Something to look forward to: The prospect of yet another Resident Evil movie might make a lot of people’s toes curl. After seven films and one of the worst Netflix shows ever made, the franchise’s live-action future looked dead. But a reboot is reportedly in the works, and it comes from Zach Cregger, the writer and director behind the excellent 2022 horror Barbarian.
In addition to Cregger, the Resident Evil reboot will feature Shay Hatten as a co-writer, notes The Hollywood Reporter. Hatten worked on John Wick: Chapter 4 and Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead.
The reboot will be produced by Constantin Film, which has held the screen rights to Resident Evil since the 1990s, along with PlayStation Productions.
The new Resi is said to be a revamp of the franchise, moving away from what had become very action-focused Milla Jovovich-led movies and back to its horror roots. We’re told it will be more faithful to the game, which sounds promising.
Having Cregger write and direct should excite fans. Barbarian was a surprising and often gruesome hit a couple of years ago. Recreating that atmosphere in the Resident Evil universe could only be a good thing.
Barbarian
Four studios, including Warner Bros. and Netflix, are in a bidding war to secure the rights for the movie. It seems the streaming giant wasn’t put off by the Resident Evil series it launched a couple of years ago. Starring the late Lance Reddick, the show was blasted by virtually everyone and canceled after just one season.
In addition to the six Paul W.S. Anderson Resident Evil movies, there was Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City in 2021. I watched it at the time but have almost no memory of what happened, which says a lot.
The Jovovich-starring Resident Evil movies weren’t to everyone’s tastes, but they were still some of the most successful video game adaptations of all time and generated a lot of money. The Final Chapter and Afterlife grossed over $600 million combined, contributing to the franchise’s total of over $1.2 billion.
Before the Resi reboot, Cregger’s next movie, Weapons, will be here. The horror stars Josh Brolin and follows a small community after a group of kids mysteriously disappears overnight.