Zach Cregger did not want to make a movie about Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield. When the director behind Barbarian and Weapons signed on to reboot Resident Evil for Sony Pictures, he made a decision that shocked longtime fans: his protagonist would be a nobody. A medical courier named Bryan, played by Austin Abrams, who has never fired a gun and has no idea what he is walking into.
The film hits theaters on September 18, 2026, but the story of how it came together reveals a filmmaker determined to capture the feeling of playing the games rather than simply adapting their plots. From 150-pound blood bags nearly killing his lead actor to a 2,000-pound practical monster puppet, Cregger’s Resident Evil is shaping up to be one of the most physically demanding productions in the franchise’s history.
The Pitch That Started It All
The origins of Cregger’s involvement trace back to the making of Barbarian. While wrapping that film, producer Roy Lee asked Cregger whether there was a video game franchise he would ever want to tackle. Cregger had one answer. “The only one I’d wanna do would be Resident Evil,” he told Polygon. Lee told him to get started.
What followed was, by Cregger’s own account, the fastest writing he had ever done. He wrote the screenplay without restraint, operating under the assumption that no studio would ever let him make an expensive Resident Evil movie on his own terms. “I just wanted to have a blast and write my favorite Resident Evil movie,” he said.
Rather than writing a speculative script, Cregger pitched the entire story directly to Constantin Film, the company that has held the screen rights to Resident Evil since the late 1990s. He told them the beginning, middle, and end. “I basically told them the story,” Cregger recalled. “But I didn’t write it because I knew they had to bless it, or it wasn’t going to exist”. Constantin said yes, and the project moved forward with a theatrical release date set for September 18, 2026.
An Original Story Set Alongside Resident Evil 2
Cregger has been clear from the start that his film is not a direct adaptation of any single game. Instead, it tells an entirely original story that runs parallel to the events of Resident Evil 2. The protagonist, Bryan, is a medical courier tasked with delivering an organ to Raccoon City when the outbreak hits. He becomes an everyman avatar for the player, stumbling through chaos with no combat skills and limited resources.
“It’s an entirely original story,” Cregger told Entertainment Weekly. “When you watch it, you’ll be like, ‘This is very Zach.’ It’s just that it takes place in the Resident Evil world”.
The approach mirrors Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which introduced a new protagonist in Ethan Winters and largely disconnected from the main series lore. Cregger has cited Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 7 as major influences on the film’s atmosphere and mechanics. The film even incorporates video game-style resource management, with Cregger noting, “You’ll know how many bullets he has in his gun. You’ll care when he wastes one”.
Practical Effects That Nearly Turned Deadly
Cregger’s commitment to practical effects over CGI led to one of the most dangerous moments on set. For a scene where infected bodies rain down on Raccoon City, the special effects team rigged 150-pound bags filled with liquid blood to drop from cranes. The bags were designed to explode on impact with the ground.
During Austin Abrams’ running sequence, one of the prop bags fell prematurely and landed just centimeters from the actor. “It would’ve killed him,” Cregger said at San Diego Comic-Con. “If he had been one step to the right, he would’ve died. The shot is in the movie, so it’s f—ing worth it”.
The production also built a 2,000-pound creature puppet for a major monster sequence, signaling that Cregger’s Resident Evil will rely heavily on physical effects. Sony Pictures even released a behind-the-scenes video showing Cregger directing a giant, blood-filled bubble bursting on set, with the director looking visibly delighted at the practical effect.
Austin Abrams: The Only Choice for Bryan
Cregger knew Austin Abrams was his Bryan while they were shooting Weapons. Abrams had a smaller role in that film as James, the neighborhood addict whose frantic escape became one of the movie’s most memorable sequences. While editing Weapons, Cregger texted Abrams out of the blue with the Resident Evil script.
“I thought he just wanted notes or my thoughts. Genuinely,” Abrams recalled. Cregger was direct about his reasoning: “There was not another actor that I was considering. We had such a good time on Weapons, and I just knew he was perfect for it”.
Abrams admitted he never played the Resident Evil games because they frightened him too much. “I would try to play them and then just get too freaked out,” he said. But he understood the character immediately. Cregger described Bryan as “an avatar for me, or what I expect the average video game player to be”.
Fan Backlash and Cregger’s Response
The first trailer for Resident Evil drew mixed reactions. Some longtime fans were upset that the film does not follow the established game storylines or feature iconic characters like Leon Kennedy or Jill Valentine. Social media reactions included comments like, “So, this is basically a generic horror movie, and they just slapped the Resident Evil name on it”.
Cregger has addressed the skepticism head-on, comparing the experience to running for office. “I feel like I’m running for office trying to get Resident Evil fans not to call me a LARPer,” he told IGN. He has consistently maintained that his film is a love letter to the experience of playing the games, not a recreation of their plots.
The strategy appears to be working. Early reactions from screenings of the film’s first 30 minutes have been largely positive, with critics praising its relentless pacing, dark humor, and game-inspired tension. Mashable called it “chaotic, gory, hilarious, and unapologetically bold,” while Rue Morgue described it as “arguably the best film ever derived from a video game”.
Related:
A One-Off That Could Become More
Cregger has said his Resident Evil was designed as a one-off and that he does not plan to tackle another franchise after this. “That’s it for me,” he stated. Yet he has also admitted that ideas for a continuation are already percolating. “I can’t help myself,” he said. “There are always ideas percolating, and I already have some thoughts of like what could happen going forward. So who knows, dude; anything can happen”.
For now, the focus remains on September 18, when audiences will finally see whether Cregger’s gamble pays off. The film stars Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, Paul Walter Hauser, and Johnno Wilson. It is produced by Constantin Film, PlayStation Productions, and Vertigo Entertainment, with Shay Hatten co-writing the screenplay.
Also Read: Resident Evil Review: Austin Abrams Shines in Zach Cregger’s Wild Reboot
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on the biggest releases in horror and entertainment.
Leave a Reply