Director of upcoming Resident Evil movie reboot Zach Cregger had previously confirmed that the story will be an entirely new one. In an interview with Deadline, CEO of Resident Evil film rights holder Constantin Film, Oliver Berben, has said that the director has been given complete freedom to make something different.
While he didn’t go into too many details, Berben noted that the previous success of the Resident Evil franchise has opened up the doors to allow a new generation to bring their own voice to the IP, even beyond it simply being a brand new story.
“With Resident Evil, we have had an incredible journey with one of the most successful international IPs of more than a billion dollars in box office for many years and now we are creating something new, not just a new story idea, but to allow a new generation to take the IP into their own hands and form something different,” said Berben. He went on to note that, to achieve this, Cregger has been given “the carte blanche to do whatever he wanted to do with that IP.”
How far this carte blanche will affect the story of the movie is currently unknown. However, back in August 2025, Cregger had said that the new story being told will remain faithful to the rules of the Resident Evil universe. Being a self-professed fan of the games, he went on to refer to the story as a “love letter to the games” that “follows the rules of the games.”
“Let me say this: this is not breaking the rules of the games,” Cregger said. “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. 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 also acknowledged Resident Evil fans that may have wanted a story closer to what we see in the games by noting that, “They can play the game.”
It is worth noting that Cregger has quite a bit of experience with the horror genre, having previously worked on Barbarian and Weapons as director and writer. Both films take place in urban settings, and focus on ever-increasing tension that gets released gradually over the course of the story.
Cregger had previously also spoken about the Resident Evil games, and how the movie will draw on them for inspiration. He brings up high-tension moments like being low and health while walking down a dark hallway, being afraid of something around the corner that might kill you.
“There’s a moment that comes in almost every Resident Evil game where you find yourself in a dark passageway, your health is almost zero and there’s no way around,” he said. “You have to go through but you know there’s something awful for you in the darkness.”
“That is a thrill that the Resident Evil games have perfected. My movie will be built in the spirit of those games and follows one central protagonist from point A to point B, as they descend deeper into hell.”
The Resident Evil movie is slated to hit theatres on September 18th. Fans of the franchise have plenty to look forward to before that, however, since February 27th will see the release of Resident Evil Requiem on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
