Zach Cregger rebuilds Resident Evil around a new hero and no game favourites
Zach Cregger is starting Resident Evil from a blank page.
The director behind Barbarian and Weapons is leading a new film in the series with a fresh story not taken directly from the hit video games, The Hollywood Reporter reported. It is a sharp break for a franchise with seven films over the last 25 years.
The film follows Bryan, a medical courier played by Austin Abrams. He is making a delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital when a zombie outbreak leaves him fighting for survival. No legacy characters from the games appear in the story, according to the same report.
Cregger spoke about the choice at the Los Angeles premiere. He said he arrived with a clear idea of his favourite Resident Evil film and the studio gave him the resources to make it. He added that his idea did not need familiar game faces, and bringing them in would invite problems that distract from the central story.
He knows some fans are unhappy about that call. He acknowledged the online pushback over scrapping game characters. He said he hopes fans who love the games still feel seen and feel the film pays homage to them.
The project was developed as a reboot, a fresh start that keeps the title but drops past continuity, to return the series to its horror roots, The Hollywood Reporter reported. That pitch sparked a bidding war among buyers, with Sony winning the rights. It caps a fast rise that took Cregger four years and two films to reach eight-figure deals.
Abrams is reuniting with Cregger after Weapons. Cregger saw him as the perfect everyman after watching him turn an off-beat junkie role into a complex character in that film, Variety reported. Weapons, Cregger’s second feature film, tells the story of a small town overtaken by a malevolent force.
Cregger began his career in sketch comedy. Asked about returning to comedy after Weapons, he said “never say never” but “I’m open to it but I doubt it”. His creative tuning fork, he said, tends to resonate with darkness.
He is keeping plot details tight to avoid spoilers, Deadline reported. He outlined the concept in a presentation at SDCC 2026 and discussed it further in a September 2026 interview with Deadline. Early first reactions described the reboot as scary and led by Abrams, Variety reported.
For fans, this means a Resident Evil that looks and feels familiar but follows new people. The hospital, the outbreak and Raccoon City remain. The heroes do not.
