Resident Evil Director Zach Cregger Is Already Considering Sequels

Zach Cregger, the director of Weapons, took an unusual route with his new adaptation of Resident Evil. He didn’t adapt the characters and story of Capcom’s survival-horror games. He tried to capture what it feels like to live through one of the Resident Evil series’ worst-case scenarios. The film follows a hapless medical courier, played by Austin Abrams, who tries to survive a trip to Raccoon City. The city is now overrun with zombies and other monstrosities.

That may not sound like a typical franchise starter, but a sequel looks likely.

The strongest sign is the film’s early box office. Deadline reports that September’s Resident Evil is tracking toward a franchise-record opening weekend of $35 million to $50 million domestically. Sony Pictures should welcome those numbers. The previous film, 2021’s Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, ended its theatrical run with $41.9 million worldwide.

Cregger may be open to a follow-up himself. He told Polygon he had expected his time with Capcom’s property to be a “one and done” flirtation. After finishing the film, he says he has more ideas for the franchise.

Resident Evil 2 is already on the table

In an interview with Cregger, Polygon editor-in-chief Matt Patches asked whether he hoped to kick off a possible new trilogy.

“That was not what I was thinking when I was making the movie,” Cregger said. “I was thinking one and done. Now that it’s completed, I can’t help myself. This is just the way my brain works. I’ve already got other ideas of what could happen.

“But my next movie is already kind of in place here, and it’s not a Resident Evil movie. I’m going to go make something else. But on the other side of that, who knows? Who can say? Anything could happen.”

Resident Evil is now in theaters. Cregger’s next film is The Flood, an original sci-fi story slated for release on Aug. 11, 2028. Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin Entertainment, is producing it. Cregger calls the script “maybe the best thing I ever wrote.”

Related reading: Zach Cregger didn’t want Leon as his Resident Evil star, he wanted the guy holding the controller.

Source: Polygon