‘Weapons' Director Details the ‘Turmoil' the Movie Faced Amid Pedro Pascal's Exit

Yahoo

16 hours ago

Pedro Pascal has understandably earned the reputation of being the busiest man in Hollywood, and it's easy to see why. Pascal's name feels like it pops up in every significant movie or television show of late. However, the 50-year-old Fantastic Four: First Steps star's loaded schedule actually did cause an issue for one specific movie.
As Weapons director Zach Cregger explained, following strike delays in Hollywood, Pascal had to drop out of the movie due to scheduling issues, as Entertainment Weekly revealed. Unfortunately for Cregger, Pascal's departure flipped much of what was initially planned for Weapons on its head, and he explained the "turmoil" it caused.
'Weapons' Director Had to Recast 'Entire Movie' After Pedro Pascal Dropped Out
Pascal was initially slated to play the role of Archer in Weapons, the father of one missing child, a part that's now played by Josh Brolin. As Cregger explained to Entertainment Weekly, that was just the start, revealing that he had to recast almost the entire movie.
"I had a whole different cast for this movie," Cregger explained. "And then we had the strike, and then Pedro Pascal's schedule threw us into turmoil. I had to recast the entire movie."
"This is what happens, right?" Cregger continues. "The strikes delayed us, and then when you delay, people's schedules get conflicts, and then you're back at square one. I bear no ill will towards anybody. We just kept getting delayed and delayed. It's like a domino effect. So I had to start over again."
Of the four initial cast members that were confirmed to be in the movie, a group that included Pascal, Brian Tyree Henry, Renate Reinsve and Austin Abrams, only Abrams made it to the final cast. Cregger praised Abrams, who plays James, a homeless man struggling with addiction in the movie.
"He hung tough with me. That's my dude right there," Cregger comments.
Even Without Pedro Pascal, 'Weapons' Is Earning Incredibly Strong Reviews
Cregger and the rest of the crew deserve praise for the handling of the recasting, and it's even more noteworthy when considering just how strong the reviews of Weapons have been thus far.
While the movie officially releases in theaters on August 8, early viewings and critics' reviews have been coming in for days. And to put it as bluntly as possible, many of them are almost as perfect as the 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes score that Weapons currently boasts.
Cregger's film, which stars Julia Garner in the lead role of Justine Gandy, was turning heads when it was at 100 percent based on 10-15 critic reviews. Now, that number is up to 35 reviews, and it's yet to get a tally in the loss column.
Next up for the horror/mystery movie is the fan feedback, which should begin pouring in over the weekend.'Weapons' Director Details the 'Turmoil' the Movie Faced Amid Pedro Pascal's Exit first appeared on Men's Journal on Aug 6, 2025
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