Adam Wingard, known for his recent work on the Godzilla x Kong blockbusters, is returning to his indie roots with Onslaught, a new A24 sci-fi horror film starring Adria Arjona. The movie, set in the stark New Mexico desert, follows Celeste (Arjona), a former Army sniper trying to raise her young daughter Daisy (Blake Kennedy) in a remote trailer park. When three super-soldier experiments escape from a nearby government compound, Celeste must use every combat skill she has to protect her daughter and survive the night.
In a recent interview with Collider's Steve Weintraub, Wingard and Arjona discussed the ultra-bloody production, the freezing temperatures in Albuquerque, and how Wingard wrote specific roles for '80s icons Michael Biehn and Reginald VelJohnson. The film also stars Dan Stevens and Drew Starkey.
Wingard's '80s Childhood Heroes
Wingard, who grew up in the '80s, has always been a fan of action and horror icons from that era. He revealed that he wrote the roles for Biehn and VelJohnson specifically with them in mind. "I grew up watching these guys," Wingard said. "Michael Biehn in Aliens and The Terminator, Reginald VelJohnson in Die Hard and Family Matters – they were my heroes. To have them in this movie is a dream come true."
Biehn, who plays a grizzled military veteran in Onslaught, has already expressed his excitement about the film, calling it "a wild ride" and saying it feels like Aliens. Wingard hopes this is just the beginning, and that audiences will embrace the film enough to warrant a sequel.
Adria Arjona's Messy, Tough Heroine
Arjona, who has impressed in films like Hit Man and Blink Twice, takes on a very different role in Onslaught. Wingard explained that he wasn't looking for an actor who had already played a tough character; he was looking for someone who could embody the messiness and grit of Celeste. "When I met Adria, I saw this aspect of her that I hadn't seen on screen," Wingard said. "She's got this toughness and this messiness that I knew would be perfect."
Arjona laughed, adding, "I'm a messy girl. It was my truck – when you saw me driving my truck, you knew I could do this."
Brutal Chainsaw Scene in Freezing Cold
One of the most intense scenes in Onslaught involves Arjona using a chainsaw to cut off a super-soldier's leg, with blood splattering all over her face. Arjona described the experience: "It was a hose, pretty much. They're just hosing and splattering blood all over my face. It got in my eye, it got in my nose, it got in my mouth. It got everywhere."
The shoot was also brutally cold, with temperatures well below freezing. "It was like minus I-don't-know-what degrees outside," Arjona recalled. "And he called cut, and I was like, 'Oh my God, should we do it again? Please, let's do it again.' He's like, 'Nope, nope. We got it.' So that was just one take. At least he spared me."
Wingard added that the cold was a challenge for the entire cast and crew, but it added to the gritty, visceral feel of the film. "You can see the breath in the air, which gives it this raw, survivalist quality," he said.
A Return to Wingard's Roots
Onslaught marks a return to the kind of genre filmmaking that made Wingard's name with You're Next and The Guest. The film has been praised for its gory, relentless action and its nod to '80s classics. For fans of Wingard's earlier work, this is a welcome return.
If you're excited about Onslaught, you might also want to check out our review of the film, which calls it a wild ride. And for more on Michael Biehn's thoughts, see his interview about the film.
Onslaught is set to hit theaters in September 2026, and with its blend of '80s nostalgia and modern action, it's shaping up to be one of the most anticipated genre films of the year.
