{"id":508153,"date":"2026-04-02T02:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T02:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/508153\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T02:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T02:19:16","slug":"weapons-prequel-gladys-adds-zach-shields-to-co-write-with-zach-cregger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/508153\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Weapons’ Prequel ‘Gladys’ Adds Zach Shields to Co-Write With Zach Cregger"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAs \u201cWeapons<\/a>\u201d breakout character Aunt Gladys\u2019 story continues with a highly-anticipated prequel<\/a> movie, Zach Shields (\u201cGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire\u201d) has been tapped to co-write the screenplay alongside filmmaker Zach Cregger<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGladys\u201d is the working title for the New Line and Warner Bros. movie, which has been in the works for months following the horror movie\u2019s breakout box office and critical success. \u201cWeapons\u201d grossed a staggering $270 million worldwide and earned star Amy Madigan the best supporting actress Oscar<\/a> for her performance as the devilishly deranged character. (Madigan also won SAG-AFTRA\u2019s Actor Award and the Critics Choice Award for supporting actress and was nominated for a Golden Globe, among other prizes.)<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the Oscars, Madigan expressed her excitement about reprising her role in the prequel, no matter when the project ultimately came to fruition. \u201cWe know how long stuff takes,\u201d she told press at the ceremony. \u201cWe know what this business is like, and nothing\u2019s real until it is, and timing and all those things. But if it worked out, that would be great, because I trust Zach [Cregger], and he\u2019s got a lot of wacky ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not yet known exactly what the storyline for the \u201cGladys\u201d prequel will be. Still, any backstory about how Gladys devolved into a parasitic witch who kidnaps children and rocks a distinct \u201cderanged grandma\u201d style with ginger curls and glasses would be welcome. (Gladys\u2019 quirky look was one of the top Halloween costumes <\/a>of 2025, after all.)<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Oscar win was also significant as it represented how the industry is giving wider consideration to the horror genre, which Madigan affirmed has been unfairly \u201clooked at like you\u2019re at the little kids at Thanksgiving.\u201d But the data proves that horror sells tickets. New Line surpassed $1 billion at the global box office in 2025 from horror titles alone. (The company is behind three billion-dollar horror franchises \u201cThe Conjuring\u201d universe ($2.8 billion), the \u201cIt\u201d movies ($1.2 billion), and the \u201cFinal Destination\u201d franchise ($1 billion).<\/p>\n

\n\tCregger, whose \u201cResident Evil\u201d movie is slated for release this September, and Vertigo Entertainment\u2019s Roy Lee and Miri Yoon are returning to produce the new movie.<\/p>\n

\n\tShields\u2019 hiring continues his long-term relationship with Warner Bros. following his work on multiple Godzilla and Kong projects. He most recently worked on WB and Legendary\u2019s \u201cGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire\u201d and he served as a consulting producer on the Apple TV series \u201cMonarch: Legacy of Monsters\u201d; before that, he co-wrote \u201cGodzilla vs. Kong\u201d and \u201cGodzilla: King of the Monsters,\u201d as well as Universal\u2019s \u201cKrampus,\u201d with Michael Dougherty. In television, Shields was a co\u2011executive producer on Alma Har\u2019el\u2019s \u201cLady in the Lake,\u201d starring Natalie Portman, for Apple.<\/p>\n

\n\tCregger is repped by CAA, Artists First and Karl Austen and Michael Auerbach. Shields is repped by Range Media Partners and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.<\/p>\n

\n\tDeadline first reported Shields\u2019 hiring. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tZach Shields and Zach Cregger<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShields: Hama Sanders \/ Cregger: Gilbert Flores for Variety<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As \u201cWeapons\u201d breakout character Aunt Gladys\u2019 story continues with a highly-anticipated prequel movie, Zach Shields (\u201cGodzilla x Kong:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":508154,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2839,56,54,55,162,12049],"class_list":{"0":"post-508153","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-movies","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom","13":"tag-weapons","14":"tag-zach-cregger"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/508154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=508153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=508153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}