The official runtime for Zach Cregger’s upcoming Resident Evil adaptation has been revealed, with the film having a surprisingly tight duration of just one hour and 35 minutes.
As listed on AMC Theatres’ homepage, the film’s relatively short runtime makes sense considering Cregger’s previous comments during an interview with PlayStation, where he described the film as “following a character from point A to point B”, meaning it’s set to provide a more focused experience compared to the grandiose nature of past films like the Milla Jovovich-led franchise.
Starring Austin Abrams (Weapons) as original protagonist Bryan, the Resident Evil film centres on a medical courier who finds himself stuck in the middle of a zombie outbreak while on a delivery, and while its story is set during the events of 1998’s Resident Evil 2, it will exist seperately from the gaming universe, and thus will not feature any of the established characters from the iconic Capcom video game franchise, such as Leon Kennedy or Ada Wong.
With its short run-time, Cregger seems committed to delivering a fast-paced, action-packed story, which is exactly the kind of thrill fans of the franchise are yearning for. The film’s first trailer already has potential, teasing two new monstrosities, including a large humanoid figure that looks like a combination of The Duke from 2021’s Resident Evil Village and Mr X from 1998’s Resident Evil 2, a mysterious mutation with multiple limbs, and, of course, hordes of the undead, who are shown flinging themselves off a roof in its epic closing scene.
Alongside Abrams’ Bryan, Resident Evil will also star Zach Cherry (Severance) as a scientist at a hospital, Kali Reis (True Detective) as an ex-military character, Johnno Wilson (Twisted Metal), and Paul Walter Hauser (The Naked Gun), with the latter two in yet-to-be-revealed roles. The film is produced and co-financed by Constantin Film, with Cregger doubling up as writer alongside Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 4).
Resident Evil launches in theatres on 18 September 2026.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
