Resident Evil is getting a new film adaptation – from a director who has loved the games himself for years.
A handful of bullets in the magazine, the next monster may be lurking around the next corner and even a supposedly safe wall can suddenly become a death trap: Resident Evil has dominated survival horror for decades like no other game series. Striking POV perspectives, grotesque creatures and the constant juggling of scarce resources have long been part of the franchise’s DNA.
This DNA should have been translated from the controller to the big screen several times. The best known is the long-running film series starring Milla Jovovich. In 2021, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City should mark a new start as a reboot.
Now Resident Evil comes to life in the cinema once again – and this time director Zach Cregger is allowed to let the monsters off their leash. The director has already caused excitement among horror fans with Barbarian and Weapons. Cregger directs Resident Evil not only as a director, but also with the passion of a long-time fan of the games.
This trailer gives you a first insight into the new film:
» Watch video: Resident Evil – Trailer 3 German
This is how Zach Cregger remains loyal to Resident Evil
In an interview with Cregger, we asked the director how he found the balance: staying true to the games and still giving Resident Evil his very own horror signature. He answered the question as follows:
Quote:
“Well, I try to capture the imagery of the games – that third-person perspective and the first-person perspective. I use that a lot throughout the film. That way it feels like the games. But the DNA of the story is also very much influenced by the games.”
But Cregger doesn’t just focus on the games visually – he also relies on a very specific ingredient when it comes to horror:
Quote:
“You follow a character from point A to point B, moving through various horrific locations, each with its own threat. At its core, it’s about exactly the survival horror that the games represent.”
He continued:
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“What makes Resident Evil so good is this feeling of impending doom. It’s not about big action where you’re shooting around with a machine gun and killing a hundred zombies. Maybe you pull the trigger nine times. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of shooting in the film overall. It’s more about the expectation that anything could go wrong at any moment. That’s exactly what makes Resident Evil so successful for me as a game franchise and that’s exactly what I wanted to focus on in the film.”
You’ll soon be able to judge for yourself to what extent he succeeded: Cregger’s Resident Evil will be released in cinemas on September 17, 2026, bringing the survival horror of games to the big screen.