Writer/director Zach Cregger, who has now helmed both Barbarian and Weapons, already has another project in the works. He’s been tasked with the latest attempt at a Resident Evil adaptation, after the Milla Jovovich movies were less than stellar. Clearly, Cregger has an eye for horror, something that excites fans of the game franchise. As Weapons frightens audiences everywhere, he took the chance to discuss the upcoming adaptation.
Zach Cregger Discusses New Resident Evil Project
When Zach Cregger makes Resident Evil, it will likely be his third film. It’s going to be unlike anything he’s done before, though it will of course be a horror movie just like the previous two. About that, he said via The Big Picture podcast, “Pumped. Pretty pumped. It’s going to not at all be like Barbarian and Weapons. It’s going to be just a rock ’em sock ’em.”
Cregger said it will effectively serve as his playground, allowing him to “turn his brain off and just make like an Evil Dead 2.” He added that he plans to “get crazy” with the camera this time around, which might be a bold claim given his work directing both of his two other films. “Austin Abrams… is going to be my guy,” he added of the Weapons star and former The Walking Dead actor who’s slated to lead Cregger’s next project.
“We [have an amazing] thing together,” the director said. He described his take on Resident Evil as a “weird, fun, wild” story. Cregger also clarified that it’s not going to do any reinventing for the franchise. “This movie follows a person from Point A to Point B,” he said.
He admitted that a “real-time foot journey” would be weird for him. Both Weapons and Barbarian utilize nonlinear storytelling. Barbarian has two acts that take place at different times before the final third act. Weapons features six different POVs experiencing many of the same events, each one adding a little more to the information bank. Resident Evil will be linear.
For anyone who might’ve had some concern about the adaptation, Cregger had this to say, “It’s really like a love letter to the games, because I love those games.” This may be a breath of fresh air given that the people running the God of War adaptation do not play video games at all.
Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Cregger’s adaptation will not bring to life any of the iconic, classic storylines from any of the countless games and remakes the Resident Evil series has had. Instead, he is going to do something outside the characters of the games, perhaps akin to the Fallout TV series that featured an original story within the universe of the games, and with tons of homages and Easter Eggs.
Via Variety, Cregger said previously, “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.” He’s not interested in trying to redo something he believes has been done well already.
And as if fans needed more reassurance that Cregger is the man for the job, he added even more about his love for the series. “Those games pioneered something special. The pacing of those games is so unique and effective… 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.”
Conclusion
The age of the video game adaptation is here, so it’s no surprise that there was an interest in redoing the Resident Evil adaptation with someone a little more well-equipped to lead them. Zach Cregger is proving himself to be a man to watch in the horror genre and is a self-professed huge fan of the game series. That’s really all anyone could ask for.
