Weapons director Zach Cregger stopped by Deadline’s Crew Call podcast, where he shared a few revealing insights about his upcoming Resident Evil film.
Cregger admitted that he’s never actually watched any of the various Resident Evil movies directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich that proceed his project.
That revelation came when he was asked what he might have changed about that era of films, to which he explained, "I've never seen a Resident Evil movie...Never seen it, but I've played the games, religiously. So I am intimately familiar with Resident Evil as a game franchise. I find it to be inherently cinematic and there's something about the structure of those games and the pacing of those games that is so thrilling to me. And I've never seen a movie really lean into what those games offer. "
"And so, I couldn't comment on what the previous movies do or don't do well. But I can say that I'm excited to make this movie because I love the 'slow-dread' that these games naturally exist in. And the idea to be able to make a narrative film with the video game's structure- to me, I can't believe it hasn't happened yet. It feels like this movie should have been made a really long time ago. I'm excited that I get to do it, and with a franchise that's so huge and so globally well-respected, it's a real honor to be able to do it."
Cregger’s Resident Evil adaptation reportedly centers on an unlucky delivery driver who shows up at a hospital for a routine drop-off, only to find themselves trapped in the middle of a rapidly unfolding T-virus outbreak.
The film is expected to center on an entirely original character rather than any of the well-known protagonists from Capcom’s long-running franchise.
That choice has left many Resident Evil fans scratching their heads.
While there was initial excitement when Cregger was announced as director, some of that enthusiasm has cooled now that it’s been revealed the movie will once again spotlight a new character instead of someone from the games’ established roster.
In previous interviews, the Barbarian director confirmed that his film will be set within the lore of Resident Evil games but won't follow any of the main characters of previous RE games.
"It is obedient to the lore of the games, it’s just a different story. I’m not going to tell Leon’s story, because Leon’s story is told in the games. [Fans] already have that," Cregger explained back in August.
It will be interesting to see if audiences flock to this adaptation, as video game movies are suddenly finding their footing after years of scorn and box office failures.
But there's definitely two schools of thought on how to approach these adaptations- either a 1:1 perfect remake of a particular game i.e. HBO's The Last of Us or Netflix's Castlevania series.
Other projects take a similar approach to what Cregger's describing, with an adaptation that channels the spirit of a game franchise but doesn't necessarily adapt a specific installment (Sonic the Hedgehog, The Super Mario Bros. Movie).
Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Army of the Dead) co-wrote the script alongside Cregger.
The film stars Austin Abrams (Weapons), along with Paul Walter Hauser (The Fantastic Four: First Steps), Zach Cherry (Fallout, Succession), Kali Reis (True Detective), and Johnno Wilson (Twisted Metal).
Based on leaked set photos and videos from the film's current shoot in Prague, the movie has a winter/snow setting.
To date, there have been six live-action films that starred Jovovich, along with a quickly-forgotten 2021 reboot, titled Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
More recently, Netflix released a 2022, 8-episode live-action TV series which starred the late Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker.
There have also been four CG anime feature-length films to date, which have featured Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Ada Wong, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Rebecca Chambers.