Sartaj Singh
The delay in switching on cameras for Zach Cregger’s ‘Barbarian’ follow-up is coming to an end! The principal photography of ‘Weapons’ will start in mid-May in Atlanta, Georgia, and conclude in July. Josh Brolin and Julia Garner headline the horror mystery movie. Cregger also wrote the screenplay, and most of his crew members from ‘Barbarian’ are on board the project.
The film is expected to weave a haunting narrative around the disappearances of high school students in a small town. The mysterious incidents involve witchcraft, and multiple stories add up to create a horror epic with a tone reminiscent of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 classic ‘Magnolia.’
Cregger wrote the movie as a spec script. After the immense success of ‘Barbarian,’ the project seemed so promising that it reportedly kickstarted a bidding war between production houses, with New Line Cinema raising the final paddle. “Zach proved with Barbarian that he can create a visceral theatrical experience for audiences and that he commands every tool in the filmmaker toolbelt,” said Richard Brener, New Line’s president and CCO, in a press release. “We couldn’t be happier that he, Roy and Miri, J.D., and Rafi chose New Line to be the home of his next film, and hope it is the first of many to come,” he added.
The studio hopes to have Cregger onboard as a continuous source of horror gems. After the auction, acclaimed director and producer Jordan Peele, who lost the deal to New Line, parted ways with his long-term managers, Joel Zadak and Peter Principato. The budget for ‘Weapons’ is reportedly $38 million, a hefty sum considering that it will be Cregger’s second feature film after ‘Barbarian,’ which had a budget of $4.5 million. The project marks the reunion of the latter film’s production team, with Cregger joined by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules of BoulderLight Pictures, Roy Lee, and Miri Yoon of Vertigo.
Interestingly, ‘Weapons’ is Brolin’s first horror movie. An actor known for being very picky about his projects, he was most recently seen in the blockbuster ‘Dune: Part Two,’ reprising his original character Gurney Halleck. You can also see his performance as Royal Abbott in the second season of Amazon’s neo-Western sci-fi series ‘Outer Range,’ which is releasing on May 16, 2024. Brolin also stars in the upcoming ensemble comedy ‘Brothers,’ which has completed filming. Intriguingly, the seasoned actor has hinted that he may don the metal arm of Cable once more for the highly anticipated ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’
Garner is known for essaying Ruth Langmore in Netflix’s ‘Ozark.’ Her upcoming works include Universal’s ‘Wolf Man,’ Paramount’s ‘Apartment 7A,’ and Marvel Studios’ ‘The Fantastic Four,’ in which she will play Silver Surfer. The three-time Primetime Emmy winner portrayed Hanna in ‘The Royal Hotel’ and Anna Delvey in ‘Inventing Anna.’
The project was initially scheduled to shoot last year but was delayed due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Atlanta is home to the development of many exciting films and shows this season. These include Benito Skinner’s ‘Overcompensating,’ Prime Video’s ‘Peacemaker Season 2,’ Glen Powell’s ‘Chad Powers,’ and Chloë Grace Moretz’s ‘Oh. What. Fun.‘
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