Following previous statements that his Resident Evil film reboot will not be “completely obedient” to the game’s lore, director Zach Cregger has doubled down on this decision, stating that he will not adapt any stories within the game’s narrative for the upcoming movie.
Speaking during an interview with Inverse, Cregger said that although his film will feature an original story, it’s “not breaking the rules of the games”, adding that he is “telling a story that is a love letter to the games.” His movie, then, is set to align with the overarching Resident Evil lore, but is set “outside of the characters of the games.”
“It’s just a different story,” he added, “I’m not going to tell Leon’s story, because Leon’s story is told in the games. [Fans] already have that.” Cregger’s latest comments do align with previous speculation by industry leaker Daniel Richtman, who suggested that the film will follow the story of a “hapless courier tasked with delivering a package to a remote hospital”, where he finds himself caught in the middle of an outbreak, with Euphoria’s Austin Abrams previously eyed for a leading role.
Despite this controversial decision, Cregger does have the filmmaking chops to back him, with the director’s recently released horror flick Weapons being a surprise hit for critics and fans alike, proving that he is more than capable of delivering a fresh take on the genre. Still, this is Resident Evil, though, and not an original IP, so Cregger will need to balance fan expectations when trying to present an original take, especially considering past entries like the Milla Jovovich-led film franchise and 2021’s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City all failed to capture the spirit of the games.
Whether his reboot will follow in the same unfortunate pattern of past films or if it will rise above and deliver a true Resident Evil game-to-screen take remains to be seen as it approaches its planned release date of 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.
Si Jia
