Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ Reboot Sounds Nothing Like the Ones Before [Exclusive]

The last four years have been a whirlwind for Zach Cregger. Previously known for his comedic antics in the troupe The Whitest Kids U’Know, the performer has officially made a full cannonball jump into horror — much to the acclaim of critics and audiences alike. With his 2022 film Barbarian, Cregger broke the mold on what a genre feature could be and managed to one-up himself just last year with the release of Weapons. Now, with Weapons star Amy Madigan in line for an Academy Award, the filmmaker is onto his next task — bringing the universe of Resident Evil back to the big screen.

Converting beloved IP is a challenge for only the bravest souls, as fandoms can often get more than a little picky about their favorite stories. When it comes to Resident Evil, the movies that preceded Cregger’s upcoming adaptation have been largely hit or miss with the loyal following, meaning that he’s got his work cut out for him. Still, from everything we’ve learned so far, the production sounds like it will be a sure-fire, one-of-a-kind hit that will go down as perhaps the best installment in the franchise yet.

Our hopes have only been further bolstered thanks to a recent conversation between Collider’s Steve Weintraub and Resident Evil producer Roy Lee. During a chat about the latter’s upcoming serial killer thriller, Psycho Killer, Lee was happy to open up about Cregger’s vision for his take on the video game world, and it’s one that sounds incredibly promising for game players. “It’s one of these movies that it’s different than Weapons,” Lee said. “It’s like a roller coaster ride of nonstop action, of just showing a point of view of a character and an original story in the world of Raccoon City, where it’s like the experience of watching the movie is similar to the experience you would get playing the game, is what Zach is trying to do.”

Zach Cregger’s Dedication to the Craft Will Take a Front Seat in ‘Resident Evil’

As Weintraub points out during his discussion with Lee, Cregger’s distinctive eye for camera work is one of his best qualities as a filmmaker. Both Barbarian and Weapons took audiences on beautifully shot journeys with their characters, and it sounds as though Resident Evil will do the same.

“It’s just that he’s definitely spent a lot of time prepping various shots that will impress the audience in ways they’ve not seen things before,” Lee teased. “If you think about the progression of Zach’s movies, it’s went from a $4 million movie to a $38 million movie to now like an $80 plus million dollar movie, and each time the money’s going on screen.” From his earlier comments about the film following its protagonist (who will be played by Euphoria and Weapons alum, Austin Abrams), the focus of the camera will play a major part in Cregger’s vision coming to life.

When it comes to how the bigger budget will advance Cregger’s third feature-length title, Lee added, “It just gives him more days in order to shoot some of these really technical shots. To tell you would be ruining the pleasure of what you get seeing the movie.”

Resident Evil is slated for a cinematic release on September 18. Lee's latest production, Psycho Killer, slashes into cinemas on February 20.

Release Date September 18, 2026

Director Zach Cregger

Writers Zach Cregger, Shay Hatten