One of the more exciting and unexpected film industry announcements of 2025 came early in the year, courtesy of the news that Zach Cregger would be writing and directing the next Resident Evil movie. Cregger has made a name for himself with a series of original horror projects, first making waves with his 2022 horror movie Barbarian, praised for its originality and inventiveness as well as its unorthodox pacing and story structure. That hot streak continued with his 2025 feature Weapons, which enjoyed widespread critical acclaim and earned an Academy Award for best supporting actress thanks to Amy Madigan’s performance as Aunt Gladys.
Following the poor critical and commercial reception to Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, the franchise needed some type of reset if it there was any hope of the series reestablishing itself at the box office. Now, Cregger’s taking a stab at the zombie franchise from an interesting angle, telling his own original story that takes place within the world of the games. The film stars Austin Abrams as a bike courier in Raccoon City, but other than that, details have been slow to surface.
Now, however, reports have come in via World of Reel about test screenings for the film, which started production in October and was reportedly being edited in February. According to the website, the test screenings yielded very positive reactions. Described as a 90-minutes, “lean, mean, and very confident” movie, Cregger’s Resident Evil may be the adaptation that the franchise needs to succeed.
While Cregger is no stranger to action in his movies, Resident Evil is described as almost non-stop action — a film that doesn’t stop moving. One person compared it to George Miller’s 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road, which feels apt, as Fury Road is essentially one extended chase sequence. Also of interest to longtime fans: the production design is said to be reminiscent of the early Resident Evil games, with monsters showing up often and practical effects taking a priority. Most importantly, the film is described as excessively violent and gory, which would seem to indicated it’ll more than likely earn an R rating from the MPAA.
Overall, this first test screening to Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is sure to increase anticipation for the film’s arrival. Being compared to one of the best action films of all time is nothing to take lightly; if nothing else, it’ll be interesting to see if the film lives up to this very early hype. Still scheduled for release in September, Resident Evil has the opportunity to deliver a unique video game adaptation whose simplicity and intensity could set it apart in both the horror and video game adaptation genres.
- Release Date
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September 18, 2026
- Producers
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Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Miri Yoon, Robert Kulzer, Roy Lee
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
