Standing on the tightrope of Hollywood's greatest rise-and-fall stories, Pedro Pascal briefly appeared unstoppable, taking off from breakout performances in Game of Thrones and Narcos to international stardom as the star of The Mandalorian, The Last of Us, and Marvel's new Mister Fantastic. But when conflicting schedules wrought by strike delays pushed him off Weapons, a scintillating new horror thriller, social media critics erupted, albeit not on the movie itself, but at the prospect of what could have been. 

Weapons, premiering to an unusual 100% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, has the internet going wild in reviews and excitement over Pascal's absence. Fans remain as unhinged as usual, calling Pascal's exit from the movie "the best thing to have happened" to it. Meanwhile, Josh Brolin is earning high praise for his smoldering performance. Horror fans are already flocking to websites to purchase tickets for the movie as they are in awe of the movie's flawless reviews, uncommon for the genre itself. 

Pedro Pascal was initially set to star in Weapons, which is a 2025 mystery-horror film written by, produced by, and directed by Zach Cregger, based on a chilling small-town mysterious occurrence. The sole survivor, and the eerie enigma behind the sudden disappearance of students, turns a town upside-down. Pascal was initially cast to play Archer Graff, but escalating SAG-AFTRA strike-related delays and schedule conflicts led to his departure. Later, director Cregger spoke out, saying, "Pascal’s schedule threw us into turmoil," and he had to recast the entire movie, per Entertainment Weekly.

Pedro Pascal Lands Key Role in 'Avengers: Doomsday', Here’s Why Reed Richards Will Matter More Than Ever

With its gripping storyline rife with grief and suspense and Brolin's jaw-dropping acting, fans are barely noticing Pascal's absence.

Weapons fired up to critical acclaim as of late July, even without Pedro Pascal, which is making some fans wonder how the star is locked in for an unusually high number of projects at the same time. Pascal's 2025 lineup already included powerhouse films such as The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Materialists, and Eddington. Meanwhile, some fans are criticizing the director for prioritizing Pascal's casting, which ended up causing a delay in the production. Most of the fans are caught thinking, "Why is this guy everywhere?" and expressing deep sighs of Pedro Pascal fatigue.

Meanwhile, several fans of horror movies are more keen on appreciating the film, earning the highest rating for a movie in the genre in about ten years. Expectations are running high as people are predicting Weapons to have a flawless screenplay and breathtaking performances from the new cast.

Though Pedro Pascal's availability disintegrated, and the original cast dropped through in a mishap, the movie could achieve immense success, tells its sensational premiere. Charged with enigma, fear, and critical consensus, Weapons is a breakout horror spectacle of 2025. As for Pascal, the success of the film serves to highlight an individual regret: exiting a potentially iconic role. Meanwhile, the sudden surge in backlash for Pascal continues as online critics highlight his unresolved controversies, such as his uncouth, handsy behavior with his female co-stars, as fans like to describe it. 

What Are Pedro Pascal Anxiety Memes? How Did He Go From Being Internet’s Favorite to a Creep?

What are your thoughts on Pedro Pascal's exit from Weapons? And have you already booked the tickets? Tell us in the comments below.