‘Weapons’ director Zach Cregger gets ‘teary’ thinking about an Amy Madigan Oscar nom: Plus, Aunt Gladys sequel talk, deleted scenes, and Halloween costume tips

Warning: this interview contains spoilers from Weapons, which is streaming now on HBO Max. Read at your own risk!

Weapons writer-director Zach Cregger might like scaring audiences, but that doesn’t mean he’s also a softie. The filmmaker reveals to Gold Derby that he gets “teary” contemplating the possibility of Amy Madigan receiving a Best Supporting Oscar nomination for playing the complicated Aunt Gladys in the hit horror film. “She’s been doing sensational work for a really long time, but somehow flying under the radar,” Cregger explains.

In a wide-ranging and holiday-appropriate discussion, Cregger reveals Weapons‘ origin was a “cathartic” emotional reaction to a close friend’s death, breaks down the hit film’s character-focused story structure, and tells what it was like working with Josh Brolin and Julia Garner. Plus, with Halloween around the corner, he shares some pro tips to create the perfect Aunt Gladys costume.

Amy Madigan in ‘Weapons’Warner Bros. Pictures

Gold Derby: For all the holiday-goers out there, what is the key to pulling off Aunt Gladys for Halloween?

Zach Cregger: Well, you gotta have the wig. It’s the bangs, right? How much forehead, how much cranium can we expose here? And you need the weird sort of George Washington triangle — whatever the hell you call that stuff on the side there. And I would say to apply makeup liberally and poorly, and you’re on the right track.

Zach Cregger directing ‘Weapons’Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

How long have you been wanting to make Weapons?

I wrote Weapons in 2021. I was in post on Barbarian, and a really close friend of mine died, and so I wrote it immediately after he passed. It was just my emotional reaction to that. So, writing it was a cathartic thing.

Tell us about the unique act structure of the film, with each character getting their own moment to shine.

It was the way I originally wanted to do it. And then, about 70 percent of the way through the writing process, I decided, maybe I’m being too ambitious, and maybe the best way is to write it the way another movie would probably do it. I put out some note cards, and I tried arranging it that way, and it felt so sad to me. I couldn’t even finish the exercise. The best version of this movie, the most exciting version, is this structure. It was healthy for me to try that exercise, because it reinforced how strongly I felt about this.

Amy Madigan in ‘Weapons’Warner Bros. Pictures

Did you have any other scenes or alternate endings in mind that you can share with us?

I had a whole Gladys chapter that I ended up cutting out. I had another ending that I was writing toward, where Justine [Garner] and Alex [Cary Christopher] would somehow get their hands on Gladys’ magic, and they would start assembling a little crew. They would go to the gym and pick the buffest guy and control him, and then go to the police and get control of Paul [Alden Ehrenreich], and they would have their own little mini army. And Gladys would be doing that on her side of the neighborhood, and then at the end, it was going to be these two warring armies. There’s a book called Carrion Comfort that explores that, and I realized I was kind of ripping it off, and I don’t need to do that.

Benedict Wong and Julia Garner in ‘Weapons’New Line Cinema

As a storyteller, how do you feel about spoilers getting out there before viewers have a chance to watch the project?

I’m pretty allergic to spoilers, especially with Weapons. I was really clear with the marketing that I didn’t want Gladys in the materials at all, and they were totally cool with that. For some movies, the structure is the joy, and if you ruin it, you don’t get to experience that joy. All of my energy in writing it was a way of doling out information very deliberately, where you would constantly be wondering what the movie was, until Gladys walks into Principal Marcus’ [Benedict Wong] office. To give that away through a commercial? I get that we gotta get butts in seats, but that would have felt like a total destruction of the viewer’s enjoyment, so luckily I didn’t have to fight very hard.

Best Picture Best Director Best Actress Best Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Supporting Actor Best Adapted Screenplay Best Original Screenplay Best Casting Best Cinematography Best Costume Design Best Film Editing Best Makeup and Hairstyling Best Production Design Best Score Best Sound Best Visual Effects Best Animated Feature Best International Film

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

Thomasin McKenzie

Stewart Cook/Variety

52.

Gemma Chan

Stephen Lovekin/WWD

53.

Vicky Krieps

ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

54.

Emily Mortimer

Anna Pocaro for IndieWire

55.

Ilfenesh Hadera

Adela Loconte/Variety

56.

Kerry Condon

Michael Buckner/Variety

57.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 16: Radhika Apte attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2025 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

58.

Lauren Graham

Kathy Hutchins / Hutchins Photo/Newscom/The Mega Agency

59.

kerry washington

Amy Graves/WWD

60.

Zoe Kravitz

MJ Photos/WWD

61.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Alicia Silverstone attends the Christian Siriano Spring/Summer 2023 NYFW Show at the Elizabeth Collective on September 07, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Christian Siriano)

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Amy Madigan is rising in the awards predictions here at Gold Derby. What would it mean to you if she were to receive an Oscar nomination for this wild and crazy performance?

It would bring me a lot of satisfaction. I love Amy so much as a person, and I respect her so much as an actor. She’s been doing sensational work for a really long time, but somehow flying under the radar. I know she had a nomination in the past [for Twice in a Lifetime], but it’s been a lot of time since then. For the movie to have connected the way it did, that is entirely a credit to Amy and her ability. Honestly, I can get teary thinking about it, because I’m so proud of her, and I’m so proud to have been instrumental in her getting the recognition that I think she’s always deserved. It couldn’t happen to a better person.

You mentioned that there was more of Gladys’ backstory in the script, but you cut it out. Might we see some of that in the rumored prequel movie?

It’s not a rumor — we’re negotiating now. The deal’s getting made, and I have a pretty fleshed-out prequel story, and I think it’s really fun. It’s very different than Weapons, because we know who Gladys is now, and it’s an interesting other chapter of her life that I really like. I still think the story’s gonna be able to unfold in really cool, surprising ways, and I don’t think I’m lancing the mystery of what Gladys is necessarily. Well, maybe that’s not true — maybe I am.

‘Weapons’Warner Bros. / Everett Collection

What was your reaction after the movie opened, and all of these videos went viral with fans running around with their arms outstretched?

I’m in the entertainment business to entertain, and I want it to resonate with as many people as possible. That’s why we do this stuff, to catch hold and thrill people, and it makes me so stoked to see people on the internet engaging. I’ve been in Prague since the movie was released. I went to see it opening weekend here, and it was pretty empty. And so, I have not been able to feel by osmosis the success of this movie at all. The internet is the only way I get any sort of gratification from it, so I cling to those little videos, believe me.

Josh Brolin and Zach CreggerWarner Bros. / Everett Collection

Let’s talk about Josh Brolin. How did you work with him to create his character and navigate those emotional layers?

Well, I don’t see him as just the angry guy. Anger is very much present in his character, but I think there’s a lot underneath it. The way that I worked with Josh was pretty hands-off. I went over to his house a couple of times, and I talked about losing my friend, and about how I felt in the aftermath of that, and the stages of grief. Josh and I have a lot in common in our personal lives, and we talked about different aspects of things that we’ve both experienced, and how that manifests. He’s an immensely capable actor who has a process that has served him well for decades, so I would not presume to impose my process onto him.

Zach Cregger directs Julia GarnerWarner Bros. / Everett Collection

For Julia Garner, what were some of the early conversations you had with her in terms of making this character come to life?

She was in New Zealand shooting Wolf Man, and I was Zooming with her, and it was one of those things where it was instant. I think we both knew three minutes into the Zoom that this was gonna work. Her sister’s a teacher, and so she had a lot of understanding about what that job entails, and the toll it can take on people, and what’s required of you. She’s very, very intelligent, and you’re always looking for an actor that can take what you’ve written and make it better than you could have even imagined. With people like Julia and Amy and Josh, they naturally do that. I’m just the beneficiary of their brilliance, honestly.

What was the most challenging scene to get right from the standpoint of the director?

Undoubtedly, it’s when the kids are ripping Gladys apart in the front yard. We had to shoot that three times, with two cameras each time. We had a dummy that was supposed to come apart and bleed correctly, so that was complicated. We had 17 screaming children who are impossible to corral sometimes, especially when they get in a frenzy. The whole movie, I really felt very much in control of what I was getting on screen. I’m meticulous in prep, so I have every frame planned out months before. However, with those kids and that frenzy of gore, I felt completely on my heels. We had to cobble it together out of these three tries, and it was awful.

Before we go, what is your favorite line of dialogue from Weapons?

I think Josh’s “What the f–k” is a pretty good one. I don’t know, there are so many. I hate to be that guy who’s indulging in his own dialogue. Austin Abrams has a lot of lines I love. Pretty much everything Amy says works like a f–king dream. I really love the scene with Alden Ehrenreich and Julia in the bar. But in terms of specific lines, I’ll go with Josh’s “What the f–k.”

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.