Resident Evil films were on ice until Zach Cregger pitched a new take

Resident Evil was supposed to rest. Then Zach Cregger called.

Constantin Films, which owns the film rights to Resident Evil, had decided to leave the series alone after the weak box office run of 2021's Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Chief executive Oliver Berben said the studio wanted time before thinking about another adaptation.

Berben told the story on The Town, the podcast hosted by Matthew Belloni, in an episode titled "'Resident Evil' and the Tightrope of Relaunching Old IP" The Ringer. He was interviewed about the coming film and how Cregger became involved.

The approach came from outside. Cregger arrived with producer Roy Lee to ask a simple question: was Resident Evil available? Berben said Constantin was still in a cautious place at that point. The studio felt it would need a completely new way to film the games if it returned at all GameSpot.

That new way started in a cafe. Cregger laid out his idea to Constantin co-president Robert Kulzer in Beverly Hills. Berben described the take as more moody, closer to the games, and coming from a completely new direction.

Cregger knew the source material as a player. Berben said the director loved playing the Resident Evil games, a survival horror series about outbreaks, monsters and corporate conspiracy. He had not seen the earlier live-action films directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.

The pitch centred on an ordinary person. A "normal guy" thrown into a nightmarish situation, in Berben's words. That angle won over Constantin's leadership.

For fans, this means a clean break rather than a continuation. Cregger made his name in horror with Barbarian and Weapons. Berben had earlier said handing him free rein over the property was a straightforward call, giving Cregger "carte blanche" to shape it.

The new Resident Evil film is dated for theatres on September 18. No plot details have been confirmed. After five years on ice, the series has a director, a direction, and a date.