Barbarian Filmmaker’s Next Horror Movie Revealed

Last year’s Barbarian was a breakout hit for filmmaker Zach Cregger, as it went on to be one of the best-reviewed, financially successful, and talked-about horror efforts of the year, resulting in his next project earning lots of attention from various studios. The new film, Weapons, has found a home with New Line Cinema, which has helped bring to life projects like The Evil Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, IT, and The Conjuring franchise, making the partnership a great fit for all parties involved. Stay tuned for details on Weapons and all of Cregger’s future projects.

The Hollywood Reporter explains, “Plot details of Weapons are being kept holstered but it is described as a multi and inter-related story horror epic that tonally is in the vein of Magnolia, the 1999 actor-crammed showcase from filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson.”

Thanks to Barbarian, which shifted its entire narrative focus to a seemingly unrelated character after our protagonists were attacked by an unseen threat halfway through its running time, audiences will be able to spot the connective tissue between the two projects, if only tonally and not narratively. The outlet also noted that Cregger scored himself an eight-figure sum to write and direct the new project, a number that is more than twice Barbarian‘s $4.5-million budget. As proven by their successes with The Conjuring creator James Wan’s projects over the years, the studio is seemingly hoping that this deal could be the first entry in a long-running partnership.

News of Cregger developing another horror movie should have audiences excited, but one thing they shouldn’t be expecting is to get another entry into the series.

“So there’s a big twist around the 40-minute mark and I always eagerly wait for that moment. It’s my favorite moment,” Cregger shared with ComicBook.com last year. “Barbarian 2, not for me. Not gonna happen from me. Never say never, I could have an amazing idea tomorrow and be off to the races, but I doubt it.”  

He also ruled out the likelihood of a prequel, given the unsettling subject matter the concept would be forced to explore.

“I don’t think I’m necessarily interested in a prequel right now. I think it would have to tell the story of Frank [Richard Brake], and I’m personally not interested in making a movie about a man who abducts women,” Cregger revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m more than happy to have that be the setting for another story like Barbarian is, but I don’t want to watch that guy for an hour and a half. I could be thinking about it all wrong. Maybe I’ll change my tune, but at the moment, no. There’s a sequel I joke about that I would love to watch, which would be The Mother surviving her gunshot and having to integrate into society. She could attend community college and get her learner’s permit and get a Tinder profile. That would be fun. I’d watch that movie. I don’t know if I’d make it, but I’d love to see it.”  

Stay tuned for details on Weapons.

Are you looking forward to the new movie? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!