Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ Is a “Complete New Set Up”

Video games are incredibly difficult to translate to the big screen, but decades of successes and failures now provide a clearer roadmap for how to approach the process effectively.

From a design standpoint, films such as Super Mario Bros. (1993) and Sonic the Hedgehog illustrate how critical it is for characters to closely resemble the iconic appearances audiences have come to recognize and associate with the source material.

As for the story, movies that stick too closely to the source material often struggle. The best adaptations are usually those where filmmakers carve their own path and play to their strengths, rather than trying to please every fan, even if that is not always a popular approach.

A major property for video game fans is Resident Evil, which is next being brought to life by Weapons and Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger.

Deadline caught up with Constantin CEO Oliver Berben, who had some really wonderful things to say both about the company’s approach to Resident Evil and films in general.

On September 18, Sony will release Zach Cregger’s version of Constantin’s prize IP Resident Evil, which is set to be a “complete new set up” says Berben of the franchise.

It’s currently in edit for Cregger’s Resident Evil, which Berben says is “far away from everything that is connected to Resident Evil, only because Zach Cregger has his own style.” 

When it came to entrusting Constantin’s prize IP Resident Evil with a new voice, Berben admits it was a no-brainer to give Cregger “the carte blanche to do whatever he wanted to do with that IP.”