Captivating Resident Evil Overhaul in the Making

Zach Cregger, acclaimed director of the horror film Barbarian and a member of the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U Know, is helming a Resident Evil reboot.

The Hollywood Reporter reports a fierce bidding war is underway for distribution rights to Cregger's adaptation of Capcom's iconic survival horror game franchise. Cregger is slated to write and direct. THR names Netflix and Warner Bros. among the four studios vying for the rights.

Cregger's 2022 film, Barbarian, a chilling tale of a woman's terrifying discovery in a rented house, propelled him to prominence. He's already completed his next project, Weapons, which reportedly has received overwhelmingly positive audience test screenings.

[Read our Barbarian review here.]

This marks the second cinematic Resident Evil reboot. The franchise previously boasted six films directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Milla Jovovich, which, despite liberties taken with the source material, generated a worldwide gross of $1.2 billion. A 2021 reboot, Welcome to Raccoon City, directed by Johannes Roberts, aimed for greater game fidelity but fell short of the games' quality.

Constantin Film, in collaboration with PlayStation Productions, will produce Cregger's reboot, mirroring their involvement in previous films. Established in 2019, Sony's PlayStation Productions facilitates the adaptation of its game properties into film and television, with past successes including Uncharted (starring Tom Holland), Gran Turismo, the The Last of Us TV series, and Twisted Metal.

Future PlayStation Productions projects include adaptations of Until Dawn, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, Gravity Rush, Helldivers, Horizon Zero Dawn, and an Uncharted sequel. A God of War TV series and a recently announced Ghost of Tsushima anime series are also in development.