4 Minutes
From Comedy to Cult Horror: The Rise of Zach Cregger
Zach Cregger cut his teeth in comedy but made an immediate mark as a filmmaker with his audacious directorial debut, Barbarian. That film turned heads for its bold storytelling and fresh approach to genre expectations, earning Cregger recognition as a horror director who isn’t afraid to bend rules. Now, with his latest feature Weapons playing in theaters, Cregger is openly mapping out a daring and varied slate that includes an original Resident Evil screenplay and—surprisingly—a finished, top-secret script set in the DC Universe that contains no superheroes at its core.
Plot Summaries: What to Expect
Barbarian
Barbarian established Cregger’s taste for unsettling atmospheres and clever misdirection. Without retelling the whole movie, its success lay in subverting audience expectations and combining tension, mystery, and character-driven horror.
Weapons
Weapons is Cregger’s newest release and continues his streak of distinctive genre work. While details of the story vary by screening, the film delivers the same kinetic energy and tonal risk-taking audiences praised in his earlier work. It’s currently in theaters—check local listings for showtimes if you want to see how Cregger’s voice has evolved.
Untitled DC Universe Project
Perhaps the most intriguing reveal: Cregger has a completed script that takes place in the DC Universe without centering on capes or origin stories. He wrote it before Barbarian and describes it as a wholly original piece—an exploration of the world around the mythic figures rather than another superhero movie. Think of it as genre filmmaking set against a comic-book backdrop: familiar geography, unfamiliar rules.
Cast and Crew
Zach Cregger writes and directs much of his own material, and his creative fingerprint is unmistakable across his projects. Barbarian featured breakout performances that helped amplify its eerie tone, while Weapons showcases a new ensemble brought together to serve Cregger’s distinct vision. For his upcoming projects, he’s juggling studio IP like Resident Evil—an original screenplay he says is unrelated to previous entries—with independent-feeling projects that let him play with tone, character, and worldbuilding.
Production Details
Cregger’s process blends independent sensibilities with larger-scale production demands. He has demonstrated an ability to write original screenplays that respect established IP while remaining inventive—his Resident Evil is intended as a standalone, “fresh and edgy” take, not a retread. The DC script follows the same ethos: it leverages the DC Universe as a setting and incubator for original storytelling, rather than adapting a comic panel by panel.
Critical Reception
Critics and genre fans praised Barbarian for originality and tone. Early responses to Weapons indicate that Cregger continues to refine his voice—audiences appreciate the blend of genre thrills and smart, subversive storytelling. Industry outlets have noted his ability to move between original films and IP-driven projects while keeping an unmistakable personal style.
Personal Take: Why This Matters
For cinephiles and series fans, Cregger’s trajectory is exciting because he proves that franchise filmmaking can be imaginative rather than formulaic. His willingness to write an original story inside the DC Universe suggests a new way to expand comic-book worlds—focusing on atmosphere, social detail, or secondary characters rather than superpowered battles. If Cregger applies the same daring he used in Barbarian to that DC script, it could be one of the most interesting studio projects in development.
Want to catch his latest? Weapons is currently in theaters—an opportunity to see firsthand how Zach Cregger continues to evolve as a director, writer, and genre storyteller.
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