Could Zach Cregger’s ‘Weapons’ Lead to the Creation of a ‘Barbarian’ Cinematic Universe?

When the movie Barbarian was released in the autumn of 2022, it brought a level of excitement that many films have since tried but failed to replicate. Zach Cregger, the writer-director, kicks off the story with a seemingly slow-paced exploration of the constant vigilance women must display, as Tess (played by Georgia Campbell) arrives at an Airbnb in Detroit only to discover it has been double-booked with a man named Keith (portrayed by Bill Skarsgård). With it being late, there is space for both to lodge, but can Tess place her trust in Keith? This initial question leads to further mysteries when Tess stumbles upon a door in the basement of the house, and yet another layer of complexity is added when the plot transitions to what appears to be an unrelated narrative, gradually linking back to the house where Tess and Keith are entangled in an enigma.

One of the reasons for the enthralling nature of the movie was its sharp unpredictability. With the horror genre saturated with clichés, franchises, and imitations, encountering a film as unique as Barbarian felt refreshing, despite its evident influences. Wisely, Cregger made no immediate plans for a rushed sequel to Barbarian; instead, he produced Companion, which although lacking the same intense suspense, managed to provide an engaging horror-comedy experience while also helping to alleviate any feelings of monotony associated with Barbarian.

So what happens if that stand-alone movie from a fresh talent has secretly inspired a cinematic universe?

Following the success of Barbarian, Cregger’s subsequent project, Weapons, stirred significant interest, particularly within the horror enthusiast community. Touted as a horror epic reminiscent of Magnolia, details about Weapons remained scarce until recently when promotional activities intensified ahead of its scheduled August release. Initially planned for January 2026, the film’s premiere was moved up to August as part of a major rescheduling by Warner Bros. – a move indicative of their confidence in the project. While a teaser trailer has just been unveiled, the only other promotional material available is a purposely amateurish website named Maybrook News, reporting on the concurrent and seemingly voluntary disappearance of 17 local children, which serves as the premise of the upcoming film. The sole other article on the website references the aftermath of Barbarian, explicitly mentioning Tess as a character.

The bare-bones layout of the page and the small number of stories seems like an indication that Maybrook could be near Detroit. (There isn’t actually a Maybrook in Michigan; there is one in Orange County, New York.) Then again, this could just be an easy-to-find Easter egg indicating that these two stories come from the same filmmaker. After all, Barbarian and Weapons don’t even hail from the same studio; the former was put out by Disney’s Fox, while Weapons is from Warner’s New Line imprint.

It could also be more akin to what filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson have done in the past, making reference to characters across their movies without formally connecting them. Anderson’s first movie, Hard Eight, makes reference to character names that turn up in Boogie Nights and Magnolia. Tarantino’s movies have plenty of interconnections, like the fake brand Red Apple cigarettes, or the surname Vega, shared between Michael Madsen’s character in Reservoir Dogs and John Travolta’s in Pulp Fiction. (A supposed Vega Brothers movie never materialized.) If the internet in its current form had existed in 1996, the “news” posts about the cinematic universes afoot would have been insufferable, blowing some neat little connections into full-blown conspiracies.

So let’s not assume Zach Cregger is crafting the Barbarianverse quite yet. He may specifically be throwing back to a less franchised time. And if he succeeds in doing so, maybe that’ll be the first step in calming down about movie universes that have so rarely actually panned out.

Jesse Hassenger (@rockmarooned) is a writer living in Brooklyn podcasting at www.sportsalcohol.com. He’s a regular contributor to The A.V. Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others.