Zach Cregger: You’ve “Never Seen a Movie Like ‘Resident Evil'”

If you spend even five minutes scrolling through social media, you’ll see just how divisive the new Resident Evil movie has become before audiences have even seen a full trailer. Some fans are genuinely angry over the direction filmmaker Zach Cregger is taking with the franchise, especially after comments suggesting the film won’t be directly adapting the games in the way many had hoped.

And honestly? I get it.

As somebody who loves faithful adaptations myself, I understand the frustration of wanting to see certain characters, moments, and mythology finally brought to life in a way that feels meaningful to the source material. Fans have spent decades imagining what a truly definitive Resident Evil movie could look like, and when a new filmmaker comes in and pivots away from expectations, disappointment is inevitable.

At the same time, I also come from a place where I ultimately just want to see a good movie.

That’s where this entire conversation around fandom starts to get interesting. Just because Cregger isn’t making the exact Resident Evil movie some fans wanted does not mean he isn’t a fan himself. And it certainly doesn’t mean the games didn’t inspire his adaptation. In fact, if a filmmaker genuinely loves Resident Evil and wants to create their own story within that universe, there’s an argument to be made that fans should at least judge the film on its own merits before writing it off because a certain character doesn’t appear or a specific Umbrella reference isn’t front and center.

Cregger has repeatedly made it clear that his goal isn’t to retell the games beat-for-beat, but rather to capture the feeling of playing them. In previous interviews, he explained to The Playlist, “I’m definitely not trying to be completely obedient to the lore of the games. I’m trying to tell a story that just feels authentic to the experience you get when you play the games.”

He’s also addressed why iconic characters like Leon Kennedy aren’t the focus this time around, saying, “I’m not going to tell Leon’s story, because Leon’s story is told in the games.”