The mystery-horror film Weapons is already generating serious buzz, even earning Certified Fresh status on our Tomatometer before its theatrical release on Friday, August 8. Rotten Tomatoes correspondent Perri Nemiroff sat down with stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, and writer-director Zach Cregger to talk about the film that’s set to shake up the horror landscape.
The chilling story kicks off when an entire class of children, with the exception of one, inexplicably disappears at the exact same moment, leaving a stunned small-town community desperate for answers.
During the conversation, Brolin revealed new insight into his character’s layered backstory, while the cast reflected on their surreal “pinch me” moments throughout production. They shared stories about the atmosphere on set, building trust as a cast, and how they leaned on each other to bring such an intense story to life.
Meanwhile, Cregger discussed how the film first came to be, his approach to casting, and how even the marketing of Weapons played a significant role ahead of its release.
With a star-studded cast and the creative mind behind Barbarian at the helm, Weapons is shaping up to be one of the year’s most talked-about horror events.
Perri Nemiroff for Rotten Tomatoes: I wanted to start with a question about working with Zach [Cregger] because one of my favorite things about his movies is that every time I walk out of one, I know to my core no one on this planet could have made that film other than him. What is something that the two of you saw him do on this set that maybe speaks to that singularity?
Alden Ehrenreich: Yeah. Well, I think that’s a good way of putting it. To me, that’s the core of it. I read this script and was like, “I’ve never read anything like this.” This might be one of the best scripts I’ve ever read. And when I met him, what I came to understand is that he makes these things out of a place that’s so personal and so real to him, even though it’s not his story. And just the whole world can kind of feel that, you know, and that’s just a testament to an artist making something that’s true to who they are.
Julia Garner: Yeah. I mean, that’s such a great point. It’s not every day you can have brilliant directors, but it’s very rare when they have such a clear identity and point of view that you can’t replicate it. And he’s definitely one of those directors, which is so exciting to have the opportunity for us to get to work with him. But I think that’s what makes it super human and super extreme, but also feels very intimate and relatable, which makes it really scary.
Weapons hits theaters August 8.
