Resident Evil: Everything We Know About The Zach Cregger Movie

Much like the undead in the video games, the "Resident Evil" film franchise never stays dead. Say what you want about the overall quality of the movies, but there's no denying the fact that they have brought in over $1.2 billion at the global box office. "Barbarian" and "Weapons" director Zach Cregger also jumped at the opportunity to visit Raccoon City, but his film isn't a straight-up adaptation of what takes place in Capcom's in-game world.

Cregger's films love to defy expectations, keeping everyone guessing about plot twists and themes until the day of release. Remember all those harebrained theories about "Weapons," for example? It wasn't until people sat down in the actual theater and watched the horror unfold in real time that they truly understood the filmmaker's intent and wild vision.

When it comes to Cregger, the audience turns into the Frodo Baggins meme where Elijah Wood's Hobbit tells Gandalf, "All right, then. Keep your secrets," since the surprise is inevitably worth it in the end. Having said that, we're all a little nosy around these parts, so let's explore everything that we know about Cregger's "Resident Evil" movie.

In January 2025, news broke that Zach Cregger was set to direct and co-write (with Shay Hatten) an all-new "Resident Evil" movie. This turned out to be quite the story, since Cregger had developed a reputation for being one of the brightest new voices in the horror genre. Zombie maestro George A. Romero had been linked with the "Resident Evil" franchise in the late '90s, but his film never materialized; now, the franchise would have another shot under a modern master of horror.

It wasn't only good news for fans, though, as the industry went into a tailspin about the possibilities, too. Even though "Weapons" hadn't been released at that point, the buzz around town was that it was good — very good, in fact. It also turned out to be an accurate assessment, as the film garnered critical acclaim and turned into one of the biggest box office hits of summer 2025.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, four studios engaged in a bidding war for the right to distribute Cregger's "Resident Evil." Think about this for a second: Not a single frame of footage had been shot for the movie yet, but everybody wanted in on the action based purely on Cregger and Hatten's script. That's how confident the studios were in Cregger's ability to deliver. In the end, Sony won the bid.

Put aside any personal feelings about the "Resident Evil" movies for a moment. Whether you love them or hate them, you can't deny that they have become a part of the pop culture zeitgeist. Even the people who haven't played the games have likely watched one of the films at some point. Well, almost everybody.

Appearing on "Double Toasted" in September 2025, Zach Cregger made a startling revelation. "I'm a huge fan of the games," he said. "Now I've never seen a 'Resident Evil' movie, so I imagine that if there are rabid fans of the movie franchise, they're probably not really prepared for what I'm going to be doing. But I think the people that are fans of the games are probably going to be stoked."

Cregger's comments actually went down well among the "Resident Evil" community. On Reddit, one commentator wrote, "I think he's the first person involved in an RE film that understands RE." While not everybody hated the previous films, the overall consensus is that the movies never captured the essence of the video game series, so they would rather have an original film that is more in line with the games than the movies.

"Resident Evil" fans have seen live-action versions of fan-favorite video game characters like Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, and Leon S. Kennedy in previous movies. While it's debatable if these versions of the characters have lived up to expectations, they still exist in some shape or form.

However, Zach Cregger stated that he didn't plan to use any characters from the games for one specific reason. "It is obedient to the lore of the games, it's just a different story," Cregger told Inverse. "I'm not going to tell Leon's story, because Leon's story is told in the games. [Fans] already have that."

It's the never-ending debate about adaptations, isn't it? If there's something done right in one medium, what's the point of trying to repeat it elsewhere? Then there's the other issue that's become the plague of fandom: casting outrage. Look at how there was nonsense and vitriol over what the cast of "The Last of Us" should look like. Someone will inevitably complain because a living, breathing human being doesn't look identical to a 3D fictional character, and somehow this ruins the experience. Maybe Cregger makes the right choice in leaving these beloved characters alone.

While there's always panic when a director says they're doing their own thing with an adaptation, Zach Cregger insisted from the get-go that his "Resident Evil" is still set in the same world as the video game, even if it doesn't have the same characters. Don't expect to see the t-Virus on Mars ... for now.

"It's true to the experience of the games," Cregger told "Double Toasted." "It takes place in the world of the games, but most importantly, the journey you'll have as a viewer of watching the movie is going to be similar to the journey you have as a player when you play these games. And what that means is it follows one protagonist from point A to point B as they just descend deeper and deeper and deeper into hell."

To be fair, the other "Resident Evil" movies have deviated from the video game series, too, often venturing down their unique paths. The games aren't any different, as the series has shown constant reinvention, such as what occurred with the introduction of Ethan Winters and his arc in "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" and "Resident Evil Village." Therefore, canon is in the eye of the beholder. What Cregger does in his "Resident Evil" movie isn't entirely new for this franchise.

Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil" movie features a familiar face to those who loved "Weapons" and "Euphoria." In March 2025, Austin Abrams was rumored to have been circling a role in the film, and his participation was eventually confirmed later on. In addition to this, Cregger spoke about Abrams' involvement in "Resident Evil" in an interview with Ringer Movies in August 2025.

"['Resident Evil'] is for me to play," the filmmaker said. "It's for me to turn my brain off and make like an 'Evil Dead 2.' Like get crazy with the camera. Austin Abrams, who played James [in 'Weapons'], is going to be my guy. Austin is the movie. I love Austin. We had an amazing thing together, and I think it's a weird, fun, just, like wild, wild story."

The rest of the cast has also started to take shape. Abrams was cast alongside "Severance" actor Zach Cherry, Kali Reis from "True Detective," Johnno Wilson from "Twisted Metal," and Paul Walter Hauser from "Black Bird" and "Cobra Kai."