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While Barbarian director Zach Cregger is only a producer on the 2025 movie Companion, it looks like 2026 is going to be his year of original projects. The man is already spoken for, thanks to his next film Weapons’ release date claiming a spot next January. Now the Whitest Kids You Know alum has another movie that’s going to be tearing up the screens at a theater near you: his reboot of Resident Evil. Set to debut mere months after his second movie, I’m excited the wheels are turning so fast – even with one very deeply held concern I need to talk about.
Zack Cregger’s Resident Evil Reboot Is Slated For September 2026
Coming straight from Sony Pictures, Capcom’s iconic horror franchise will be heading back to theaters on September 18th, 2026. That’s notable for two reasons, the first being Mr. Cregger is now in play for two follow-ups to his sleeper horror hit debut. Eight months may not seem like a short period of time, but with an undertaking like Resident Evil not even in production yet, it seems a bit daunting.
The second reason I’m excited by this news is that apparently this means Sony Pictures is comfortable with its spot in the horror genre field. Though that excitement comes with some healthy competition, as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’s release date puts the studio’s own undead-adjacent sequel in direct competition with Zach Cregger’s Weapons.
So there’s a chance that this Warner Bros.-based project could move its date, which may shorten the window between efforts. Chaos could be taking hold, at least in terms of the release strategies for both Cregger-helmed spectacles, but I hope that sort of thinking doesn’t spill over to the story development side of things.
Please, For The Love Of Wesker, Don’t Try To Mash Up Separate Resident Evil Games
I promised my editors and representatives that I wouldn’t go on another elongated rant about the most recent Resident Evil movie. My displeasure with Welcome to Raccoon City already has a home, so you can head over to that makeshift therapy session and dig a bit deeper into why that movie is more itchy than tasty.
However, one key gripe I have from that project does also apply to the movies that I did enjoy from Paul W. S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich’s run. If we’re really going to return to one of the worst fictional companies to work for with a fresh start, I hope that one thing is hammered into the script from Zack Cregger and John Wick/Army of the Dead co-writer Shay Hatten: these games need to be individually adapted.
The Alice movies cherry picked elements to focus on, but they did manage to create a basic framework that tons of sick action and creature effects could be hung upon. But when Welcome to Raccoon City tried to mix the plotlines of 1996’s Resident Evil and 1998’s Resident Evil 2, I was ready to rage quit. That’s despite the fact that it gave us such a comedically perfect moments, especially the one between 03:00 and 03:44:
I get it, we want to see Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine mix it up with Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. If done right, I could see that totally working, especially if later entries decided to improve some of the less than stellar sequel games. And if any two games need to be condensed, it’s Resident Evil 2 and 3, as they take place around the same 24-48 hour period.
With the right approach, and the fandom’s blessing, Sony and Zack Cregger could have one of the most organic cinematic universes at their disposal. Which only highlights how much we need to see a proper adaptation of the first Resident Evil entry take center stage. Don’t worry, we can always head back to Resident Evil Zero later with some carefully included flashbacks on behalf of Rebecca Chambers’ character development.
My initial intrigue on Cregger’s Resident Evil hire still remains, as there’s so much of Barbarian’s DNA that speaks to why he’s a good fit to take us back to the Arklay Mountains. I just hope that between a legacy studio’s influence and the scars of the undead past, enough lessons have been learned to stick the headshot.