Although Zach Kregger has been active in comedy in the entertainment industry for many years, including films such as “The Whitest Kids You Know,” “Wreck” and “Miss March,” last year he made a big splash in the horror world with “The Barbarian.” The “Mad” movie starring Bill Skarsgard, Georgina Campbell and Justin Long was a critical and commercial success, and we at CinemaBlend rated it as one of the best horror films of 2022. Well, because “The Barbarian” played so well, Kregger got a huge salary for his next horror movie.
Today it was announced that New Line Cinema has won the rights to Zack Kregger’s upcoming film “Weapons”, which the director is shooting together with his production team “The Barbarian”, that is, Roy Lee from Vertigo, J.D. Lifshitz and Rafael Margules from BoulderLight Pictures and Miri from Vertigo. Yun is also engaged in producing. New Line was one of several parties interested in acquiring Weapons, and after the film hit the market on the morning of January 22, the studio closed negotiations on it earlier this week, with sources telling THR that Kregger received an “eight-figure sum” for writing and direct. This is in stark contrast to “Barbarian,” which was distributed by 20th Century Studios and which was allocated a production budget of only $4 million, even though it grossed $45 million worldwide.
But that’s not all! The news outlet also mentioned that as part of Zack Kregger’s deal with New Line Cinema to create a “Weapon,” the film not only received a guaranteed green light and a guarantee that it will be released in theaters, but also Kregger receives the final version “in anticipation of reaching the threshold during testing.” views”, as well as “a controlling stake in the backend bank”. In addition, if “Weapons” becomes a hit, then the powers that be from New Line/Warner Bros. will seek to retain Kregger as a “significant voice of horror and supplier.” Richard Brener, president and chief creative officer of New Line Cinema, said the following about Kregger creating weapons for the studio:
Zak proved with the help of “The Barbarian” that he can create an intuitive theatrical impression for the audience and that he owns all the tools in the director’s arsenal. We are very happy that he, Roy and Miri, as well as J.D. and Rafi have chosen a “New Line” for the filming of their next film, and we hope that this will be the first of many upcoming films.
No specific details of the plot of “Weapons” have yet been reported, but the film is reportedly described as “an interconnected, multi-plot horror epic, tonally sustained in the spirit of”Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia.” Production is expected to begin later this year, so it may not be long before we find out who will play the lead role in the horror movie. Assuming the “Weapon” doesn’t have to face any delays or setbacks, it will probably be ready to hit the big screen in 2024.
We’ll be reporting all the major updates on the weapon’s progress as soon as they come out, but if you missed the madness that is the Barbarian, stream it with an HBO Max subscription so you can engage in conversations about the movie’s wild twists and read our breakdown of the ending. You can also get an idea of this year’s cinematic country by watching the 2023 film releases.
