Resident Evil is becoming one of the more polarizing releases of the year. Many fans of the previous movies and video games are rejecting Zach Cregger‘s direction, but his creative decisions will benefit mass audiences and Hollywood.
Following the success of Weapons, Cregger’s next movie will be Resident Evil, based on Capcom’s beloved video game franchise. Cregger will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shay Hatten. Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier who must fight for his survival during a violent outbreak.
Why Zach Cregger’s new direction for Resident Evil is necessary
After the release of the first trailer, many fans complained that Cregger’s movie is a genre movie with horror and action elements, not a true Resident Evil. Leon Kennedy, the main character of several Resident Evil video games, is not present in Cregger’s movie. Instead of making a faithful adaptation of the video game, Cregger is taking the Resident Evil franchise in a new direction.
“I wanted this movie to tell the story of what would happen if some idiot like me were dropped into the world of a RE game,” Cregger said when explaining why Leon isn’t in the movie. “So Austin plays not some badass with combat experience like Leon but just an average dude. That makes his experience of moving through this hellscape way more interesting to me than somebody who’s psychologically equipped.”
Fans have continued to voice their displeasure after the release of the latest posters.
“Not a RE movie, just another spin off of the director’s universe with the name of Resident Evil to sell tickets,” @hammer wrote on X.
X user RazorDak wrote, “Without the ‘RESIDENT EVIL’ title would anybody look at these posters and think “Oh that’s a Resident Evil film?’”
Hollywood doesn’t need another Resident Evil movie that mirrors the story in the video game. There are movies starring Milla Jovovich and one reboot that features memorable characters from the games and plays out several of the storylines.
Financially, Jovovich’s movies grossed over $1 billion combined while the first reboot earned $42 million. However, all seven movies failed critically. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter has the highest Rotten Tomatoes score in the group at 38%.
An eighth movie that follows the same pattern would be overkill. Allowing Cregger to reboot the franchise his way is the creative reset this franchise needs.
Look at what Cregger did with Barbarian — positive reviews and a $45 million worldwide gross — and Weapons — an Oscar-winning horror that made $270 million worldwide. He deserves the freedom to make whatever Resident Evil movie he wants.
Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18, 2026.
