Zach Cregger's Barbarian follow-up Weapons sets January 2026 release date

All eyes are on Barbarian director and writer Zach Cregger right now to see what he comes up with next after his excellent 2022 horror movie, and his next big horror-thriller film, Weapons, is already shaping up to be a great follow-up with an exciting cast that includes Emmy-winning actress Julia Garner and Josh Brolin.

The New Line Cinema film has officially been set for a January 16, 2026 release date, per Variety.

Deadline previously reported that Oppenheimer and Fair Play star Alden Ehrenreich had joined the cast! Pedro Pascal was also set to star in Weapons but was later replaced by Brolin due to scheduling conflicts (Pascal is booked and busy with Fantastic Four, The Last of Us season 2, and more).

Then, on May 2, the outlet announced additional casting, with MCU and 3 Body Problem star Benedict Wong, Amy Madigan (Antlers), Cary Christopher (Days of Our Lives), and Euphoria's Austin Abrams rounding out the thriller.

Hailing from New Line, we still don't have much information to share about Weapons as the plot is being kept under wraps for now, which makes sense when you recall how Barbarian was marketed. The 2022 box office success ended up being a big hit with critics and fans alike, opening at #1 at the box office with a 93% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Barbarian trailer didn't give away key moments in the plot, something many other horror titles could do with emulating. Considering Barbarian went on to earn more than $45 million worldwide on a production budget of just $4.5 million, it's easy to see why studios are eager to get Cregger's next project into theaters.

We don't currently have a release date for the film, but if I had to guess, I'd say that it seems to be on track for 2025. Like Barbaran, Cregger will write and direct Weapons, and he's producing alongside his Barbarian team, Roy Lee and Miri Yoon from Vertigo and BoulderLight Pictures' J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules.

Ahead of Weapons' debut, fans can catch Ehrenreich in the Netflix thriller Fair Play, now streaming, or keep an eye out for his upcoming lead role in the Disney+/Marvel series Ironheart. This also marks one of several horror projects for Garner, who will star in the Rosemary's Baby prequel Apartment 7A due out this fall and Leigh Whannell's take on Wolf Man.

To stay up to date on all things horror and 1428 Elm, follow our Facebook page and Twitter account!