- Director Zach Cregger’s upcoming film “Resident Evil” is set to premiere on September 18th, marking his third venture into the horror genre after previous successes with “Barbarian” (2022) and “Weapons” (2025).
- Cregger’s adaptation of the popular survival horror video game series will be the eighth attempt to bring the game to the big screen, following previous iterations led by Milla Jovovich that deviated from the source material and faced criticism from fans.
- Despite facing backlash from some fans for his unique approach to the franchise, Cregger remains committed to delivering a film that captures the essence of playing a survival horror game and expresses his desire to create content that aligns with his personal vision rather than conforming to industry expectations.
Fans of writer and director Zach Cregger are eagerly awaiting his latest film, Resident Evil, to premiere on September 18th. The former sketch comedy performer has become one of the industry’s hottest horror directors after directing Barbarian (2022) and Weapons (2025). This new adaptation of the survival horror shooter will be the eighth attempt to bring the game to the big screen.
The Milla Jovovich-led version of the series went on for six films of varying quality. Fans disliked these films because they played fast and loose with thevil corporation Umbrella, but the video game characters were relegated to supporting roles in favor of Jovovich’s Alice
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) tried to course-correct by adapting the first and second games in the series, but ultimately failed to win audiences’ favor. So when it was announced that Cregger would take over the series, fans hoped he would deliver a faithful adaptation that was also a solid film.
As with any franchise, there comes a lot of expectations, and I think that Cregger recognized that he wasn’t going to make everyone happy, so he created an original story within the wider Resident Evil universe that tried to capture the feeling of playing a survival horror game. For what it’s worth, as someone who has seen most of the Resident Evil films in theaters, this felt like a novel approach, and given Cregger’s track record, I was willing to trust his vision.
Fans like me are in the minority, at least among those who are vocal online. Cregger has faced backlash from fans of the games who hoped for a big-screen retelling of the existing story. During his press tour promoting the movie, it almost feels as if Cregger is on the defensive, begging game fans to give his film a chance. In an interview with IGNhe lamented the fact that he didn’t see the backlash coming.
“No. I think I was naive,” he said. “I think I thought because I love the games and I was making a movie that, to me, was everything I wanted and I didn’t feel like I was being offered, that I thought people would recognize that and be excited. And I think most people are.”
While I do think general horror fans are going to turn up for the film, it has to be disappointing to be a fan of something, try to do it justice in your own unique way, only to have to deal with fellow fans telling you you’re doing something wrong. In an interview with Deadline, he seemed to admit that the reception to his vision has worn him down and made it unlikely he will ever try to direct another franchise film.
“I have never been approached by another franchise. Maybe I have, but it would never get to me because I have been very clear that I’m not doing that. I’m doing this, and that’s it for me.” He said. “So I’m not going to go tackle any other franchises — just because I’m a writer, and I want to write whatever I want to write. I don’t want to write something where I have to make sure I’m tagging different data points to satisfy X. I just want to satisfy me. And the only reason that I think Resident Evil is OK for me to do is because I’m enthusiastic about the games and I like the story that I thought of with the games and I’m making it for me. I think this movie is cool, and I hope it checks the fan boxes because I’m a fan and I’m checking my boxes. I’m making the Resident Evil movie that I wish existed, so I can do that with a clean heart and a clear conscience and not feel like I’m getting f*cked by some weird industry thing.”
While I understand being attached to theadmit that the stories are good enough for a survival horror video game, but wouldn’t be widely entertaining as a story you just watch unfold. For movies in that style, I suggest checking out the animated Resident Evil projects, as they feature the characters from the game and keep the cheesy energy and storytelling of the
This is further proof that you can’t please everyone when you’re adapting widely belovedpeople will claim it is horrible for not including their favorite element from the games. I hope the fans upset about this adaptation give it a chance. It’s rare for a video game adaptation to get a big-name director who is passionate about themonth
This story was originally published byMen’s Journalon Sep 10, 2026, where it first appeared in theEntertainmentsection. Add Men’s Journal as aPreferred
