Zach Cregger remains adamant about not remaking any story within the “Resident Evil” saga for his big-screen adaptation.
Although he wants to have an original plot, the “Weapons” director told Inverse that he’s “not breaking the rules of the games.”
He continued, “I am the biggest worshiper of the games, so I’m telling a story that is a love letter to the games and follows the rules of the games.”
Cregger will direct the movie based on the hugely popular horror video game franchise. He has written the script alongside his co-writer, Shay Hatten. Constantin Film is producing and co-financing the film.
Constantin’s Robert Kulzer, Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Miri Yoon and PlayStation Productions are also producing.
Cregger is set on creating a project that is “outside of the characters of the games,” but he reassured fans that the game’s roots will be respected.
“It is obedient to the lore of the games, it’s just a different story,” Cregger said. “I’m not going to tell Leon’s story, because Leon’s story is told in the games. [Fans] already have that.”
The original “Resident Evil” was released in 1994 as a PlayStation game before being ported to other platforms. In 2002, the first “Resident Evil” film premiered in theaters with Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez as the leads.
Jovovich went on to lead the following “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” (2004), “Resident Evil: Extinction” (2007), “Resident Evil: Afterlife” (2010), “Resident Evil: Retribution” (2012) and “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” (2017). In 2021, filmmaker Johannes Roberts took on the franchise reboot “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” as the writer and director.
Ahead of the Aug. 8 release of “Weapons,” Cregger told Variety he hopes to capture the cinematic experience of “Resident Evil.”
“Those games pioneered something special,” he said. “The pacing of those games is so unique and effective, and just being locked in with one character moving from point A to point B, knowing you’re going to pass through this gauntlet of terror, and you’ve got to be methodical and thoughtful about it. That’s cool. That’s cinematic. So I want to tell the story in the world of the games that honors the lore of the games, but it’s a new story.”
