scene-stealer turned into an instant cult favourite, and with Weapons becoming one of the top-grossing films of the year so far, it was only a matter of time before Gladys’ mysterious backstory clawed its way into the spotlight.

The latest news on this hotly anticipated project sees Zach Shields join Zach Cregger in the writing room, according to Deadline. Shields' previous work includes writing and producing a series of horror shorts called Trick 'r Treat. But most recently he worked on Godzilla x Kong. An extra writer on the project can be a sign of increased investment and interest, so this latest announcement has us excited to discover what's next. In the meantime, here's everything we know about the Weapons prequel.

What do we know so far about the Weapons prequel film?

We officially have a working title. Gladys is set to be the name of film, and is listed as such in IMDB. Although, we understand these aspects can evolve along the way.

Turns out, the idea for a prequel wasn’t something cooked up after the movie’s success – it was already in Cregger’s back pocket.

"I was ready," Cregger said of the prequel in an interview with Fangoria. "I had it kind of in my pocket before the movie came out."

"It [the prequel film] is real and I’ve been talking to Warner Bros. about it,” he said. “There’s a story and I’m pretty excited about it. It’s not bullshit.”

He hinted that parts of Aunt Gladys’ history were cut during Weapons’ development, and now those fragments are set to expand into a full story.

Will Amy Madigan return?

At this point, there's no official word, but she is listed as a cast member on the IMDB film listing. We think it likely that Madigan will reprise the role. Unless the prequel focuses on the character at a much younger age, in which case we could get some younger castings.

Who is Aunt Gladys?

If you haven't yet watched Weapons, you may well be wondering who Aunt Gladys actually is. And, fair point. Without giving away too many spoilers, the character, brought chillingly to life by Amy Madigan, emerges as the story’s sinister core. Disguised as Alex’s ailing great-aunt, she conceals a far darker purpose, wielding occult powers to bend others to her will.

What makes her truly unsettling, however, is the ambiguity of her origin – the film blurs the line between monstrous humanity and the supernatural, leaving her nature disturbingly unresolved.

There's real potential to deepen the mythology in a way fans of The Conjuring or Insidious will definitely recognise.

When will the prequel be released?

We still have a while to go before we'll be getting any confirmed dates for this one.

Weapons director, Cregger, is also juggling another high-profile project that he's about to get started on: a Resident Evil reboot. He confirmed he’s directing a new film based on Capcom’s legendary horror video game series.

We're thinking he'll be quietly working on an Aunt Gladys prequel in the background, but that we likely won't see the film production start until later in 2026, with the potential for a 2027 release.

We'll keep you updated as we know more.