Warner Bros/CapcomWeapons director Zach Cregger has already lined up his next film: a Resident Evil movie that will be unlike any we’ve seen before.
Some people think the Resident Evil franchise has produced some of the best video game movies of all time, other people believe they’re among the worst (perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle).
If you’re hoping for a big-screen adaptation of any of the games, adjust your expectations: Cregger’s project will be an original story set in the world of the games, following a new character played by Austin Abrams (who plays James in Weapons).
Cregger has insisted that it’ll be a “love letter to the games and follow the rules of the games”, and in a new interview, he compared it to one of the best horror movies ever made.
Weapons director compares Resident Evil movie to Evil Dead 2
Speaking to Ringer Movies, Cregger said his Resident Evil movie won’t be comparable to Barbarian or Weapons. “It’s going to be a rock ’em, sock ’em… it’s for me to play. And turn my brain off and just make an… Evil Dead 2… get crazy with the camera,” he teased.
Cregger also confirmed that Abrams will star, though he didn’t divulge any details about its plot. According to a leaked synopsis, he’ll play “Bryan, a laid-back organ courier, [who is] sent on a late-night delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital.”
According to the director, the film “follows a person from point A to point B. It’s like a real-time journey, where you just go deeper and deeper into the depths of hell.”
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“And it’s really a love letter to the games. Because I love those games. This is a story that I would’ve wanted to write whether I got the IP or not. I just happen to be able to have these Resident Evil people be down. So I get to play in that sandbox. I’m doing it because I think this movie is going to be f**king awesome,” he added.
To be clear, Cregger is a fan of the games – but he hasn’t watched any of the films with Milla Jovovich. “I’ve never seen a Resident Evil movie. I’ve never seen one, and I played the games obsessively. This is a story that comes from a healthy creative place,” he explained.
While insider Daniel Richtman has reported that it’ll feature references to the games, like Umbrella and the Raccoon City Police Department, don’t expect to see characters like Leon or Jill Valentine.
“I’m not going to tell Leon’s story, because Leon’s story is told in the games. [Fans] already have that,” Cregger told Inverse.
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