Premiering August 8, 2025, in theaters (US), Weapons plunges audiences into a nerve-shredding psychological thriller where a single night unravels an entire town. When 19 children from the same classroom vanish simultaneously—leaving only Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher) behind—detective Archer Graff (Josh Brolin) and traumatized mother Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) race against time to uncover a force beyond comprehension. Directed by Zach Cregger (Barbarian), the film masterfully blends cosmic horror with raw human drama, exposing how grief fractures a community while an insidious presence lurks beneath their reality. With dread seeping from every frame, Weapons questions whether the true monster is supernatural… or the darkness within us all.

An A-list cast delivers career-defining performances, each character embodying a facet of collective trauma—from denial to fanatical desperation. Set against the rain-lashed streets of a decaying Pacific Northwest town, the ensemble navigates paranoia, cultish secrets, and revelations that warp reality itself. Meet the faces confronting the abyss:

Weapons cast with photos

1. Julia Garner as Justine Gandy

Julia Garner (Ozark, The Assistant) shatters expectations as Justine Gandy, a single mother whose daughter vanished in the mass disappearance. Garner trades Ruth Langmore’s ferocity for visceral fragility here—her performance a masterclass in silent agony, punctuated by explosive moments of maternal fury. Justine’s journey spirals from desperate hope to unsettling obsession, especially when she fixates on the sole survivor, Alex Lilly, convinced he holds answers. Garner’s physical transformation—sleepless eyes, trembling hands—mirrors a psyche fracturing under guilt and supernatural dread.

Garner immersed herself in real missing-child cases, consulting grief counselors to ground Justine’s unraveling. Her confrontations with Amy Madigan’s Gladys Lilly crackle with electric tension, blurring lines between ally and suspect. “Justine isn’t just searching for her child; she’s fighting to believe reality still exists,” Garner reveals. The role demands extreme vulnerability, including a climactic séance scene that redefines terror.

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2. Josh Brolin as Archer Graff

Josh Brolin (Avengers, Sicario) embodies world-weary resolve as Detective Archer Graff, a retired cop dragged back to solve the inexplicable. Brolin’s gravelly gravitas and haunted eyes convey Graff’s burden: a personal tie to the case that fuels his descent into the town’s occult underbelly. His investigative rigor clashes with the town’s descent into hysteria, particularly when evidence points to ritualistic patterns. Brolin’s chemistry with Benedict Wong (as skeptic scientist Andrew) provides stark counterpoints—logic vs. cosmic horror.

Brolin based Graff on noir detectives like Jake Gittes, but with a Lovecraftian twist. A scene where he discovers symbols carved into missing children’s desks—visible only under blacklight—showcases his stoic dread. “Graff’s badge can’t protect him from what defies reason,” Brolin notes. The role required night shoots in freezing rain, amplifying the film’s oppressive atmosphere.

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3. Alden Ehrenreich as Paul

Alden Ehrenreich (Solo, Cocaine Bear) captivates as Paul, Alex Lilly’s unnervingly intense teacher. Ehrenreich’s Paul masks cult-like fervor behind a charismatic façade, organizing town vigils while secretly documenting paranormal phenomena. His classroom becomes a haunting ground of whispered secrets, and Ehrenreich’s shift from ally to antagonist is a slow-burn triumph. Flashbacks hint at his obsession with “thresholds” between worlds, tying him to the children’s disappearance.

Ehrenreich studied esoteric rituals and cult leaders for the role, layering Paul with performative empathy. His confrontation with Garner—where he claims the children “ascended”—chills with messianic conviction. “Paul believes he’s a shepherd, not a predator,” Ehrenreich hints. The character’s finale, set in a candle-lit schoolhouse, redefines terror.

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4. Amy Madigan as Gladys Lilly & Cary Christopher as Alex Lilly

Amy Madigan (Field of Dreams, Gone Baby Gone) delivers powerhouse vulnerability as Gladys Lilly, grandmother of sole survivor Alex (Cary Christopher). Madigan’s Gladys battles accusations and guilt, shielding Alex from townsfolk who brand him a curse. Her dynamic with Christopher—a newcomer delivering astonishing depth—anchors the film’s heart. Alex’s trauma manifests in eerie drawings of shadowy figures, and Christopher’s silent screams in nightmare scenes are unforgettable.

Madigan channeled real grandmothers of trauma survivors, crafting Gladys as a fortress of love in a storm of suspicion. Her showdown with Toby Huss’s dismissive police captain erupts with raw fury. Christopher, meanwhile, trained with child psychologists to portray dissociative episodes. “Alex isn’t a witness—he’s a battleground,” Madigan states.

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5. Benedict Wong as Andrew

Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange, Marco Polo) brings grounded intellect as Andrew, a physicist debunking supernatural theories. Wong’s Andrew clashes with Brolin’s intuition, insisting the vanishings have a scientific explanation—until his own experiments reveal impossible energy signatures. Wong balances wit with mounting terror, especially when his character’s arrogance shatters in the face of cosmic truth.

Wong consulted CERN physicists for role authenticity. His lab scenes—featuring glitching equipment and spectral audio recordings—build dread through methodical realism. “Andrew’s equations can’t quantify evil,” Wong remarks. His partnership-turned-rivalry with Brolin fuels the film’s ideological core.

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6. Toby Huss as Captain Ed

Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire, Carnivàle) embodies bureaucratic indifference as Police Captain Ed, whose refusal to acknowledge the supernatural accelerates tragedy. Huss’s Ed dismisses Graff’s theories as “trauma-induced delusion,” prioritizing town image over truth. His scenes in cramped police stations, lit by flickering fluorescents, epitomize institutional failure.

Huss based Ed on small-town officials who bury crises. A monologue where he blames “screen addiction” for the disappearances exposes willful ignorance. His comeuppance—a hallucinatory encounter in the town’s fog-drenched woods—is poetic justice.

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7. June Diane Raphael as Diane Austin & Austin Abrams as Anthony

June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie) portrays Diane Austin, leader of a fringe group claiming the children were “chosen.” Raphael’s Diane weaponizes grief to recruit desperate parents, her zealotry masking a sinister agenda. Austin Abrams (Euphoria) stuns as Anthony, a surviving teen whose viral conspiracy theories amplify town hysteria. Abrams’ manic live-streams—filmed in his character’s graffiti-strewn bedroom—become the film’s modern-age Greek chorus.

Raphael’s cult-leader cadence chills in rally scenes, while Abrams embodies Gen Z nihilism. Their collision—Diane’s manipulation vs. Anthony’s chaos—mirrors society’s fracture under trauma.

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8. Melissa Ponzio as Melissa & Whitmer Thomas as Mr. Thomas

Melissa Ponzio (Teen Wolf) and Whitmer Thomas (The Goldbergs) add dark irony as Melissa (a bereaved mother) and Mr. Thomas (Alex’s disbelieving guidance counselor). Ponzio’s arc—joining Diane’s cult in despair—contrasts with Thomas’s dismissive therapy sessions. Their real-life name swaps with characters amplify the film’s theme of distorted identity.

Thomas’s deadpan delivery (“Kids exaggerate!”) underscores adult failure, while Ponzio’s breakdown in a rain-soaked graveyard shatters hearts.

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Unravel the Mystery on August 8, 2025:

Weapons is a tour de force of existential dread—elevated by Julia Garner’s primal performance, Josh Brolin’s grizzled intensity, and Zach Cregger’s visionary direction. With its seamless blend of small-town horror and cosmic terror, this film will haunt audiences long after the credits roll. Experience it in theaters—where the unimaginable becomes undeniable.