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Resident Evil director Zach Cregger has said he feels like he’s been on an “apology tour” while navigating skepticism from some fans about his movie adaptation of Capcom’s horror franchise.
Cregger, director of hugely popular horror movies Barbarian and Weapons, has faced scrutiny from Resident Evil fans ever since it was confirmed that his adaptation wouldn’t feature any characters from the video games, or tell any of the stories already told in the video games. Instead, Cregger has charted his own path, telling a horror story set in the world of Resident Evil that references some of the video games’ tropes.
In an interview with The Playlist, Cregger outlined how it has felt to promote Resident Evil amid this backlash.
“I feel like I’ve been on somewhat of an apology tour,” he said. “I feel like I’m running for office, trying to get these people not to call me a LARPer.”
His comments here echo those he made to IGN’s Tom Jorgensen recently when talking about the reception to Resident Evil. “I think I was naive,” he said. “I thought fans of these games, like me, would be thrilled that somebody was coming along and turning Resident Evil into a survival horror movie. I was like, ‘That’s great.’ I did not really appreciate the sentiment that, ‘We’ve been waiting forever for Leon’s story.’ And I appreciate that, and I’m sorry that’s not the story I’m bringing. I get it, I understand the frustration. I understand it so well because I haven’t seen the earlier [Resident Evil] movies, because they don’t look like the Resident Evil that I love, so how could I be frustrated with fans who have that same attitude?”
With Resident Evil now just a week away, Cregger is philosophical about fan attitude to the film. “Now, I’m just like, ‘You know what? See the movie.’” he told The Playlist. “If you still feel the same way after you’ve seen it, then whatever you think is fair. You’re going to decide if I’m an actual Resident Evil fan or a fake. What can I say? I think the movie is going to speak for itself.”
Again, those comments echo those he gave to IGN. “My only hope is that they’ll see the movie regardless of their skepticism or their disappointment that I’m not telling some of the stories that the games tell so well, and they will feel seen when they do watch the movie, and they will recognize all of the love for the games that are in this movie, because it is there,” he said.
“This is not me just telling a story and slapping Resident Evil on it so I can get a budget. This is me telling a Resident Evil story. I understand the resistance, I do, because I have it myself. It is coming from a true place of love.”
In the same interview with The Playlist, Cregger said he’d love to tell more stories in the Resident Evil universe, but he’s also said he’s done with franchise films after Resident Evil.
Will he get the chance to make another Resident Evil? According to Deadline, Resident Evil is tracking to make $35 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, although it could go higher. $35 million would be the biggest domestic opening ever in the Resident Evil franchise, beating the $26.6 million Resident Evil: Afterlife opened with in 2010.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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