'Barbarian' director to helm 'Resident Evil' reboot: Report
What's the story
Zach Cregger, an actor-comedian-turned-innovative filmmaker, will write and direct a reboot of the horror-action movie franchise Resident Evil, per The Hollywood Reporter. The announcement has reportedly triggered the first major auction of 2025, with four studios including Warner Bros. and Netflix reportedly locked in a fierce bidding war. Constantin Film and PlayStation Productions will produce this reboot, continuing their decades-long association with the franchise since the late 1990s.
Career shift
Cregger's 'Barbarian' success fuels bidding war
Cregger is best known for the 2022 cult hit Barbarian, which he wrote and directed. The film made him a new voice in horror. His follow-up horror project Weapons, starring Josh Brolin and Julia Garner, prompted another bidding war, which was eventually won by Warner Bros.'s New Line division.
Reboot direction
'Resident Evil' reboot to return to horror roots
The Resident Evil movies, based on the Capcom video games, have reportedly earned over $1.2B globally with their distinctive combination of horror, sci-fi, and action genres. Cregger's reboot will "take the title to its horror roots and be more faithful to the initial games, which date back to 1996." Apart from the Resident Evil reboot, Cregger is also gearing up to release his first major film as a producer, the horror thriller Companion.