After the success of “Weapons,” Zach Cregger has directed a “Resident Evil” movie. In fact, Sony paid him $20M to helm this reboot, and they gave full and total control to the filmmaker to do whatever the hell he wanted with the IP.
I come with promising news. A test screening recently occurred for “Resident Evil,” and it went very well, with reactions strongly positive. Early word is that Cregger hasn’t just made another video game adaptation — he’s delivered something lean, mean, and very confident. The runtime is 90 minutes, and it’s apparently all gas, no brakes. The film is said to be almost entirely built around tension. One attendee I spoke to called it a horror version of ‘Fury Road.’
The story follows Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, a package delivery driver tasked with transporting a mysterious briefcase to Raccoon City Hospital during a deadly virus outbreak. Abrams is basically playing the same kind of character he did in “Weapons” — a slightly off-kilter, druggie-type who gets thrown into chaos. It’s not meant to be a deep performance, and that’s the point. The character works more like a player avatar, just moving from one nightmare scenario to the next.
Cregger is said to pull off A-level genre filmmaking almost effortlessly. The movie prioritizes momentum over exposition, with minimal character development and a heavy emphasis on forward motion. Monsters show up often, practical effects dominate, and the set pieces are front and center. The environments are very much in line with the early games.
The scope is also small and contained. Instead of a sprawling mythology, Cregger keeps the cast tight and the focus narrow. There’s almost zero world building. Early reactions say it’s far more cinematic than previous “Resident Evil” movies, with strong visual framing and practical effects doing most of the work.
In a nutshell, one attendee described the film as being about a “massive druggie in a zombie world.” To be clear, the movie has practically nothing to do with the games, aside from a few Easter eggs and some recognizable monsters. It’s also very gory, and will absolutely get an “R” rating.
Interestingly, Cregger recently admitted he never watched the earlier 2000s “Resident Evil” films, which has already caused some pushback from hardcore fans. He’s also been clear that his version won’t strictly follow the established lore. Instead, he’s cited “Evil Dead II” as a tonal influence, which makes sense given the mix of horror, speed, and chaos.
If the buzz holds, Cregger may have delivered something rare, a video game adaptation that embraces simplicity, keeps things tight, and just goes for it. Sony clearly has confidence in the project. The studio has set “Resident Evil” for a September 18, 2026 theatrical release.
McDonagh’s last film was ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ released in 2022, which received nine Oscar nominations. His other works include “In Bruges,” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”