Barbarian director Zach Cregger’s latest film, Weapons, is currently No. 1 at the box office and his next movie is likely to be the upcoming Resident Evil reboot. Cregger hasn’t revealed too much about his take on RE, but he recently described it as a “weird” original story.
“[Resident Evil is] an original screenplay,” Cregger told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a weird story. I wrote it and I love the story. It has nothing to do with any of the other Resident Evil movies. If I do my job, it will feel fresh and edgy and weird.”
During a separate interview with Inverse, Cregger noted that his film won’t feature the main characters of the games, including fan-favorite Leon S. Kennedy.
“I’m telling a story that is a love letter to the games and follows the rules of the games,” explained Cregger. “It is obedient to the lore of the games, it’s just a different story. I’m not going to tell Leon’s story, because Leon’s story is told in the games. [Fans] already have that.”
Cregger previously stated that he hasn’t seen any of the previous Resident Evil movies, but he has played the games many times. He added that he wants to “tell a story that just feels authentic to the experience you get when you play the games.”
Earlier this year, Euphoria’s Austin Abrams was rumored to be up for a leading role in Cregger’s Resident Evil. Abrams previously worked with Cregger on Weapons. At the moment, the RE film doesn’t have any confirmed cast members. Sony will release the new Resident Evil on September 18, 2026, which means it should begin production either this year or in early 2026.
The next game in the long-running series, Resident Evil Requiem, is slated to hit consoles and PC on February 27, 2026, just a few weeks before the game’s 30th anniversary. Recently, Capcom shared a fun spoof that featured RE’s Leon Kennedy and the Duolingo owl. But there probably won’t be anything that funny in Requiem.