When will Zach Cregger’s Weapons premiere? Release date, cast details, first look, and more

Weapons (2025) is the upcoming horror film written and directed by Zach Cregger, following his previous project Barbarian. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and released in theaters and IMAX nationwide on August 8, 2025, and internationally beginning on August 6, 2025. The film has generated attention due to its intense bidding war, notable cast, and a cryptic marketing strategy that withholds key story elements.

Weapons tells the story of a group of elementary school students who vanish at the same time on the same night, leaving behind a community in search of answers. According to Zach Cregger’s April 28, 2025 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the disappearance is only the beginning.

“That mystery is going to propel you through at least half of the movie, but that is not the movie,” he said.

“By the midpoint, we’ve moved on to way crazier stuff than that.”

The story shifts across timelines and characters, suggesting a non-linear, genre-defying structure.

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Weapons (2025) to feature multiple intertwining narratives across time and characters

The event that triggers the plot occurs at exactly 2:17 a.m. on a Wednesday when 17 children from the same class in Maybrook vanish without a trace. Julia Garner plays Justine Gandy, the teacher whose classroom is affected. Security footage reportedly shows the children walking into the night with arms outstretched. Josh Brolin plays Archer Graff, a parent who becomes suspicious about the specific nature of the event. Alden Ehrenreich portrays Officer Paul Morgan, who has a past connection with Gandy.

Cregger stated that he didn’t use an outline when writing the story, opting instead to discover it as he wrote, much like his approach to Barbarian. The movie is said to undergo major tonal and narrative shifts midway.

“I didn’t have an outline. I didn’t know what it was about,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

“It was just like, let the movie show itself to me. I want to watch the movie as I’m writing it.”

Cregger has also described the film as “an incredibly personal story,” adding that he began writing it after experiencing a personal tragedy. Some parts of the film are autobiographical in nature.

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Weapons (2025) first look reveals eerie moments without plot reveals

Photos of the missing children from Maybrook Elementary are featured in Weapons 2025, revealing their names, ages, and heights as the town searches for answers. (Image via Warner Bros)

Warner Bros. released the second trailer on July 29, 2025, after the initial teaser in April. The first trailer featured narration from a child who recounts the mysterious absence of Justine Gandy’s entire class. The footage included shots of children leaving their homes at 2:17 a.m., eerie school scenes, and distressed parents confronting the teacher.

A new clip released on July 28, 2025, came with a spoiler warning. It offers a longer look at one of the pivotal sequences but maintains the film’s secrecy. The tone of the footage is psychological and atmospheric, with no clear antagonist revealed.

Warner Bros. also launched a tie-in website called MaybrookMissing.com, featuring fictional news reports that expand on the story. One article mentions Tess Marshall, the character from Barbarian, hinting at a possible shared universe, though Cregger declined to confirm any connection.

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Where to watch Weapons?

Weapons will be released exclusively in theaters and IMAX formats beginning August 8, 2025, in the U.S. and August 6 internationally. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling distribution. There is no official information about a digital or streaming release at this stage.

Following Warner Bros.' release patterns, a digital release is expected after the theatrical window. No streaming platform partnerships have been announced yet.

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All cast members in Weapons and their characters

Julia Garner stars as Justine Gandy in Weapons 2025, a teacher caught in the center of the town’s tragedy after her students disappear without explanation. (Image via Warner Bros)

The confirmed cast of Weapons includes:

• Josh Brolin as Archer Graff
• Julia Garner as Justine Gandy
• Alden Ehrenreich as Officer Paul Morgan
• Amy Madigan as Gladys Lilly
• Benedict Wong as Principal Marcus
• Austin Abrams as Anthony
• Cary Christopher as Alex Lilly
• June Diane Raphael as Donna Morgan

Clayton Farris, Whitmer Thomas, Callie Schuttera, Toby Huss, Luke Speakman will be present in supporting roles.

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Final thoughts on Weapons and its release

A memorial appears outside Maybrook Elementary School in Weapons 2025, as the community mourns and rallies together after the mysterious disappearance of 17 children. (Image via Warner Bros)

Weapons was originally slated for release in January 2026, but Warner Bros. moved it up following positive test screenings. The film's development included a heated bidding war in January 2023, with New Line Cinema acquiring the project for an estimated $38 million. Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions was among the studios vying for it.

Cregger described the bidding process as “a very high-pressure thing,” telling EW that it was only after the adrenaline wore off that he was able to appreciate what had happened. Warner Bros. offered creative control, including final cut, and a guaranteed theatrical release.

Zach Cregger directs from his own screenplay and also serves as producer alongside Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J.D. Lifshitz, and Raphael Margules. Executive producers include Michelle Morrissey and Josh Brolin. Key crew members include cinematographer Larkin Seiple, editor Joe Murphy, production designer Tom Hammock, and composers Ryan Holladay, Hays Holladay, and Zach Cregger.

Cregger cites Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia as a major influence.

“I just like that kind of unapologetic, ‘This is an epic,’”

he told Entertainment Weekly. Compared to Barbarian, he called Weapons

“more ambitious in almost every way” and emphasized that it is “a bigger, weirder movie.”

As of July 2025, no controversies or early critic reviews have been reported. The marketing campaign has focused on building suspense rather than revealing plot twists. Based on its cast, budget, and creative control, Weapons is positioned as a high-profile horror release for the year.