Weapons director Zach Cregger has said his Resident Evil movie will feel like “one gigantic sequence” that follows its regular guy protagonist Bryan as he undertakes a perilous journey “like Frodo going into Mordor.”
Cregger has spoken before about his take on Resident Evil deliberately avoiding the characters from Capcom’s beloved survival horror series — so don’t sit down in the theater expecting Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield to turn up.
Now, Cregger has discussed the game’s main character Bryan (played by Weapons’ Austin Abrams) in more detail — and said he was created to provide an alternative to the gun-toting, combat-tested characters who often are the protagonists of Resident Evil games.
Resident Evil Movie Trailer Slideshow
“The concept here is that we’re following an idiot,” Cregger told Empire. “Not that he’s stupid, but he’s not your typical game character, with no combat skills whatsoever and completely inept at survival. Bryan is very much an everyman who happens to be burdened with this kind of sacred mission that’s going to take him into the heart of everything. It’s kind of like Frodo going into Mordor.”
While still taking place in a version of Raccoon City (although seemingly one designed not to feel like it could crossover with the games) and featuring a zombie virus created by the villainous corporation Umbrella, it’s here that many similarities will end.
Of course, video game fans will be able to spot Easter eggs — but it sounds like Cregger’s take on the franchise will be one for anyone to enjoy, whether they know their Spencers from their Ashfords, or their Crimson Heads from their red herbs.
This stance has disappointed some fans keen for a more direct adaptation, though Cregger has previously said he was uninterested in retreading ground covered by the video games (and previous movies) already. Still, Cregger sounds like he’s keen to capture the pace and action sequences from Capcom’s games, with events spiralling out of control after about five minutes.”
“It feels like one gigantic sequence,” Cregger teased. “Things pop off about five minutes in and it basically stays like that until the end. What I love about the games is that you move from set-piece to set-piece. Every location has a unique challenge. So again, I’m borrowing from the games directly in that rhythm, where you’re just running through a gauntlet.”
Cregger’s Resident Evil movie will creep into theaters September 18, 2026. Until then, you can read why the series’ unofficial loremaster is calling for disappointed fans to be patient.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
