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According to Deadline, Cregger and Zach Shields (who has penned multiple installments in the MonsterVerse franchise) will co-write the Aunt Gladys prequel script. Fittingly, the film’s working title is Gladys. Other details, such as a production timeline or release date have not been revealed, implying Gladys remains in the early stages of development.
Zach Cregger Has Had a Weapons Prequel Planned for a While
At first glance, Gladys could be cynically interpreted as Hollywood’s latest attempt at a cash grab, launching a new franchise off the back of a popular standalone original title. However, those who were following Weapons through its development know that Cregger always had his eye on telling Aunt Gladys’ story. Initially, there was a chapter focused on Gladys in Weapons, which would have explored the character’s origin story. It was ultimately cut because Cregger felt Gladys worked better as an enigma within the context of Weapons‘ narrative and he didn’t want to derail the pacing.
This is all to say that Gladys isn’t something that quickly came together because Weapons was a hit. Yes, the critical and commercial success of Weapons undoubtedly allows Cregger to pursue this project, but there’s always been a story (seemingly) worth telling there. The challenge was waiting for the right moment to tell it, and now that Aunt Gladys is a pop culture phenomenon, Cregger and Shields can move full speed ahead on the prequel. Fans are probably in store for a bit of a wait, as Cregger is busy working on his next film, Resident Evil (which debuts this September). He likely won’t turn his attention to Gladys until the video game adaptation is complete, but in the meantime he can bounce ideas of Shields to get a jump start on the process.
