Zach Cregger became a horror icon overnight, and now he hasResident Evilin his sights. The iconic series has undergone several evolutions in its native medium, but its on-screen portrayal has always lacked something critical. Of all the video game movies out there, Capcom’s series seems to come back again and again, no matter how rough the last one turned out. Still, Cregger seems like a massive fan and a perfect visionary to helm the project. A single quote in his statement at Cinemacon sheds some light on the clever setup of hisResident Evilmovie and draws connections to one of the best action movies of recent memory.
Resident Evilis a horror franchisewith a firm hand on the action genre. One could almost imagine Capcom putting a hand on the slider that controls either tone and picking a new position with each iteration. Any adaptation of the franchise that doesn’t liberally apply genuine scares, pulse-pounding action, and an eternally shifting power balance is simply incomplete. Fans already know all of that very well, because the previous cinematic and streaming attempts never seem to find the right position. Maybe Zach Cregger will finally figure it all out.
Zach Cregger and Shay Hatten
Austin Abrams and Mikey Madison
Alleged Release Date
July 03, 2025
Zach Cregger and Shay Hatten’sscript for a brand-newResident Eviladaptation ignited a bit of a fight between studios, eventually concluding with Sony keeping the rights. The film’s first public announcement came with a promised release date of next September and a rumored star inWolfs' Austin Abrams. Cregger has kept the script a closely guarded secret, but he’s been happy to talk about his history as a fan of the series. He spoke to the audience at Cinemacon on the subject, building considerable hype without so much as a teaser, and summed up his take on the franchise in a single quote (viaDeadline):
“My movie will be built in the spirit of those games and follows one central protagonist from point A to point B, as they descend deeper into hell.”
He celebrated the games' ability to create tension, placing players in a moment that forces them to look down a dark hallway, consider their tiny supply of ammunition, and move forward regardless ofwhat they know awaits them. They’re games about survival, but that concept runs deeper than resource management or effective application of violence. It’s about the drive it takes to see a potentially dangerous scenario and decide to press onward.Cregger’sResident Evilwillmirror the game’s choice to follow characters who must will themselves to fight their way through impossible scenarios. There are other films that have perfectly captured that idea.
Gareth Evans
Stars
Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian, Donny Alamsyah, and Ray Sahetapy
Release Date
Jul 25, 2025
The Raid: Redemptionis, in many ways, the defining action movie of the 2010s. Its influence on every element of the genre worldwide is inarguable. It’s the kind of moviethat cements its starsin the fabric of similar projects for years, ensuring fans will see even the minor characters pop up elsewhere. That success is partially owed to the film’s blessed simplicity. Iko Uwais stars as Rama, one of several Jakarta special ops officers on their way to raid a drug lord’s apartment complex. Once there, they almost immediately raise the alarm and find themselves fighting through a seemingly endless army of dangerous criminals. Like the protagonists of anyResident Evilgame, the protagonists are a group of trained cops/soldiers entering a situation and quickly becoming overwhelmed. Most of them die, but some manage to beat the odds through skill, speed, and force of will. There’s evena borderline unstoppable bossin the form of Mad Dog. It might not be a mansion, but the apartment block is almost certainly an evil residence.
Borrowing fromThe Raidis fairly common in modern action movies, much like borrowing fromDie Harda decade or two ago. It’s much less common in horror, butThe Raidis only separated from the genre by virtue of its protagonist’s physical capabilities. That same distinction arguablyapplies to theResident Evilfranchise already. It’s an inherently visceral, pulse-pounding action-horror franchise that even sometimes includes martial arts combat.The Raidis a perfect comparison point for aResident Evilmovie, perhaps even more so than any given George Romero film.
Of course, Cregger didn’t referenceThe Raidin relation to hisResident Evilmovie. Instead, he noted one of the key aspects of the game series that just happens to alignwith Gareth Evans' stellar 2011 film. However, that comparison still stands out as a great way to give hope to the fanbase. Fans have seenResident Evilmovies borrow from other projects, but they’ve never seen someone nail that all-important “awful moment where you have to will yourself” like Cregger seems to want to.The Raidis the perfect inspiration for that guiding suggestion.
