Zach Cregger’s RESIDENT EVIL Won’t Follow The Games’ Characters, Including Leon Kennedy
With Weapons hype high, all eyes are on Zach Cregger's next move, his upcoming take on the survival horror game franchise, Resident Evil. While details of Cregger's exploration of the legendary zombie saga are still scarce, the Barbarian director has confirmed one thing: it's not going to follow fan-favorite character Leon S. Kennedy.
Speaking with Inverse, Cregger confirmed that his Resident Evil will tell “a different story” than that which we've seen across Capcom's gaming series, and won't follow any of the familiar characters that Resi fans know and love, including Leon Kennedy, who was first introduced to the Resident Evil universe in 1998's Resident Evil 2:
“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.”
As previously reported, Weapons and Wolfs star Austin Abrams will be leading Cregger's Resident Evil, set to hit theaters on September 18 2026 via Sony, with Shay Hatten (Ballerina, John Wick: Chapter 3 & Chapter 4) on script duties. With the new update in mind, it's safe to assume Abrams will be playing an original character, much like Milla Jovovich did in the first Resident Evil movie franchise.
As for fans mad they won't get to see Cregger's live-action take on Raccoon City's rookie cop (most recently depicted in live-action by Avan Jogia in 2021's Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City), he has a simple, succinct message: “They can play the game.”
However, Cregger did also reassure fans that the adaptation is in good hands:
“Let me say this: this is not breaking the rules of the games […] 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.”
Couple this with the news that Leon will also not be leading the ninth mainline game, the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem, and it's a tough time for fans of the special agent. However, if Weapons is anything to go by, we've got extremely high hopes for Cregger's Resident Evil, Leon or no Leon.
