For most of the last two decades, the Resident Evil movies were defined by the six films directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, with Milla Jovovich in the leading role as Alice. Those movies made over $1 billion worldwide. However, the 2021 reboot, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, only earned $42 million worldwide.
Barbarian and Weapons director Zach Cregger has been given the reins for a brand-new Resident Evil movie. After co-founding the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U’ Know and starring in sitcoms, Cregger has emerged as one of the most successful horror directors of this generation. His involvement with this project sparked a bidding war, which was ultimately won by Sony Pictures, the studio that released the previous seven films in the franchise.
Many of the details about Cregger’s Resident Evil movie remain under wraps for now. But GameSpot has put together a guide to everything we know about the Resident Evil reboot so far.
Who is starring in Resident Evil?
Austin Abrams is currently the only (probably) confirmed cast member for the new film. Abrams recently worked with Cregger on Weapons, and he has some experience with zombies from his time on The Walking Dead. He is also known for his role as Ethan Daley in HBO’s Euphoria.
Will established Resident Evil heroes appear in the film?
Cregger has indicated that he isn’t planning to use any of the RE heroes in leading roles.
“I’m telling a story that is a love letter to the games and follows the rules of the games,” explained Cregger. “It is obedient to the lore of the games; it’s just a different story. I’m not going to tell Leon’s story, because Leon’s story is told in the games. [Fans] already have that.”
“[Resident Evil is] an original screenplay,” added Cregger in a separate interview. “It’s a weird story. I wrote it and I love the story. It has nothing to do with any of the other Resident Evil movies. If I do my job, it will feel fresh and edgy and weird.”
Will the tone of Resident Evil follow the example of the previous movies?
According to Cregger, he hasn’t seen any of the Resident Evil movies. Instead of following their example, he intends to recreate the tone of dread from the games.
“I haven’t seen the [earlier Resident Evil] movies, but they don’t seem to promise that feeling [of dread],” said Cregger. “So I wanted to write a story that would just really lean into that. Honor the games–be true to the lore of what’s going on. But I’m not telling any of the stories of the games. It’s a separate story that just happens to exist in that territory.”
“If there are people out there who are rabid fans of the movie franchise, they are probably not really prepared for what I am going to be doing. But I think fans of the games are going to be stoked,” he said.
In an interview with Double Toasted, Cregger said his Resident Evil movie will be “true to the experience” of the video games, and probably “lives in the world” of Resident Evil 2 and 3, but that it adheres more to the tone of Resident Evil 4. The game is not a direct adaptation of any Resident Evil game, however.
Cregger said the video games, too, don’t have a set lore and aren’t rigid with timelines or settings. “I don’t think I am taking any more liberties with this [movie] than the game franchise does. I think I am coloring within the lines,” he said.
“I’ve never seen a movie like it,” he added. “I am beyond excited making this.”
The director added that his sense of tone and his general filmmaking sensibilities honed with Barbarian and Weapons will come through in Resident Evil, albeit on a bigger scale and with a bigger budget.
“It takes place in the world of the games, but most importantly, the journey you’ll have as a viewer watching this movie is going to be similar to the journey you have as a player when you play these games. What that means is it follows one protagonist from point A to point B as they descend deeper and deeper and deeper into hell,” he said. “As someone who has played I don’t know how many thousands and thousands of hours of Resident Evil, I just feel like I know how that pacing can go, and it’s inherently cinematic. I feel like there is a great movie that can live inside this world and inside that sort of pacing. I am really, really pumped about the story that we get to tell here.”
Finally, Cregger confirmed the shooting schedule for Resident Evil, saying cameras are due to begin rolling this October in Prague and continue through the end of January 2026. Why Prague? Cregger cited the city’s generous tax rebates and other factors. “It’s the right place,” he said.
When will the new Resident Evil movie be released?
Resident Evil will hit theaters on September 18, 2026, just a few months after the game franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary.
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