Resident Evil has had a weird history with adaptations. Some have stuck very close to the source material, while others have greatly diverged from their video game inspiration. A new Resident Evil movie is in development from Zach Cregger, the director of Barbarian and the upcoming horror movie Weapons. Cregger talked about Resident Evil in a new interview with SFX magazine (via GamesRadar+), revealing a long history with the series. Despite his passion for the source material, Cregger says that the movie may feature some deviations from the established lore.
“I am a gigantic Resident Evil game fan. I’ve played them all. I don’t know how many times I’ve just looped [RE4] again and again. I just love it. I’m definitely not trying to be completely obedient to the lore of the games; I’m trying to tell a story that just feels authentic to the experience you get when you play the games,” Cregger told SFX magazine. “I don’t think I’m breaking any major rules, but I also recognize that no matter what I do, people are going to come for me online. So all I want to do is just make a really good movie and tell a story that’s compelling. I know that I’m gonna be happy with the movie, and hopefully other people will, too.”
When it comes to adaptations, faithfulness to the source material does not always lead to the best movie. The plot of 2021’s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City stuck pretty closely to the first two Resident Evil video games, but the actual movie was a critical and commercial disappointment. We don’t know what Cregger will do with his movie just yet, but it might not be a bad thing if it tries to do something different with the Resident Evil IP. As long as Cregger manages to strike the tone of the games, that’s going to be a lot more important to fans.
Cregger’s movie will actually mark the eighth live-action theatrical take on Resident Evil. Prior to Welcome to Raccoon City, Paul W.S. Anderson directed six movies featuring Milla Jovovich’s original character, Alice. On top of that, a live-action Resident Evil series was released on Netflix in 2022. After so many different takes on the source material, most Resident Evil fans probably won’t mind if Cregger’s movie doesn’t align perfectly with Capcom’s established lore, as long as it ends up being fun to watch.
Hopefully Cregger can deliver the first truly great live-action Resident Evil. Barbarian put Cregger on the map as a horror director, and Weapons looks incredibly promising from everything revealed thus far. It’s possible Resident Evil could continue a streak for the director, but fans will have to wait until 2026 to see his take on the material, and just how it might reflect the games that inspired it.
Are you planning to check out Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil movie? Do you want it to be faithful to the video games? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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