Director Zach Cregger has revealed that actor Pedro Pascal was originally set to star in his new horror film, Weapons, but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts caused by the Hollywood strikes, per deadline.com. The role of Archer Graff, a father searching for his missing child, ultimately went to Josh Brolin.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cregger explained the complicated domino effect that led to the recasting of his entire film. “I had a whole different cast for this movie,” he said. “And then we had the strike, and then Pedro Pascal’s schedule threw us into turmoil. I had to recast the entire movie.”
The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes caused significant production delays across the industry. For Weapons, this meant a complete overhaul of the cast, which also originally included Brian Tyree Henry and Renate Reinsve. “The strikes delayed us, and then when you delay, people’s schedules get conflicts, and then you’re back at square one,” Cregger added. “I bear no ill will towards anybody. We just kept getting delayed and delayed… So I had to start over again.”
Despite the setback, Pascal has had a busy year, starring in a number of high-profile projects where he’s taken on paternal roles. These include Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, A24’s Eddington, and HBO’s The Last of Us, as well as Celine Song’s film Materialists.
•Featured image: Pedro Pascal and Josh Brolin in ‘Weapons’/Noam Galai / Getty Images / Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
