"Barbarian Director to Reboot Resident Evil"

Zach Cregger, renowned for directing the chilling horror film Barbarian and his involvement with the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids You Know, is set to bring a fresh perspective to the iconic Resident Evil franchise with his upcoming reboot movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a fierce bidding war is underway among several studios eager to secure distribution rights for Cregger's vision of the classic Capcom survival horror series. Currently, four studios, including Netflix and Warner Bros., are in the race to distribute this anticipated project, with Cregger slated to write and direct.

Cregger's recent success with Barbarian, a 2022 film about a woman uncovering a terrifying secret in a rental house, has set high expectations for his future projects. His next film, Weapons, has reportedly received stellar test audience feedback, further cementing his reputation in the horror genre.

This marks the second reboot for the Resident Evil franchise on the big screen. Previously, Paul W.S. Anderson directed a series of six films starring Milla Jovovich, which, despite deviating from the original game plots, amassed a global box office total of $1.2 billion. In 2021, Johannes Roberts directed Welcome to Raccoon City, an attempt to stay truer to the games' narratives but which still fell short of the quality set by Capcom's original series.

Constantin Film, in collaboration with PlayStation Productions, will produce this new reboot. PlayStation Productions, established by Sony in 2019, has been instrumental in adapting video games into films and series, including Uncharted starring Tom Holland, Gran Turismo, the The Last of Us TV series, and Twisted Metal. Their upcoming slate also includes adaptations of Until Dawn, Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, Gravity Rush, Helldivers, Horizon Zero Dawn, and a sequel to Uncharted. Additionally, a God of War TV series and a Ghost of Tsushima anime series are in development.

For more details on Cregger's previous work, you can read our review of Barbarian [ttpp]here[ttpp].