Capcom’s survival horror video game series has found new life on the big screen with 2026’s Resident Evil, which means a renewed outlook on the franchise’s future. These games have been brought to theaters multiple times before, to varying degrees of success. After the Resident Evil live-action movie franchise grew a bit stale, writer/director Zach Cregger has brought the zombie IP back to life for Sony and Constantin Films.
The 2026 feature film doesn’t directly adapt any singular Resident Evil game, as Cregger opted to tell a wholly original story set within the larger tapestry of Raccoon City and the Umbrella Corporation. Rather than use a known video game character as the protagonist, the movie puts the focus on a medical courier named Bryan (Austin Abrams) as he’s hired for a delivery to Raccoon City during the early stages of the outbreak.
As an established IP that previously supported a $1.1 billion six-film franchise starring Milla Jovovich, there was always hope that Cregger’s fresh take on Resident Evil would extend beyond a singular film. But given the way he approached the franchise and his primary interest in telling original stories like Barbarian and Weapons, that was never a guarantee, especially if his film flopped like 2022’s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
Now that 2026’s Resident Evil has been released, the status of a sequel becomes a bigger question. Here’s what is currently known about the franchise’s future, including whether Cregger will be involved in any additional installments.
Resident Evil 2 Is Not Confirmed (But Looks Likely)
As of this writing, Resident Evil 2 is not confirmed to be on the way. Sony and Constantin Film have yet to officially greenlight a sequel, nor have they made any public statements about the intention to continue the series with the continuity that Cregger has now started. The good news for anyone hoping for more of this universe is that continued adventures in Raccoon City look likely.
Resident Evil is already one of the biggest and best movies that the franchise has ever had. It has been incredibly well-received, boasting franchise-record Rotten Tomatoes scores of 95% and 91% with critics and audiences, respectively. Practically everyone who has seen the movie loves it.
The positive response has directly translated to Resident Evil‘s box office overperforming. It opened to $108 million worldwide, $60 million of which came from its domestic launch. Those numbers were far above industry projections. Resident Evil now has a great chance of breaking the franchise’s overall box office record of $314.1 million, which was set by Jovovich’s last film, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, in 2017.
Resident Evil‘s favorable reception should incentivize everyone involved with the 2026 movie to find ways to make more. Sony and Constantin can turn the video games into a long-running franchise for years to come, while Cregger can be attached to a successful ongoing series, with several options available to him on how to do so.
Zach Cregger Has Ideas For Another Resident Evil Movie
A Resident Evil sequel can’t move forward until the studios approve making one, but the other key factor is developing the story. The good news for the franchise’s fans is that ideas are already percolating on what could come after Resident Evil‘s ending. Prior to the movie’s theatrical release on September 18, Cregger broached the subject of his interest in a sequel in various interviews.
The director told The Playlist that he “can’t help thinking about other places this story could go” when asked about if he’d want to remain involved in Resident Evil‘s future. He then confirmed he has ideas but didn’t want to get ahead of himself, saying, “Let’s see what happens.” Now that the movie has already become a big hit and is well on its way to being profitable, his ideas can start being fleshed out.
It seems likely that Cregger will be involved in Resident Evil‘s future from a creative standpoint. That could mean serving as a producer, as he’ll do with Weapons‘ Aunt Gladys prequel, or staying on to write and/or direct the next movie. Ironically, making multiple Resident Evil films was not Cregger’s plan. He told Polygon he thought it would be “one and done,” but after making it, Cregger said, “I can’t help myself. This is just the way my brain works. I’ve already got other ideas of what could happen.”
How 2026’s Resident Evil Paves The Way For More Movies
While the video game relaunch defies traditional Hollywood franchise rules throughout, including with Resident Evil‘s post-credits scene decision, it does more than its fair share of sequel setup. The whole movie builds up to the Umbrella Corporation’s virus spreading and infecting more of humanity. That’s the state of the world when Resident Evil ends, paving the way for multiple movies to come following various characters.
By telling a story that comes right before the events depicted in the Resident Evil 2 game, Resident Evil‘s timeline placement and ending paves the way for a sequel that shows what happens next for Raccoon City. To be true to the games, this would mean introducing major video game characters. Perhaps that’s why Resident Evil confirmed Leon Kennedy exists through a small detail.
From there, Cregger, Sony, and Constantin have plenty of options to keep bringing Capcom’s horror series to life on the big screen, as long as any follow-ups remain successful. Considering there are dozens of Resident Evil games to pull from and opportunities to tell more original stories as Cregger has done, Hollywood could be infected with this franchise for another decade or more.
When The Next Resident Evil Movie Could Release
Fans should be prepared to wait a few years for another Resident Evil movie, though. Whether it’s a proper sequel, video game adaptation, or another video game-adjacent original story, the best-case scenario would be the franchise’s return to the big screen in 2028. That would require Sony fast-tracking another to capitalize on the success. But that would mean moving forward without Cregger in the director’s chair.
The filmmaker already has his next film in the works, an original sci-fi movie called The Flood. He’s confirmed that any additional Resident Evil movies with him would have to wait until he’s completed that film. The Flood doesn’t have a release date, but Cregger can work quickly; he’s made three movies in four years. If his pace continues, his Resident Evil sequel could arrive by 2029.
A three-year wait is pretty common for major Hollywood franchises, which Resident Evil can rightfully be called after its performance. So, it should be expected that we’ll get another Resident Evil movie before 2030. Hopefully that is something Sony and Cregger can figure out and confirm sooner rather than later.
- Release Date
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September 18, 2026
- Runtime
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90 Minutes
- Director
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Zach Cregger
- Writers
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Shay Hatten, Zach Cregger
- Producers
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Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Miri Yoon, Robert Kulzer, Roy Lee, Zach Cregger, David Minkowski
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
