Why Pedro Pascal Left Zach Cregger's Weapons

One would be hard-pressed to find a busier man in Hollywood than Pedro Pascal these days. The star of "The Mandalorian" and "Gladiator II" has been an ever-present force in both movies and TV over the last several years. That's a big reason why Warner Bros. and director Zach Cregger tapped him to topline the cast for the filmmaker's latest movie "Weapons," a follow-up to his 2022 breakout feature debut "Barbarian." Unfortunately, Pascal had to drop out of the movie before production began. But why?

In a recent interview with Variety, Cregger addressed Pascal's departure from "Weapons," revealing that the months-long 2023 Screen Actors Guild strike was to blame. "I had a whole different cast for this movie. And then we had the strike, and then Pedro Pascal's schedule threw us into turmoil. I had to recast the entire movie," the director said. Indeed, it wasn't just losing one cast member. Apparently, it threw a larger wrench in the gears. Speaking further, Cregger explained that the delays resulted in having to start over with the ensemble.

"This is what happens, right? 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."

Pascal was ultimately replaced by Oscar-nominee Josh Brolin ("No Country for Old Men"), with the star-studded cast also including the likes of Julia Garner ("Ozark"), Benedict Wong ("Doctor Strange"), Alden Ehrenreich ("Solo: A Star Wars Story"), and Amy Madigan ("Uncle Buck"). This cast, impressive though it may be, wasn't the one that Cregger originally had in mind. Losing Pascal forced a great deal of change.

"Weapons" has been met with great reviews out of the gate. The film picks up in a small town after all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanishes on the same night at exactly the same time. The community is then left to question who — or what — is behind their disappearance.

Frustrating though it may have been, it's not hard to see why Zach Cregger had to start over. For one, many actors' schedules got thrown out of whack thanks to the 2023 strikes, as the Writers Guild of America also went on strike that year. When the dust settled, it was a mad scramble for talent and schedules. Pedro Pascal committed to playing Reed Richards in Marvel's "Fantastic Four: First Steps," which also stars Julia Garner as the Silver Surfer, somewhat ironically. The actor also had his continued work on HBO's "The Last of Us" and the upcoming film "The Mandalorian & Grogu." Fitting this horror flick into his busy schedule just wasn't in the cards.

Beyond the scheduling nightmare with a lead actor, there's chemistry to consider. Pascal is a different actor from Josh Brolin, and pairing him with Garner wasn't what the director had in mind. So, he just had to piece together a new cast. Despite the scramble, everything worked out as Cregger now has another critical hit to his name, thanks in no small part to the great cast he put together. Who knows? Maybe Pascal and Cregger can find a way to reunite in the future, be it on the director's forthcoming "Resident Evil" reboot or something else entirely. They're both likely not going anywhere anytime soon.

"Weapons" is in theaters now.