7 behind-the-scenes facts you probably didn’t know about ‘Weapons’

Weapons by Zach Cregger is the latest horror movie that fans of the genre have been raving about. After being released in theatres on August 8, 2025, Weapons grossed around $180.6 million worldwide. Starring Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Alden Ehrenreich, and more, it revolves around an apparent abduction linked to the mysterious disappearance of seventeen children, all from the same classroom.

Weapons boasts a well-written narrative that moves forward at an enjoyable pace. Usually, serious horrors are grim and dark from beginning to end, but Cregger is able to add some humorous moments into the mix without compromising the gritty tension of the overarching plot.

In this list, we take a look at some lesser-known facts about Weapons that even ardent fans may not have heard before.

Disclaimer: This list contains information from various sources and has spoilers.

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7 little-known facts about Zach Cregger's Weapons that cinephiles will find interesting

1) The original cast of Weapons was different

Weapons thrives on impactful performances by the cast (Image via Official Instagram Page)

In the beginning, Zach Cregger had set his sights on Pedro Pascal, Renate Reinsve and Brian Tyree Henry. He felt that their acting skills would match the characters he had in mind. However, this was not to be. The work on the movie halted during the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, and by the time things were resolved, many of the original actors couldn't join due to conflicting schedules.

The only two actors from the original line-up who were still able to make the dates were Austin Abrams and June Diane Raphael. Even though Cregger had to look elsewhere for his main cast, the final result would indicate that the cast change worked in his favour.

Josh Brolin stepped into the shoes of Archer Graff with great ease, and Julia Garner and Alden Ehrenreich turned out to be equally impressive as Justine Gandy and Paul Morgan on screen.

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2) 2:17 can be linked to multiple theories

Viewers have their own theories about the significance of 2:17 (Image via Official Instagram Page)

In Weapons, the seventeen children leave their homes at exactly 2:17. The director has admitted that even though he didn't purposely choose the number, it is very likely that it is subconsciously linked to room 217 from The Shining, one of his inspirations for this film. Even though Stanley Kubrick's adaptation shows the room as 237, bookworms are well aware that all the events unfold in room 217.

It is also interesting to note that 2:17 also eerily matches the classroom ratio after the disappearance. From Ms. Gandy’s third-grade class, seventeen children went missing in total. Only two remained, Alex Lilly, portrayed by Cary Christopher, and Ms. Gandy herself. Many fans have also linked the number to Matthew 2:17 from the bible, which talks about the mourning over the loss of innocent lives.

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3) Weapons is not Zach Cregger's first horror movie

Weapons has made a considerable dent at the box office (Image via Official Instagram Page)

Even though a considerable number of horror movies are released each year, not all new offerings make headlines like Weapons. Horror movies need skilled filmmakers who can balance quality storytelling with fear-inducing jump scares. It is also too easy to give in to the common tropes that have been overused to the point of boredom.

Thankfully, Cregger is able to navigate the pitfalls to offer a cinematic experience that is interesting, frightening and impactful. It is interesting to note that he started his career as part of a comedy troupe. He even appeared in several sitcoms before making the switch to filmmaking.

Weapons is not his first horror film, as he had scripted and directed Barbarian back in 2022. The film starring Bill Skarsgård, Georgina Campbell, and Justin Long is centered around a rental home that houses a dark secret. Like Weapons, Barbarian also received positive reviews from critics.

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4) Zach Cregger didn't have an ending in mind when he started writing

Even the director didn't know what had happened to the kids at first (Image via Official Instagram Page)

Movie goers who have watched Weapons would agree that the best thing about the film is that the outcome is never obvious. Every scene and each interaction cleverly adds to the mystery, and the audience can't help but come up with multiple assumptions on what could be the real cause behind the disappearances.

Interestingly enough, even the director didn't know where the story was headed when he started writing it. All filmmakers have their own way of approaching stories, and apparently, Cregger prefers to do it the Stephen King way, wherein he lets the narrative lead him to the answer.

Fans of Weapons will be interested to know that Cregger went through a similar process with Barbarian. He came up with the ending twist only when he was halfway through the script.

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5) Sara Paxton, who makes a cameo in Weapons, is Zach Cregger's spouse

The talented actor plays Bailey's mother in the movie (Image via Sara Paxton Facebook Page)

It is not unusual for filmmakers to appear in their own movies, but instead of appearing in front of the screen himself, Zach Cregger had a family member bask in the limelight instead.

In the recently released movie, Sara Paxton plays Erica, the mother of one of the missing children. This cameo is rather special because Paxton is actually Cregger's wife. The two of them had first met in 2013 on the set of Love & Air S*x (2013), and then eventually got married in October of 2019.

37-year-old Paxton started acting at an early age. She has appeared in multiple films and TV shows. Viewers may remember her from Greetings from Tucson (2002), Darcy's Wild Life (2004), Aquamarine (2006), The Last House on the Left (2009), and others. More recently, she appeared in Based on a True Story starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina, wherein she played the role of Paige.

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6) The director's own experiences inspired the substance abuse storyline

The well-written screenplay is heavily inspired by Cregger's past (Image via Official Instagram Page)

A lot of filmmakers tend to draw from their own experiences when they pen scripts because it helps them craft realistic scenes that are memorable and relatable. Having experienced similar situations before, they are also in a better position to help actors nail the correct expressions and dialogue delivery, for better impact. Cregger also used his own experiences to augment the narrative.

The director revealed that he has experience of becoming the caretaker at a young age, like the character Alex from the movie. Cregger's father died from cirrhosis, and so, he knows what it is like to live with a parent with a destructive substance abuse problem. Moreover, Cregger himself battled with alcohol addiction in the past.

Knowing about Cregger's background certainly makes the final scenes of the movie much more tragic and thought-provoking.

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7) Weapons is set in Pennsylvania but shot at multiple locations across Georgia

The carefully selected locations added to the viewing experience (Image via Official Instagram Page)

As per the narrative, the events in the movie unfold in the town of Maybrook, Pennsylvania. The small-town aspect of the story is important because the audience can feel how the whole community is affected by the disappearances. In many movies, the locations are just that, locations. But in Weapons, the small town is a part of the story and has a lived-in feeling that instantly connects with viewers.

Even though the story is set in Pennsylvania, the movie was actually shot in various cities around Georgia. Cregger wanted the location to have the feel of a "small New Eastern town," and Tom Hammock, the production designer, pulled out all stops to find the best locations. Weapons was eventually shot in the suburbs of Covington, Griffin, Jonesboro, Decatur, East Point, Stone Mountain, and Tucker.

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There are many reasons why Weapons has been raking it big at the box office, and these facts prove that the team put in plenty of effort to make it enjoyable and riveting.