Zach Shields is joining Zach Cregger to write the upcoming Weapons prequel.
The Godzilla vs. Kong writer has joined the 45-year-old filmmaker on the screenplay for the highly anticipated follow-up to last year's supernatural horror blockbuster, which will delve into the backstory of Aunt Gladys.
As reported by Deadline, Shields and Cregger will co-write the screenplay for the prequel for New Line and Warner Bros under the working title Gladys.
Amy Madigan, 75, played the sinister antagonist in last year's hit film, and her performance won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role last month.
She recently reflected on her character before her Oscars win, and insisted people could take inspiration from Gladys' "confidence".
She told Deadline: “This is a woman who knows what she has to do, and she does it.
“Now, granted, some of her methods might be a little unusual. But she has that, and I think all women in our business should have more of that confidence, myself included.
"So if I can take that away from it, I’ll say this is a win for Aunt Gladys and for me.”
As well as the Academy Awards, Madigan's performance was also recognised at the Actor Awards.
During her acceptance speech, she thanked the cast and quipped: "All of the little kids who ran around with us. I did terrorize them, but I let them rip me apart, so it was OK."
Weapons – which stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich and Benedict Wong – follows a group of strangers whose lives violently intersect after a class of children mysteriously vanish at 2:17am exactly.
Madigan's performance as Aunt Gladys was a huge hit with fans, which convinced director Cregger to develop an origin film for the mysterious villain.
Speaking with The Wrap about whether the Aunt Gladys prequel might lessen the mystique of the character, he said: “It’s crossed my mind.
"But I think that the Gladys story is such an interesting story that I think it’s going to feel very separate and stand on its own two feet, and I don’t think it’s going to diminish Weapons.”
