Another Resident Evil film adaptation is coming next year. And this time, it’ll be directed by Zach Cregger, director of Barbarian and the upcoming movie Weapons. Despite this horror pedigree, Cregger is keen to let people know that “he’s not trying to be completely obedient to the games.”
In an interview with SFX Magazine, Cregger explains a bit about his take on Resident Evil. He notes that he doesn’t think his film breaks “any major rules.” But at the same time, fans should brace themselves for changes.
And Cregger knows what it means to be a fan of the series, sharing that he’s “played them all.” He seems to have a particular love for Resident Evil 4, as he mentions playing that entry multiple times.
“I’m trying to tell a story that just feels authentic to the experience you get when you play the games. 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.”
It’s worth mentioning that Resident Evil has already seen both wildly divergent and faithful adaptations. 2002’s Resident Evil had very little to do with the original games. And yet, it did well enough to spawn several sequels. Meanwhile, the latest adaptation, 2021’s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, stayed fairly true to the plot of the first two games. But it didn’t do as well at the box office.
Neither film adaptation did particularly well critically. And while you could argue that critics aren’t the target audience for a stories about battling hordes of the undead, perhaps this adaptation will change that.
Cregger, previously known as a member of the sketch group Whitest Kids U’Know, made a splash with his horror film debut, Barbarian. The 2022 film proved popular with both critics and audiences. His second horror film, Weapons, arrives next month. If he goes two-for-two, it could bode well for Resident Evil next year.
And while horror fans can check out Weapons next month, Resident Evil fans will have another game to look forward to. Resident Evil 9: Requiem will arrive in February. We recently previewed the game, which we called “really freaking cool.”
