The Mandalorian Star To Lead An Epic Horror Movie
Pedro Pascal will star in Weapons, the next film from the director of Barbarian.
Between his groundbreaking work on hit series such as The Mandalorian and HBO’s The Last Of Us as well as blockbuster films like Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Wonder Woman 1984, Pedro Pascal is beginning to look like the busiest man in Hollywood. Now, after an intense bidding war for the distribution rights have come to a close, Pascal is set to appear in the New Line-produced film Weapons, according to a recent write-up from The Hollywood Reporter. Weapons is written and directed by The Whitest Kids You Know alumnus Zach Cregger, who recently made waves with his directorial debut, the intensely scary feature film Barbarian.
Plot details are currently under wraps, with little known about the film besides its director and lead actor at this time. According to cryptic behind-the-scenes whispers, Weapons is said to function as a multistory horror epic with tonal similarities to Paul Thomas Anderson’s star-studded 1999 film Magnolia. Pedro Pascal and his currently unannounced co-stars are set to begin shooting the film sometime in the Fall of 2023.
Though the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike has put a hold on many productions, including late-night programs such as Saturday Night Live and scripted content such as George R.R. Martin’s latest Game of Thrones spin-off series, The Hedge Knight, films such as Weapons which have already been written are still eligible to move forward with production, so long as other entertainment unions including the Directors Guild and IATSE do not follow suit in the near future.
Though the strike may put a dent in the scheduling of Pedro Pascal’s other television outings, it may free up his schedule to lead in more feature films. Of course, with over half a dozen upcoming IMDb credits, the Chilean-born star requires no additional help getting work.
Among his upcoming credits, the Last of Us actor is set to star in the long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, as well as an Ethan Coen-directed comedy thriller titled Drive-Away Dolls, alongside Matt Damon. Pedro Pascal is also scheduled to make an appearance at this year’s Cannes Film Festival to premiere his upcoming short film Strange Way of Life alongside Ethan Hawke. With all these projects and many more on the horizon, it’s hard not to see Pascal as one of the biggest names in the film industry today.
Pedro Pascal’s casting in Weapons also serves as a feather in the cap of Zach Cregger, whose groundbreaking deal with New Line includes such perks as a guaranteed theatrical release as well as full creative control of his film. For many relatively new filmmakers, this kind of deal would be unheard of, but due to the overwhelming success of the incredibly tight-budgeted Barbarian with critics and audiences alike, Cregger’s next outing quickly became the object of an intense bidding war. After a number of streamers and big-name studios vied for the opportunity to produce the film, Cregger and his team finally struck a deal with New Line back in January of this year.
