Zach Cregger Hopes to Stay Creatively Involved in Future Resident Evil Sequels

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil has now officially grossed $400 million from its theatrical release and is available for home streaming on VOD platforms. The film turned a big profit and became a successful franchise reboot, even with backlash from fans over its failure to adapt the exact game lore. While Cregger wants to direct the potential sequel himself, he also wants to remain creatively involved in future Resident Evil sequels.

During the latest episode of The Town with Matthew Belloni, Cregger said he wants the studio to make Resident Evil sequels and that he would contribute creative ideas for the films.

Despite previously swearing off future franchise films, Cregger says he would want to “have some hand” in future installments. He already has ideas for where the Resident Evil franchise could go next. Cregger would be open to producing future films, even if he didn’t write or direct them.

Belloni asked, “If there were five Resident Evil movies that you just produced but didn’t write or direct, would you be okay with that, or not?”

Cregger replied, “I would want to have some hand in them. I can’t help but have an idea for where that franchise—I’m calling it a franchise—could go. So, certainly.”

Cregger says he was frustrated by the discourse surrounding Resident Evil. He felt much of the conversation focused on how closely the film followed the games rather than on the movie itself.

Cregger said, “I think I was frustrated at the conversation around Resident Evil and how much of the conversation really didn’t have anything to do with the movie. It had everything to do with whether the movie was living up to the different standards that different fans of the games had.” He added, “Whether it was using the characters or not, or what did I get wrong in the lore? It was just a lot about, ‘Why isn’t this like the source material, or why is it good that it’s not like the source material?’ All the conversation just felt like it was about not the movie.”

The cast of Resident Evil includes Austin Abrams as Bryan, a medical courier; Zach Cherry as Carl, an Umbrella scientist; Kali Reis as Maxine, an Umbrella enforcer; Paul Walter Hauser as Paul, Will Merrick as Dave, Zoé Bellas as Birdie, Chris Lew Kum Hoi as Stanley, and Griffin Newman as Wade, all of whom play Umbrella scientists. Andrea Miltnerová plays a pedestrian, Karel Dobrý plays a farmer, Jo Martin plays Andrea Vasquez, a receptionist, Emily Piggford plays Dr. Maria Stokes, and Johnno Wilson plays Wilson, an Arklay County sheriff.

Here’s the synopsis: From the mind of visionary filmmaker Zach Cregger (Weapons, Barbarian) comes a thrilling and terrifying reinvention of the Resident Evil franchise. In an all-new story, Resident Evil follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who unknowingly finds himself in an action-packed, nonstop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night descends into chaos.

Resident Evil is now available on digital.