‘Weapons’ Director Zach Cregger’s Upcoming ‘Resident Evil’ Film Won’t Adapt Games’ Stories Or Characters, Says Fans “Already Have That”
Zach Cregger, director of Weapons and Barbarian, has revealed his intentions for his Resident Evil film. Rather than adapt storylines and characters from the games, Cregger states his intent to make an original story with new characters that fit into the series’ lore.
In an interview with Inverse, Cregger explains that while he loves the Resident Evil series and well-known characters such as Leon S. Kennedy and Jill Valentine, he wants to tell a new story within that universe.
“Let me say this: this is not breaking the rules of the games,” Cregger emphasizes. “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.” Cregger’s Resident Evil won’t be an adaption of any of the games’ stories and, likewise, “outside of the characters of the games.”
The director justifies himself further. “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.” For those hoping to see a faithful adventure with Leon, Cregger tells fans “They can play the game.”
These comments somewhat echo an earlier interview Cregger had with SFX Magazine, via Bloody Disgusting, wherein the filmmaker had stated his love of Resident Evil, though noting, “I’m definitely not trying to be completely obedient to the lore of the games. I’m trying to tell a story that just feels authentic to the experience you get when you play the games.”
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“I don’t think I’m breaking any major rules, but I also recognise that no matter what I do, people are going to come for me online,” Cregger admitted. “So all I want to do is just make a really good movie and tell a story that’s compelling. I know that I’m gonna be happy with the movie, and hopefully other people will, too.”
“I will also say, I’ve never seen a movie like it. It doesn’t jump around like Weapons and Barbarian, but it is still unto itself,” Cregger gushed.
Was Cregger being humble, explaining that he could never perfectly adapt a video game into a film in a way that satisfied all fans? Or did his comments generate backlash, leading to further emphasis about being lore-accurate in the Inverse interview?
Inverse previously reported on the comments made by industry leaker Daniel Richtman, who claimed to know details about Cregger’s upcoming Resident Evil movie, claiming that the story is about a “hapless courier tasked with delivering a package to a remote hospital. He finds himself caught in the middle of an outbreak and must fight through hordes of mutated creatures to survive.”
The rumor of Austin Abrams starring was also corroborated, with Richtman boasting, “When I scooped that Austin Abrams has been cast as the lead in the new film… I mentioned that his character is named Bryan. People assumed it was a code name and he’s actually playing Leon.”
“Well, I can confirm his character is actually called Bryan and he’s an original character not from the games. The movie is not gonna be a faithful adaptation,” the leaker forewarned.
The live-action Resident Evil films have had a muddied history. The six films by Paul W. S. Anderson were poorly received by critics, but had its defenders among audiences — albeit, growing quieter with each entry. Johannes Roberts’ Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City continued the trend of critics hating it, and audiences being luke-warm to it.
Comparatively, all but one of the CG animated films have been better received. Though a different medium, the plots of those films tend to follow the universe of games closer. The live-action films loosely adapted the stories from the games, before telling original stories in their own continuity.
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