Summary
The newResident Evilfilm reboot is set to release on August 02, 2025, and it’s confirmed that Zach Cregger will co-write and direct the upcoming adaptation. Cregger gained notoriety from his writing and directorial debut forThe Barbarian(2022), a cult hit that instantly made Cregger a respected name in the horror genre. When announcing his second title,Weapons, he sparked a bidding war for the project, which was eventually won by Warner’s New Line division.
Cregger helming the newResident EvilReboot has sparked intrigue among fans. TheResident Evilfilm series, directed byPaul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich, was widely regarded by fans of the game as very poor adaptations that strayed very far from the unique soul of the game series. After the film series eventually concluded in 2016, there was another attempt in 2021 to adapt the franchise for the big screen in the form ofResident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City,which fared even worse with fans. So with that track record, it’s interesting that Constantin Film (the studio that madethe six Paul W.S. Anderson films) have decided to try again, but this choice of director could suggest they have listened to the feedback and are venturing out for their third attempt.
At this point, very little is known about the actual film itself. However,The Hollywood Reporter has suggestedthat this adaptation will remain more faithful to the games. Cregger is currently scouting locations in Europe, which already suggests that he’s going in a different direction to the preceding adaptations. The narrative of the Paul W.S. Anderson films strayed very far from the game’s, but it started out based in Raccoon City. As didResident Evil:Welcome to Raccoon City(obviously), which combined the narratives of theResident Evil1 and 2 games.
If the main location for the upcoming film is going to be somewhere in Europe, then it’s a pretty safe bet that the film will be based around one of the otherResident Evilgames in the series that hasn’t yet been previously adapted. Or it could focus on an entirely new story set somewhere in Europe, but based on the rumors that the game will be more faithful to the source material, this is unlikely. Raccoon City is a fictional place based on an all-American (potentially Midwest) town. So it’s very likelythe iconic city will not make a reappearancein Cregger’s adaptation, meaning fans can mostly rule outResident Evil1-3 as the film’s inspiration. So what other options are there from the game series to borrow from?
Option 1: Resident Evil 4
The originalResident Evil 4and the remake are considered amongResident Evilfans as one of, if not,the best entries in the series. The game is set somewhere in rural Spain, and sees Leon Kennedy on a mission to save the president’s daughter, Ashley Graham, after she is kidnapped by a religious cult under the influence of a mind-controlling parasite. The plot of the game sounds like it would be a perfect fit for a big-screen action adventure zombie horror film. After all, that is what theResident Evilgames attempt to emulate, especially in the case ofResident Evil 4. Fans would get a new story with a fresh location but a familiar face in Leon Kennedy, a fan favorite andsymbol of the franchise.
Option 2: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Resident Evil 7: Biohazardwas the seventh main addition to theResident Evilfranchise, and it came after the release ofResident Evil5 and 6, which left fans a little disappointed with how far removed the gameplay was from its original survival horror origins.Biohazard was much more stripped back and focused, featuring only one location and a new protagonist, Ethan Winters, searching for his missing wife. The team working onBiohazardtook inspiration from the1981 horror filmThe Evil Deadto help get a more classic survival horror-based feel, meaning it could be the perfect game to bring back to cinema.
Zach Cregger recently described his take on Resident Evil at CinemaCon (viaDeadline), saying “There’s a moment that comes in every moment of everyResident Evilgame where you find yourself standing in the mouth of a dark passageway. One shot in the gun is left, you know that something horrible is waiting for you in that darkness, that awful moment where you have to will yourself. That’s something that everyResident Evilgame has perfected and has kept me and millions of other players returning to the series for decades.” That’s certainly a promising outlook for what kind of movie fans can expect, but it was what he said next that may indicate leaning toward a Resident Evil 7 type setting:
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.
That certainly sounds like the premise ofBiohazard, which saw Ethan Winters descending further into darkness and more frightening circumstances as he attempted to escape the Baker family home.
Some fans may be thinking to themselves, “Wasn’tBiohazardset in Louisiana?” and they would be absolutely right. However, unlike the game’s featuring Raccoon City, the location featured inBiohazardisn’t as inherently American, and could be filmed somewhere in rural Europe. The main location inBiohazardthat Ethan explores is a derelict plantation set somewhere in the countryside. Additionally, the game’s gray swampy aesthetic isn’t too dissimilar toResident Evil 4’s, which, as we know, was set in Spain, so if Cregger is scouting for a Biohazard-type location, it’s possible that Europe would be a good fit for one.
Option 3: Resident Evil 8: Village
Resident Evil: Villageis the most recent installation in the franchise and introduces a new villain, Lady Dimitrescu, in a castle setting somewhere in Eastern Europe. The location of the game makes it a contender as a possible influence for the upcoming adaptation. It would make sense to adapt this film as it is the game’s most recent release, soit’s fresh in the minds of the players. However,Villageis a sequel toBiohazardand continues with Ethan Winters' story where he is now looking for his kidnapped daughter. So, if Cregger does decide on exploring Ethan’s story arc, it would make more sense to start with Biohazard, so audiences have a full understanding of the character and his motivation.
Whatever direction Cregger decides to take on the upcomingResident Evilfilm reboot, fans can expect something new and fresh. And with Cregger’s proven skills in the horror genre, they can also have faith in his abilities to giveResident Evilthe faithful film adaptation it has been waiting a very long time to receive.
