‘Weapons’ director on why his version of ‘Resident Evil’ won’t tell the lore of the games: “Fans already know it”
For the first time in years, there is a reason for optimism with a Resident Evil film adaptation.
If the millions of Resident Evil fans around the world were asked about a director to bring the saga back to the big screen, not a few would mention the name of Zach Cregger. He already delighted horror fans with ‘Barbarian’ (2022), and now he’s on everyone’s lips with ‘Weapons’, one of the most anticipated horror films of the year. However, Cregger assured that his version of ‘Resident Evil’ will not star any of the main characters of the saga, something that disappointed many. However, he has a very understandable explanation.
This new ‘Resident Evil’ will indeed respect - half-heartedly - the lore of the video games, but will not tell stories already known... precisely because of that, as confirmed by the director himself.
“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 said. “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.”
Cregger’s film will tell the story of several survivors of the bombing of Raccoon City after the events of the first game. Among them will be one of the actors who worked for him in ‘Weapons’, Austin Abrams.
The history of Resident Evil in the cinema
Resident Evil adaptations to the big screen began in 2002, with the first film starring Milla Jovovich, which more or less respected the essence of Capcom’s video games. This was followed by five more installments that shed the ties of the games’ lore to offer a series of post-apocalyptic action movies.
Milla Jovovich’s saga was not particularly well-received by critics, but it was able to gain a good number of fans. However, the worst was yet to come, and in 2021 ‘Welcome to Raccoon City’ was released, reviled by critics and audiences. A year later also came a moment of sadness for fans thanks to -or because of- ‘Resident Evil’, a Netflix series whose second season would be canceled after a mediocre first season.
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