So, as you know, Zach Cregger, coming off the immense success of “Weapons,” has directed a “Resident Evil” movie. In fact, Sony paid him $20M to helm this reboot, and it appears they gave full and total control to the filmmakers to do whatever the hell he wanted with the IP.
According to Constantin Film CEO Oliver Berben, via Deadline, Cregger’s film is a “complete new set-up” of the Resident Evil franchise that is “far away from everything that is connected to Resident Evil, only because Zach Cregger has his own style.”
Furthermore, Cregger was given “carte blanche to do whatever he wanted to do with that IP.” Berben added that “we are creating something new, not just a new story idea, but to allow a new generation to take the IP into their own hands and form something different“
This is great news. Cregger recently admitted having not seen any of those mediocre ‘Resident Evil’ movies starring Milla Jovovich in the aughts, which already added to the pushback he’s received from the game’s hardcore fans after he recently made it clear that his take would not strictly follow the established lore. If anything, he admits his reboot will take as an influence Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead II.”
“Resident Evil” has a history of misfires on screen: the early films led by Jovovich veered heavily from the games. I only saw the first two, and they were damn-near unwatchable. Some of you may be fans, or grew up with these movies, but the fact of the matter is that Paul WS Anderson directed them in atrocious fashion.
Cregger is co-writing the script with Shay Hatten (“Army of the Dead”), and early rumors suggest the story will return to the franchise’s horror roots, focusing on a down-on-his-luck courier caught in the middle of a viral apocalypse while delivering a package to a remote hospital. Austin Abrams has the lead role.
This new Resident Evil movie follows the seven previous movies, all critically panned at the time, which grossed over $1.2B worldwide. It’s time to revitalize the zombie genre, and there’s no better director out there right now to make it happen.
Sony has scheduled “Resident Evil” for a September 18, 2026, theatrical release.
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